Blithering Knitiot

Rhinebeck

I'm sorry I've not been posting much recently.  I guess there's not been too much going on in my day-to-day life that's been so exciting that I need to write about it.  I go to school, I do my job, my schedule this year is really quite good, the kids I've been given are a lot of fun to teach and sing with, and so I guess I can't complain at all, and things are just going so smoothly that nothing is really out of sorts or what I consider to be "blog worthy".  Life is going along just fine.  And I'm a pretty happy boy at the moment.  Not much excitement (well, actually, there IS something pretty exciting going on, but it's kinda private at the moment, and I'd like to just keep it to myself for the time being.  But, just so you know, there are no china patterns being picked out.  Yet...)

I did manage to get to Rhinebeck again this year.  It really is a very special event for me.  Since going to the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat last May, it was just so exciting to see several of the guys who were there, and who were SO willing to share their expertise and love of knitting and spinning.  Joe, Ted, Sean, Stephen, Danny, Mel and David, and Lars, just to name a few.  And to see Carol and Marilyn, whom I had met at Rhinebeck last year, and who are just delightful and talented women.  And, as so many people have been blogging about, Franklin (Yep, got his book signed, and I'm not sure how it happened, but I got to have dinner Saturday night with Franklin and this lovely group of people, and it was truly a terrific evening).

Gratuitous Franklin shot:

 

We know that Rhinebeck is about the fiber, the yarn, the spinning wheels and all that goes along with them, but for me, Rhinebeck is about seeing all these wonderful, talented and beautiful people.  Visiting, talking about the newest project on the needles, family and friends, and future endeavors and events.  Each time I go, I always come away with a greater sense of being, of community and sense of self - of being part of this vast world of fiber enthusiasts.  And more importantly, being WELCOMED into this community.  For me, it truly IS about these beautiful people, and how fortunate I am to be part of it.

I did get a few little things while I was there - although I really had no need for anything.  I have a closet full of yarn that I really need to use up, but I don't think I really went overboard.  A new Bosworth Spindle that Danny helped me to pick out, some roving to spin, and since I decided that my next major project WILL be a sweater for myself, I got some lovely wool:

Oh, and if you know of any good sweater patterns that might look good with this yarn, please feel free to make suggestions.  I'm toying with something knit from the top down, or something from one of the Elizabeth Zimmerman books.

The guys from the knitting retreat gathered to begin planning for the next one.  Joe organized and ran the little meeting, and things are rolling:

The man in the rainbow hat and sunglasses is my friend Van, who I met through menwhoknit.com.  He lives in the Catskill Mountains of NY, and is almost finished with his first sweater!  He's a terrific knitter, and a good friend.

So, there you have it - my little excursion to Rhinebeck, and seeing some truly remarkable people. 

I hope you all are having a great week!

Stash pics for Roxie

Happy Sunday.  I finally got around to taking some pics of the Rhinebeck and Skaneateles "Obscene Sale" yarn for Roxie.  So, here we go:

From Rhinebeck, a lovely Wool/Mohair blend:

Some Alpaca/Silk blend from Mel and Dave:

There were a couple of other purchases from Rhinebeck, but they are little gifty things that will hopefully get in the mail tomorrow.  If I can indeed get it in gear to get them packaged up to send today....  LOL!

And from the yarn sale in from Elegant Needles in Skaneateles last week:

The Jo Sharp that was $10/bag:

And:

And:

A little Sisik from Dalegarn (which is a more vibrant mustard/ochre color):

And remember the Pennsylvania Endless Mountains Fiber Festival from a few weeks back?  Well this is what I scored from them:

Some 100% Alpaca from Times Remembered - 8 ounces of fibery goodness:

And some sport weight Wool/Mohair:

So, there you have it - some acquired fiber from various places.  I have a couple of projects in mind for some of this yarn, and some of it has yet to tell me what it's supposed to be.  You knitters know how that goes, right Roxie?  *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*  I hope you all had a great weekend.

Good Morning!

Hi!  Now that everyone is rested and recovered from fiber overload in Rhinebeck, I just thought I'd let you know that my friend Sprite is still working on boxes for Kandahar, and if you would like to help in some way (as in helping with the cost of shipping boxes to the boys) visit Sprite and give her a hand if you can!

And as for the fiber from last weekend and the big sale I went to on Monday, I'll try to get some pics posted this weekend.  Cause I KNOW you wanna see it....

And, just because, a goat photo from Rhinebeck - because I don't think we've seen nearly enough goat pics from all the blogs that have posted about Rhinebeck:

Have a great Friday!

Rhinebeck

The weather was absolutely incredible, tons of yarn, fiber, sheep and other assorted animals, and thousands of really wonderful people we call "knitters".

The drive Saturday morning was absolutely lovely:

Ravelry members/bloggers were all over the place (wicked crazy, you know?):

A very talented man and his horses:

And a special shot just for Dave:

While chatting with Lars (and watching Lars take many pics of yummy "Man Scenery"), there was a Stephanie sighting:

And for a moment on Satuday afternoon the sky looked a little scary:

A view from behind the Sky Top Motel:

I did come home with a few goodies for myself and a couple of friends that I need to get in the mail in the next couple of days, but the thing I enjoyed the most about the weekend was the people I had the chance to see again, or meet for the first time - Mel and David, Stitchy, Marilyn, Carol, Lars, Devorah, and some local knitters from the Syracuse area that I've come to admire for their talents and senses of humor - Carla (who went to the same high school as I, but she was in 7th grade when I was a senior), Diana and MaryBeth.  I'm sure we'll be getting together for some knitting and libations in the future.   I think a good time was had by all.  Yeah, it really IS all about the people.   

And as if buying a few fiber goods in Rhinebeck wasn't enough, I heard through the Ravelry grapevine today that the yarn store in Skaneateles, NY (Elegant Needles) was having a 20% to 50% off yarn sale starting today, so I just HAD to get my little patoot over there to get some manos del uruguay and Jo Sharp (actually, the Jo Sharp was in bags of 10 balls at, get this, $10 a bag.  I now have 3 of them in my posession...).  The reason for the sale is that the building is having a little construction going on, and the owner has to clear out the inventory that's in her basement.  She's a very persuasive salesman....  And I have a big smile on my face looking at the big bag of yarn next to my chair...

I hope you all had a great start to your week.  I'm feeling a little fatigued, myself....  :-)