Monday, October 19, 2015

Hooray! I remembered to post!

Aren't you proud of me?  I'm actually posting!  And it's been two weeks as scheduled!

Anyway, I haven't worked on Isobel Stuart again, but I did pick this little lady up for a bit -- the Small Girl 1863 from the Essamplaire.


(Sorry for the poor picture.)  I know a lot of you are sad that I seem to not be into stitching as much anymore.  Somehow that seems to be what happens with me.  I go through cycles.  From stitching to quilting, (with some knitting and weaving thrown in), to stitching, to quilting a bit, to knitting to -- you get the picture.  I'm afraid I'm in a knitting cycle right now, although I hope not to abandon quilting and stitching altogether.

This is the long way of saying that I've been working on knitting a lot the last couple of weeks.  I went to Gauge and Tension in Brooklyn on October 10 for a class taught by Sarah Solomon for the Rowe Sweater by Michele Wang (a Brooklyn Tweed design).  I love this sweater so so much and am so happy there was a class.  Otherwise I would never have gotten up the nerve to knit it!  You saw my gauge swatch or the start of one last time.  Here is a picture of my swatches along with what I believe are the swatches for the original sweater.  So pretty!


Here's a shot of the shop -- such a lovely selection of yarns and wool!


The father type met me after class, and we went off to meet the girl child for dinner.  We went to a yummy ramen place.



(Please note:  DD uses chopsticks.  I do not.  I'm allergic to them.  Hee hee!)

And here is my progress on the Rowe so far.  I've started with the left sleeve.


I started the cap sleeve shaping this afternoon.  So exciting!

The other exciting thing that happened was -- I got to go to Rhinebeck!  What's Rhinebeck, you say?  It's the NY Sheep and Wool Festival -- a huge deal in the knitting world!  40,000 plus people attend, or so I read somewhere.  Can you imagine?  I actually can after being there on Saturday.  lol!  So many people!  It was such fun!  I went with two of my good friends and we had a ball.  I had famous knitters syndrome while I was there -- saw all these knitting celebrities and was gaga about it too.  lol!  Loved sweater watching too -- so many gorgeous sweaters out and about there!  And I bumped into a couple of Instagram friends as well!  So amazing!  I hope they don't mind my posting their pics here.  Here is Tanya Marie, the Sampler Girl.  She does a knitting podcast that is so much fun!  She is @bzmama on Instagram.


And here is Tanya's mother, @lucysyarnpocket!  She has made a few guest appearances on Tanya's podcast and they are so much fun together!  Behind us is @nancydaniels92.  She is a fellow knitter and cross stitcher.  I met her years ago when we sat at the same table at a stitching retreat.


Loved meeting these ladies (and seeing Nancy again) in person!

Here are some other pictures of our day at Rhinebeck.  What a great day it was -- great sweater weather for those Rhinebeck sweaters!

The line to get in.  We were at the end of the line.  The gates opened at precisely 9am and the line went pretty quickly.








The colors are off in this picture - the main color was a lovely green.  I want to knit this swater!  I wonder if there's a pattern for it....

Here is my stash from the day.  I'd say I was pretty restrained!

(The sweatshirt bled in the wash.  I now have pink sheep!  lol!)

Mia was not happy about my absences from home.  She also did not like the cold that hit over the weekend.  I think she has declared it too cold.




Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

31 comments:

Vickie said...

Small Girl is looking great! And so is your sweater sleeve!
What fun to bump into those you know at the Festival. I would not mind pink sheep. ha!

Vera said...

Oh Oh!! Envy over here. Rhinebeck??? That must have been wonderful. The Fingerlake Fiber Festival I went to in Sept was very, very tiny (but fun and I did manage to enhance my stash). Like you, I am knitting and knitting and knitting. Not stitching hardly at all, though I have been thinking of picking up a small piece (I keep saying that). Your Ramen dinner looks great! And that yarn shop - envy over here again.

Melody said...

Hi Margaret. I'm happy you got to attend the big knitting Festival. I'm sure you saw many things to inpire you. Also, what fun to meet up with other bloggers and friends. It will be fun to see what you continue to work on.

Brigitte said...

Nice stitching project you were working on. IT seems to happen to so many crafters that they go from one craft to the next in periods and then back to the beginning again. The two stitching friends that I used to have in my region have left stitching as well and are doing some serious knitting, beading and quilting right now. And maybe one day they will get back to stitching again, who knows :)

Rhinebeck seems to be a great event in the region. Good for you that you could attend - and even meet some famous people from the crafting world.

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Do you use color catchers? Someone in the quilt world told me about them. They are in the grocery store in detergent section. Looks like a great event--so many people.

Poor Mia she looks cold--am sure she was happy when her people returned and turned on the heat

Marsha said...

That sleeve is amazing. I love reading about yarn and knitting even though I don't knit. I've been in a quilty mode for quite a while instead of stitching. Gotta follow those creative juices or it wouldn't be fun. Did you get to meet the Yarn Harlot?

Marsha said...

That sleeve is amazing. I love reading about yarn and knitting even though I don't knit. I've been in a quilty mode for quite a while instead of stitching. Gotta follow those creative juices or it wouldn't be fun. Did you get to meet the Yarn Harlot?

Melissa said...

I chuckle at Mia hiding under the blanket! So sweet.

That knitting event! I can't imagine being there with so many people but it must've been amazing. Glad you got to go and the weather was good too!

