Always Catching Up

It seems like I am always catching up, both with my blog posting and reading. You would think that I'd have tons of blog time with all this cold weather, but there is always something to do. You know how that is! It's a busy time for special ed teachers. February through April is always IEP season, so I've been working quite a bit.

My main knitting has been two projects that go back to the knitting retreat I went to a few weeks ago.  An older lady named Ruth always vends at this retreat, and I fell in love with her original pattern: Ruth's Risters. The first hand is about done:

 The mitts are made with two strands of Knit One Crochet Too Soxx Appeal. This yarn was discontinued a few years ago. Ruth loves it so much that when she heard they were discontinuing it, she bought all the remaining stock from the manufacturer! I find the yarn is a big hard on my hands, but the finished mitts are cozy and soft.

Ruth also stocks a lot of Cottage Creation patterns. Do you know about this Iowa designer? She is especially well known for The Wonderful Wallaby. I haven't made that pattern, but I love her Babies and Bears Sweater. I had never seen The Rambling Rows afghan before and it was love at first sight.

When I looked through the projects on Ravelry, the ones I really loved were made with Noro Silk Garden. Can you imagine the cost of a Noro afghan? Me, neither. One of the ladies at the retreat suggested that I substitute Plymouth Gina, which turned out to be ingenious:

Last weekend, I took a sewing class with my mother-in-law, where we learned how make fabric collages. I chose a cat pattern, Purrfect:

Is that fun or what? Cutting out all those pieces takes some time, but I like handwork, so I don't mind. It's bigger than it looks, so it is going to be a challenge to quilt it.

So, I'll leave you with a real cat. Kola just loves bathroom fixtures.

And yes, we know we need to update this bathroom. It has the original pink fixtures from when the house was built in 1955.

A Short Time in Knitting Heaven

I was lucky to spend Friday evening and all of Saturday at the Sun Valley Fibers January Thaw, knitting, laughing, and buying (a reasonable amount) of yarn.

Sun Valley Fibers is run by Jeanette and her husband George, who have a farm in southwest Wisconsin. They dye up rich colors on a variety of artisan yarns. Three years ago they started up a retreat right here in Madison. How can I not go? No travel costs and I can drive home each night. Although, next year I'm going to spend one night at the hotel. It doesn't quite feel like a get-away when you drive home!

Isn't this sweater gorgeous? It's knit from SV yarns. I thought they said the pattern was the Hero Sweater, but I can't find it on Ravelry, so I'll have to track it down. (I just realized I forgot to take pix of my purchases and now it's dark! I'll have to post them later.)

Even with going home at night, it was a lot of fun. I met up with some of my favorite knitters and met new people from Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and the Twin Cities. Just spending time with so much of Jeanette's yarn is inspiring.

I had a lovely, mellow day today hanging out with my parents. But now I'm home and it's Sunday evening and I have to get ready for the week!

A Whole Amazing Day of Knitting

"So, you're going to knit all day?" my husband asked me, clearly puzzled.
"Yep."
"Just knit?"
"Yep."
"I don't get that at all," he concluded.

That was the conversation we had yesterday morning as I headed out to a full day of the Sun Valley January Thaw Retreat. There were classes, but I really just wanted to knit and talk without any kind of schedule to follow. And it was awesome.

As promised, here is the wall of yarn:

 Jeanette's colors are amazing. We all spent a lot of time petting the yarn. As you can see, she actually sold out of some colors.

On Friday night, there were door prizes. For everyone. "That's the way I roll," quipped Jeanette. I was one of the luckiest because I won this:

 For the uninitiated, this is a Yarn Buddy. As Jeannette and husband George say on their website, it's a lazy susan for your caked yarn. It is perfect timing for me because I used a ball winder for the first time at the retreat and now I'm a believer. I have a swift but I've been making yarn balls by hand. Not only are yarn cakes nicer to use, they also wind up SO much faster. I'm ordering one today. Frankly, I've been an idiot for not getting one years ago!

I was reminded of the power of samples. Jeannette had this out on a table.

It's Wendy Johnson's Leftovers Cowl. I've had my eye on this project for a long time. And I was clearly not the only one who was entranced by Jeannette's version. Jeannette thoughtfully offered a bin of mini-skeins that are perfect for this project. And they were a big hit. A number of people bought 30 mini-skeins and cast on right then and there. I picked up a few mini-skeins to mix in with my leftover sock yarn. However, I'm not going to cast on until I finish the Favourite Things Cowl, which is similar but in worsted weight.



I had planned to interview Jeannette, but she was busy every minute. I hope that means she had a profitable weekend because she sure planned a wonderful retreat for the rest of us.

Knitting Heaven Right Here In Wisconsin

By the time I found out about Sun Valley Fibers January Thaw Retreat, it was full. I asked to be put on the wait list, but I had no hope that I'd get in. Who wouldn't want to spend two days surrounded by friendly knitters and some of the smooshiest yarn in the business?

Then, by some miracle, a spot opened up. I could not resist. The retreat is right here in Madison, so I had no travel or hotel expenses! I immediately cast on a hat with Sun Valley Fibers DK.

I requested a personal day so I could attend all day Friday, but my employer denied me. So I rushed over yesterday when I was finished working and dived right in. When you walk in the conference room, you are greeted with a huge wall of yarn. (Pictures coming, I promise.) Sun Valley Fibers is known for their beautiful saturated colors. It's a small, family-run company in rural Mount Horeb, less than an hour from Madison, that makes absolutely devine yarn.

I didn't know anyone but I was immediately welcomed by a group of Madison knitters who adopted me. Really, no group is as nice as knitters. We talked and laughed well into the evening.

There were tons of spinners, too. While I have no interest in spinning, I love to watch it and talk to the spinners. As one told me last night, "You have a more intimate relationship with the yarn when you spin it yourself." I'm sure that's true. Still, as long as there are companies like Sun Valley Fibers, I'll be perfectly happy to buy my yarn!