Rhinebeck workshop and colored leaves

This is my backyard view, this afternoon. A storm around us; overcast; but still so much green for the last bit of October. (I need to trim some of these shrubs so as to not lose my view of the mountain; but I have to do it on a weekend cause they aren’t really on my property.)

back yard view

I have tried to get rid of the sumac in my yard, but here it is:

colors in my yard

The red and the bit of yellow resemble, in a far-reaching way, the roving we used in the spinning workshop at Rhinebeck on Friday. Margaret Heathman was our leader, and she was soooo encouraging. We were given dyed roving to spin and ply five ways:

roving and plied handspun

On the left is a strip of the roving; on the right it is plied with a red; the ones in the middle are single plied, plied from the inside and the outside of a center pull ball, two strands hopefully spun in a similar thickness and length and plied together, and some that is Navaho plied. That was the name of the workshop: one painted roving prepared five ways.

I was happy to be shown Navaho plying, and did some more at home but I still need a lot of practice, actually I s**k at it. But the relaxed day of spinning and plying was perfect for honing my hardly existent skills on the wheel; I hope they have spinning classes next year!

I am just now looking for a hat pattern to knit, using these yarns. A rolled brim one, I think.

Posted in backyard, fiber, spinning, yarn | 2 Comments

Rhinebeck: Sunday, and spinning wheels

I returned today, armed with some more cash, but resisted these oh-so-clever wheels, by The Merlin Tree, so easy to carry, so durable, so cute! I didn’t take his card, but Saturday he remarked how he had the least expensive wheels at the festival, and just down the aisle in building A were the most expensive!

The Merlin Tree Wheels

This wheel is made by Tom Golding, I hope I have the name right (I think I do now as Lunassa recognized herself spinning and helped me out here, thanks!)– so lovely it belongs in a museum! I didn’t try it; too unsure of my abilities to recognize greatness, or even appreciate it. But what a wheel!

Tom Jones' amazing wheel; unknown happy  spinner

This next wheel was in with the The Merlin Tree’s Hitchhiker’s; an antique made in Connecticut, my state, but as I looked at the old wheels here and there around the festival, I realize I don’t have the patience for the old and somewhat archaic. A good lesson for me to learn!

Antique wheel made in Connecticut

Continue reading

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Rhinebeck: Saturday

I actually got to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival early-ish, so the crowds were not yet thick and impenetrable:

yummy yarns

(This was  Ellen’s 1/2 pint farm.)

I watched some judging; they all looked good to me. I am a novice at identifying animals, but these were goats:

goat competition

 

The 12 noon gathering was fun; here is our Ravelry leader, Jess, oohing and aahing at a baby. Bloggers tried to find squares; and we all pretty much blocked traffic.

Jess 'aahing' baby

As I left that little knoll, I saw Stephanie’s sweater, and had to be a bit dorky and put my camera in her face. She was off to get some wool. Which is what I did, though I restrained myself from buying a fleece, and loaded up with various rovings, natural and dyed,

Stephanie

from various types of sheep and other fibery creatures. I had a blast, in my quiet old-timer’s way, and am headed back tomorrow. This was the very thinned out crowd heading home, with me right behind them:

heading home

 

Posted in fiber, knitting, ravelry, yarn | 3 Comments

Trying a variation

I really really like the patterns of Jane Thornley, of Nova Scotia. They are almost freeform, and allow one to choose yarns and colorways and be a bit adventurous. She sees patterns of colors and textures in nature and is able to translate them into knitted fabric. I am enraptured by them. I am working on the Medici Coat, only I hope to make it a vest. This is the first 6 inches or so:

Medici Coat (vest)

And here I have added more rows; neat how my Harmony cable cord matches!

Medici Coat (vest)

I hope to have this done, with collar, for Rhinebeck. Should be doable. I ordered a heap of yarns from EBay to work on this; some have not yet arrived, but the lichen Colinette Giotto from England arrived so I began and am liking it, although I think wearing it I will look like a piece of upholstered furniture!

Posted in fiber, knitting, yarn | 1 Comment

Blogger Bingo at Rhinebeck


I am going to be a participant, a square even, both days– and I don’t even know how to get the image in my sidebar. What kind of a blogger is that? The link is here.

Look for me, I’ll look for you.

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Moore Brook Alpaca Farm and Pokeweed

I visited this local alpaca farm on Sunday; a lovely tranquil spot with delightful animals, yarn, knitted goods, a sculpture show, and fiber. Here are two lovelys:

friends

And these fellas were enjoying the warm day:

Too hot for the last day of September

I’ve known the owner a bit for many years, but never visited before. She also spins, but is new at it, and the woman I bought my wheel from was coming to demo that afternoon — tho I couldn’t stay. I still have some lessons due me, but I haven’t learned enough yet to know what I need to know!