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Oh Margaret, the sleeve is just amazing as are your samples! I know I've said it before but I'm just in awe of someone who knits. So beautiful! You've got to follow the muse where ever it takes you. So long as you are being creative in some form or fashion, I say it's all good! Have a great week!

Jeannine520 said...

Hi Margaret - that sleeve is beautiful. I'm not a knitter but Rhinebeck looks like lots of fun. I'm envious of you ladies on the east coast. Seems like all of the stitching and knitting fun happens over there. Nice restraint you had! ;-) Lovely pics of your beautiful daughter and Mia.

Annie said...

Love the cute stitching project even if it isn't your main thing right now. I can't believe the progress on that cabled sleeve. Your needles must fly!

And you have really gotten deep into knitting world these last two weeks. A class in the big city and an excursion to the country! Couldn't be better for inspiration. And what fun to see the 'celebs'!

I feel like I'm drifting away from the crafty grid altogether these days. But I still like to browse!

Mary said...

Oh Margaret, we love you no matter what you're up to! Come to think of it, attending Rhinebeck is on my bucket list, so I'm thrilled to see all the lovely shots you got. How did you keep from going off the deep end there?!

Nice to see Lucy Willis again. She taught a sampler class for my old stitching group several years ago. I wonder - is she still designing at all?

woolwoman said...

AMAZING - simply amazing that you got to go to Rhinebeck - you lucky gal ! I bet you were just on overload with all you saw. Looks like a beautiful day - there have been several that were raining, nasty and cold. You didn't mention the knitting celebs you saw??
Your sleeve for Rowe looks great ! How are you liking the Shelter? We all just have to follow our hearts when it comes to needle crafting. I'm about to enter the "hooking" season but that hasn't kept me from ordering lots of new stitching patterns. Hope you have a great week ! Mel

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

I love seeing your knitting and quilting. I am more into my crochet right now than cross stitching myself. Poor Mia!!!!

Rugs and Pugs said...

Margaret ~
Your knitting skills are phenomenal!!! You do such beautiful work.
The wool and sheep festival looks amazing. Lucky you spending the day there.
Hugs :)
Lauren

Teresa S. said...

OMG that line looks so long! It must have been an outstanding exhibit. Always happy to see your posts, Margaret!

Beth said...

We have a Black Sheep Gathering here - much smaller than the event you attended, but a gathering of people who are into wool. Mia looks to be doing very well. I have always admired the intricate patterns of traditional fisherman's sweater. I had a bespoke one knitted for me when I was in Ireland back in 1979. And for an Independent Project one of my classmates on the trip knitted a sweater, hat, and mittens.

Anonymous said...

beautiful stitching, love the photos

Carol said...

I think it's great that you have such a variety of needlework to choose from, Margaret! Me? I can only cross stitch although I do look longingly at the beautiful sweaters and quilts made by others. Some day, I keep telling myself--I will learn those crafts, too :)

Great photos from Rheinbeck--what a gorgeous day for it, too! Your knitting is looking wonderful and the tiny girl is so sweet. Maybe just stick in a small cross stitch project in between the knitting ones? That might keep your interest...

Ali said...

I got to attend my very first wool show recently and it blew me away but was nowhere near as big as Rheinbeck I can only imagine the fun you've had! The sweater is looking great just the project for those cooler days. Ali

marly said...

That's a lot of people! You know it's a good show when the entry line is that long. Beautiful day for it too. It would be very hard to see all those hand knit projects and not want to start knitting.

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

Your stitching is always exciting to see but so are all of your other needle crafts! Great pic of you and Tanya! That line to get into the fair reminded me of the line at the Country Living Fair. I think you showed great restraint but I'd not have been too happy about the sweatshirt!

Kaisievic said...

Lovely to read about all of your knitting adventures, Margaret. That wool show looks like it was lots of fun!

Linda said...

I live fairly close to Tanya (the Sampler Girl) - and got to meet her awhile back at one of the cross-stitch shops.

My stitching has fallen off big time! I picked it up awhile ago and started to get back into it. But then it was overtaken again by my knitting! Doesn't help that two of my closest cross-stitch shops are now gone! I still have one about 45 minutes or so away - but never seem to make the trip there these days like I used to!

Linda in VA

Jackie's Stitches said...

I love seeing your knitting content! The swatches are lovely and I really love the color you selected. I have cycles to my interests too. It's been a long time since quilting has grabbed me though.

Mugwump Woolies said...

Oh you lucky girl...all that gorgeous wool...and sheep, too! What a fun, fun day! I have been trying to get to the sheep and wool festival in Maryland for years. Beautiful knitting!
Robyn

Evelyne said...

Great knitting adventures and lovely pictures. I can imagination that the colours of the trees are a great inspiration.Beautiful sweaters i see in this posts.

Have a nice weekend,
Evelyne

Anonymous said...

Oh what lovely fun!! And to meet up with friends, too, is a special treat. <3

Anonymous said...

What a delight to see such beautiful yarn. I like to knit, but other hobbies took over. Switching passions from time to time is good for all of us. It's renewing.
I like the stitching you did...love the purple! How fun to meet up with friends...sounds like super fun!

Sally said...

Looks like you had a fantastic time Margaret.

Carolyn Boutilier said...

Glad to see the pictures of the N.Y. Sheep & Wool festival. We have several in Virginia and I love going to see all the yarn ,roving and of course the animals.
Carolyn B