WWKiP 2011

This last Saturday was my fourth annual World Wide Knit in Public Event. This was our second year at the Hillsboro Farmers' Market. They are lovely hosts, providing us with a couple of canopies, five tables and lots of chairs.  Last year we appreciated the shade the canopies provided, this year it was protection from the drizzle/rain that came after a day of beautiful sunshine.

Each year local ladies volunteer to make the goodie bags that are filled with yarn samples from local hand dyers. The goodie bags are really project bags. This year they were made Grace (check out her Etsy store for her needle cases, especially if you aren't local and can't get into Urban Fiber Arts to buy one), Debby has been making them each year, and Angela, who made some last year.  Here's a sample of the three styles:

Yarn samples came from Abstract Fiber, Knitted Wit, Three Fates Yarn and Stitchjones. I made stitch markers as did Trtlgrl and Rachel (she sells them at Urban Fiber Arts, but if you have need of some pretty ones, contact her for info.)

These were the lovely door prizes provided by Three Fates Yarn (yarn), Trtlgrl (fan), Urban Fiber Arts (kits) and The Knitting Bee (yarns and books).  We have awesome yarn stores!

Pics of the event:

By popular demand we do a destash/trade table. We were also prepared if we had anyone that wanted to learn how to knit we had needles and how to books. At one point the table was well covered with yarn, but I only came home with the box you can see on the left to be dropped off at the Hillsboro Senior Center.

You can't see it but Don over on the right of the pic was busy knitting a hat for a friend. He's Grace's DH who helps enable her stash at yarn stores.  Of course a good portion of it is so that he can get hand knit socks. ;-)

 I actually don't mind being in this picture! You can't see it but, not only am I sitting down, but I'm knitting! ;-)

We pulled the Blueberry lady over to find out what she was doing there, as its too early to have them in season yet. I remembered that Robyn was wearing a blue shirt and was teasing her that she was as round as the Blueberry lady. Thankfully Robyn has a sense of humor and went along with me getting a pic of them together. It was the Blueberry Lady's idea for them to both rub their tummies. (Robyn is due this week, she thinks - I'm voting for another week unless she drops soon.)

The canopies started to fill with water and Sari was elected as the tallest amongst us to help with the situation. The bundle of knitting needles were useful for other things than knitting. ;-)

Watch out!

The wind picked up on us and started blowing the water out of the canopies. Sari looking up to check on it.

The next event I have planned is the World Wide Spin in Public event the weekend before Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in September. It will also be at the Hillsboro Farmers' Market. We're hoping for no rain. ;-)

It fits!

I bought the yarn over a year ago with the thought of making a sweater of some type for my mother. A nice cotton in a pretty red-pink, colorway name is Wild Rose. I had in mind that I would do the Hey Teach! cardigan at that time, then decided it was one that I wanted to do for myself first. So came up with another cardigan, but that design was bottom up and I was worried about having enough yarn and I haven't done a set in sleeve design yet, so went looking again for another pattern. I stumbled across the Razor Boob-Olero and went for it. I was able to get to the point where at spinning I was able to have Robyn try it on to see how it fit and it was looking good. Later that night at knit night I asked Carol to try the completed sleeve and still on target for it to fit mom. Her actual birthday isn't until Thursday, but she was up visiting this last week. We had my birthday dinner this last week, and I had it done and blocking with a fan. It wasn't dry though, so I had to wait until this Saturday to give it to her:

I was worried that it wouldn't be long enough, but looks like I did okay! She was amazed I was able to get it to fit without having her there. ;-) A nice summer sweater for her to wear back home in Reno where its a bit warmer than we are now.

Laid low and crawling back

I started coming down with what I thought was the bug the boys had gone through the last week of May. Fevers and coughing that progressed to the point by the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend that I had spiked a fever of 104 and couldn't breathe laying down. So I called Brandon whom I sent off camping for the weekend to come take me to the hospital. The ER doc was going to send me home since nothing was really showing up on the x-rays but my pulse-oxygen had dipped down to 82 and was hovering in the mid-80s. Kind of explaining the headache that was developing. So I was given that lovely oxygen tube to stuff up my nose and after a bit of checking, I got a ride up to my room away from the noise of the ER.

I had just gotten the okay on Friday, from Michele to post about my test knit that I had done for her - Zen Rain Shawlette.  It's a fun shawlette that grows width wise more than depth with a flirty ruffle. You can wear it a number of ways too. I need to find a nice circle to pull it through.  Michele sent along some naturally dyed glitter yarn from Pico-Accuardi, Stevie Sparkles and the colorway name is "This is it, Joel!"  It reminded me of my big ole cup of cafe au lait, with the silver being rain sparkles.  Here's my version:

I didn't pin it out, just stretched it out and let it dry. I guess I might have been able to get a bit more out of it, if I had pinned....

I tried spinning the cotton and have a start, but I wanted some little instant gratifications, so spun up some of the samples that Cindy had shared with me last month.

Left to right - International Fibers Shetland, Serenity Sheep Wool, Suri Network Suri, Rogue Adventures BFL, Camel/Silk, Desert Charms - Alpaca, CA Red, Border Leicester

I had started a Barn Raising Quilt Square out of Abstract Fibers BFL in Smith Rock but needed a bit to finish it up. So the Serenity Sheep Wool, the CA Red and some of the Suri from Desert Charms wrapped it up:

Kind of in a wrap up mood and they had grown, so felted Brandon's Kilt Hose Ties:

 Before

After

I was still plugging along on the Spiderman Blanket, but wanted some instant gratification, so whipped out a couple of blocks from the samples above:

 Suri in the center with the light brown of the camel/silk and Shetland on the outside border.

I had this orginally as a small block with the lavender and the dark blue, so picked up the edges and added on with my kool-aid dyed merino/alpaca/silk. I still need to do a full block with this stuff too.

Short the last few in this shot but gives you an idea of the blocks that I have so far. More blocks definitely needed!

Before the end of May I had also started a pair of socks. They're anklets, so I have the design portion and the flip done on one sock. Just working towards the foot. A little boring just knitting around and around though. Need to get these done so I can do June socks. (I'm totally cheating in June, but you'll have to wait to see how!)

After not having the energy to knit for a week and a half, I have a bolero started for mom's birthday. It's a nice crisp cotton that I think will make a nice summer cardigan for her to use. She flies in on my birthday to visit, so need to have it done by then! I have eleven days. I'm through the ribbing and first 12 rows of the lace pattern increases for the sleeves. Going with a nice raglan top down design so I can have it done in time. Might go for the stretch and see if I can get the socks done for her too, but again a stretch.