The proprietor of Moore Brook Farm

I did buy two bags of washed alpaca:

big_test

This silvery gray, and one a more natural color that didn’t photograph well. She has lots of unwashed fleece, which at some point I’ll see about, but I bought the two bags I got. It was her open house day, after all.

My next adventure was collecting pokeweed berries for dyeing some of the roving I have:

pokeweed berries, in my own front yard

I had gotten a quart’s worth from my own yard, and found a terrific source by driving around. A long stretch at the edge of a mowed meadow, no fence. So I scavanged a bucket’s worth. Tonight I’ll get the dyepot bubbling!

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Yarn and a swamp

I have put in some bids on eBay; I won’t say who from on the slim chance anyone who is reading this might be interested and snipe them away from me. I have two projects in mind.

Hope to buy.jpg

This is the second skein:

Hope to buy #2.jpg

And this is the third:

Hope to buy #3.jpg

Well, I have bid on more, but let’s see what we get. I’m probably committing a grievous error by even posting those photos as I didn’t take them; I just hope to own them.

I’m on a new weight loss challenge on SparkPeople; it began today, so I went for a hike. A lovely drive over a mountain on a dirt road, and as I drove down, the gas gauge went to “E” and stayed there. Eventually it popped up a bit on the level, and as the GPS said I was close to the “Drowned Lands” land trust area, I went on. The hike was lovely; the virginia creeper is red:

Drowned Lands.JPG

The trail is wide and mowed (the mower fellow came by as I was heading home).

Drowned Lannds#2.JPG

I didn’t get up to the top of the little mountain, but I did get up to a view point over the ‘Drowned Lands”. I could not find stage one of the geocache; I will return!

Drowned Lands #3.JPG

This wooly bear was on the trail on the way back— very little brown, in fact, no bands of brown– what does that mean? Cold winter? Today was hot and tomorrow may break a record high– can a caterpillar know?

Wooly Bear.JPG

Oh, I am in Ravelry as of a few days ago, and I do love it— it is useful and inspiring and fun!!! Does require more photographing; certainly can keep one busy looking. So many projects, so much yarn!

 

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Happy Trails

I went out geocaching yesterday, a nearby cache, in a local landtrust area I had never walked in. First time geocaching in almost a year, first time hiking since the beginning of summer. The trail was nice even if it was up hill —then down…..

trail through Wildwoods land trust

…to a viewpoint….

view

I think the farmland below would be visible when the leaves are down. Passed a garter snake who would not move; I think he was cold: down into the thirties the last two nights.

garter snake  catching some rays

Found the cache; the GPS was right on. Left a ‘traveling bug’ that I forgot I was holding –for almost a year– and I know this is not good geocaching etiquette. I was surprised to find it in my pack when I got to the cache. But just as bad as that, is that this cache I left it in is not visited very often, so I think if it is still there in a few weeks I’ll have to move it along. If I can be trusted to do that in a timely manner!

I am going this afternoon again, now that I’ve used a PC to put maps in my GPS and a ‘Babel’ program to get waypoints from the web through my Mac to the unit, it is so much more fun!!!

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Food and Fiber

I have been busy making use of the season’s bounty: B and B pickles, plum jam and oriental plum sauce, and two chutneys. I think I am done; the farmer’s stand closed today. Unless my grapes come in in irresistible quantities, I think I am done. I have also been filling the freezer with corn chowders and soups.

preserves--2007

I have nothing finished and off the needles recently; I am awaiting longer cables with the knitpicks ‘Harmony’ set so that I can continue on with my homespun shawl; the scarf and top down sweater are nearing completion, and I started these leggings:

leggings

They are based on Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac, which has spawned a Yahoo group. I am going to stop them just above the knee, and not make them true ‘nether garments’, but the leggings will be just what I need this winter. I hope to switch them to a long cable and do both on one, when those new needles arrive.

I sold three paintings this past week; and that has inspired me to do more, and that has inspired me to again follow Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” (and book two and book three, in hand and unread.) She certainly helps one cut through to the basics; to find a voice, tone and pathway.

I have had a wonderful time off from the frame shop; basically I ‘cocooned’ and it was rejuvenating. Food in the pantry and freezer, wood coming for the winter’s heat, and I almost don’t want to go back to work, but $$$ calls.

 

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What’s up up here

My plum trees have been super productive; many have been eaten and I have made plum jam, oriental plum sauce, and two types of plum chutney. The last of them are ripening this week:

my plum crop

I haven’t tended my flower gardens much this year, but this hibiscus is 7-8 feet tall and doing wonderfully, even if it doesn’t look like it belongs in New England!

stately Hibiscus

And I painted some; sorry the acetate reflects in this one:

small landscape

L

Posted in gardens, painting | 1 Comment