Friday, June 24, 2011

Poppies Pullover - Finished

I actually finished this sweater up last week, but it took me a while to get a photo of it.  While I really enjoy knitting with this yarn, I actually prefer the more wildly colored colorways.  I found this one a little too tame...But fortunately there are lots of other great colorways in the Fiesta Yarns line, including all the new Cruise Colors, so stay tuned for more colorful knits.

Top Down Raglan Sweater, pattern from Sweater Wizard software, Fiesta Boomerang Yarn in Poppies.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Moving Cable Pullover - Body Done, I think

I also pulled this project out of my hibernating pile.  According to my project page on Ravelry, I started this pullover on December 22, 2009.  The yarn is Tahki Cotton Classic.  I love the yellow, it is just such a happy color.  It is currently blocking, because I want to check the fit before I finish the sleeves.  I have knit both sleeves up to the cap shaping, but I know I need to modify the shaping and wanted to see how much the yarn relaxes after blocking.  I may end up doing top down set-in sleeves, just so I can get the best fit.

Lacy Angles - Clues 1 & 2

When I got back from Bead & Button I curled up with some yarn.  This is third offering in the Light & Dark Lace Club.  The yarn is PennyRose Yarns Rachel, 100% Superwash Merino in Tiger Lily.  The designer is also the dyer - Ruth Greenwald. The first two clues came out while I was at the show.  They were quick and easy knits.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Bead & Button Show 2011 - Swag on Display

Of course, I ended up buying more than two beads and a cool dish.  So, here is the rest of the swag that I bought.
Some hanks of size 8 beads from Bead Biz.  They specialize in unusual Czech glass beads.  The 6th and 7th hands are actually the same bead finish, and are supposed to be the same color, but they are different dye lots.  Yes, glass has dye lots just like yarn.

I picked up some more Czech beads at the Bead Room.  They have cool striped beads.  They also have pressed glass.

I also picked up some nice strands of semi-precious stones from Africa Gems.  Fossil Coral (on the left) and Rhodochrosite (on the right)

And, of course, some more lamp work.  Although my favorite lamp work artist, Larry Scott, was not there I did manage to find some cool beads.
These are from MZglass.  I could not resist the butterfly pupae on the left, and the honey bee and honey pots just spoke to my inner Pooh Bear.  I have a honey comb sock pattern from Biscottie & Cie that will go with those beads...

I just couldn't resist these purple sea shells.

And I just love the colors in this lamp work bead.

I found these pretty leaves at Jumping Jack Glass by Shirley Cook.  The top set matches my Clematis pullover exactly.

And bought this set of Talavera beads from North Fire Designs by Kim Fields.  The detail is amazing, and she makes the most spectacular lamp work birds.

So much for not doing much shopping...

Bead & Button Show 2011

It has been a busy two weeks.  Every June for the last nine years I have been going to the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  My sister, Virginia, owns a bead store and I go and work in her booth.  The first year I went I flew, but since then I have driven every year, and brought the booth infrastructure with me.  So, on June fifth I loaded up my Element and headed north by northwest.
This photo is actually from the 2010 trip, and was taken on the return trip.  Virginia had ridden back to Yellow Springs, Ohio with me (where our parents live), so the Element had more cargo than usual.  That was quite a trip.  We spent four hours and 200 miles driving in a terrible thunderstorm in Indiana.  Although you can drive from King George, Virginia to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in two days, I stretch it out to three, stopping for a day in Yellow Springs, Ohio to visit with my family and rest.  I don't like to push myself when I am driving alone.  So, I drive to Yellow Springs on Sunday, rest and visit on Monday, then drive to Milwaukee on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, at noon, we start to set up the booth.  They ship the stock, and I bring the hardware.  After nine years we've gotten pretty good at setting up the booth.  Wednesday night is "Meet the Teachers" from 8pm to 11pm.  All the teachers sit at their own tables set up in one of the ballrooms at the Convention Center and students come around to talk and look at the pieces on display and shop.  I usually don't go, but this year Virginia and Carol each had their own table and Virginia wanted an extra pair of eyes to keep tabs on things.  I wore my In Dreams shawl, and it was quite a hit.

I picked up a couple of beads at Meet the Teachers, even though I really wasn't planning on shopping.
The first bead I bought was this lamp-work bead by Andrea Guarino-Slemmons.  I was drawn to the red and gold of the flowers.  The second bead that I bought was this steam-punk bead from Bullfrog and I Ching Beads.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but it is pretty cool, and totally different than anything that I have ever bought.

Thursday morning we went down to the 3rd Ward and did a little shopping.  I picked up this cool dish made from Uranium glass at an over-stuffed junk store.
The color comes from the Uranium in the glass.  And, yes, it is radioactive, although I'm not sure how radioactive, yet.  I'm going to take it to work where my favorite scientist can check it with his Geiger counter.

We finish setting up Thursday, and then we start selling.  We sell from 4pm to 9pm on Thursday, from 10am to 8pm on Friday, from 10am to 6pm on Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.  Then on Sunday we have to pack everything up.  This year we packed in 4 hours, which is probably our best time yet.  During the show we like to dress up, and last year we made outfits just for the show.
This is me in my outfit.  The shawl is Avira, and it was a big hit.  You can see some of the booth in the background.
This is my sister, Virginia, in her outfit.  This was taken at the end of the day, as you can see the booth is covered with drapes.  Virginia is wearing Diadem.  I gave it to her for her birthday and she loved it so much she hardly took it off.  It was a huge hit at the show, and she was constantly getting stopped by people complimenting her on the shawl.  The shawl is being held closed by one of her beaded pieces.
And last, but certainly not least, here is Carol in her outfit.  I think of her as a sister.  I gave her the Summer Flies shawl, which she is wearing in the picture below, looking tired after a long day in the booth.
The beaded necklace she is wearing is her signature piece.

I got back from the show on Wednesday June 15, and Bruce and I took the rest of the week off, and I needed it too.  It has taken me until today to really recover.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Poppies Pullover

So it is 9 o'clock at night and the temperature is still 80 degrees Fahrenheit and I am knitting a wool pullover.  Am I crazy?  Well, maybe, and I will confess that knitting with a wool-cashmere blend (the Morning Glory pullover) this afternoon at work while I was reading a document was not as pleasant an experience as it usually is (the air conditioning in our building was not keeping up with the heat).  But the air conditioning at home is working quite well, thank you.  This is the latest in my flower series of pullovers knit with Fiesta Yarns Boomerang, a 100% Extra Fine Super Wash Merino.  The color is Poppies.  Given all of the beautiful colors that Fiesta has, I think I will be knitting these pullovers for quite a while.  They are great easy projects to have on the needles - mindless knitting for reading, or riding in the car - and a classic pattern that fits me well.  And I just love the colors, I love letting them pool and make crazy patterns.  Add to that a fiber that is wonderful to knit with, and honestly, what more could one ask for?