Wow………It’s November!  I am still having a hard time getting my head wrapped around the fact that summer has come to an end.  It’s amazing to me how the weeks have just marched on by, and how I have so not been keeping up with them..  Last week just whooshed past me….how did that happen? 

I have managed to get some knitting, spinning and a little felting in between putting the gardens to rest and work of course.

Finishing up with my first Cardigan Sock, I quickly cast on the second one.  If I get that second one on the needles right away, it’s a sure bet the pair will be finished……but if I don’t, well, I don’t have to tell you the end of that story, do I?  Lot’s of single ladies kicking around here 🙂

Anyhoo, I have had a few people ask me how I felted my Red Maple Scarf that I posted a few weeks ago, so I promised a tutorial.  This is is going to be a picture heavy post, so I apologize in advance to those of you who not have fast connections.

Getting started:

This truly is something that anyone can do at very little cost, other than the sander. 

As you can see, I am starting with one of my 2 oz angora/silk braids of roving.  In addition you will want some sort of counter protection, a bottle of warm soapy water, a piece of flexible screening (bought in any hardware store) a big towel and a palm sander. 

It is very important that the sander is not an orbital palm sander, but rather one that moves back and forth.  An orbital sander will move the fibers in the wrong direction (ask me how I know this?)

You start off by tearing very thin, wispy lengths of roving and laying them in one direction, slightly overlapping each row.

Once you have finished the first direction, you will start again, covering the first layer with the same thin, wispy strips of roving in the opposite direction.  It is important not to be heavy handed with the fiber as you want your scarf to have nice drape, but you probably won’t want it to be full of holes either, unless you are striving for a more lacey look. 

Check the scarf over for bare spots and once you are satisfied with the coverage, gently lay the screening on top of the fiber.  Take your soapy water and start wetting the fiber, making sure to get the edges good and wet.

Once the fiber is completely wet, you will want to very very gently rub the screen, moving the fiber ever so slightly.  (just a minute with this type of fiber is plenty).

Gently again, lift the screening off of the fiber.  The wool at this point is not felted, so you want to be very careful not to disturb it too much.  Gently pat the wool, checking again for bare spots and gently push the edges, both sides and ends to give the edges a little bulk.

This is where the fun begins!  Making sure that you have rubber soled shoes on and your outlet is one of those protected types (I can’t think of the name off the top of my head), fire up the sander!

As this fiber is very feltable, you only need to keep the sander in one spot for a second or two.  Move your sander up and down the length of the scarf, making sure that you get it all.  Do the pull test, to see if the fibers are felted (pull up on the fiber…if felted it will come up together, if not, it will separate).

My working island is only about 60 inches long, which is not long enough for a complete scarf, so I did this in 2 long sections. 

After the first section is firm enough, I then very gently folded that section into an accordion type fold.  I then layered the dry roving on the edge of the wet section and repeated what I had previously done.

What the sander has done was prefelt the wool, making it workable, but it is still fairly fragile at this point.  Gently start working the scarf, rolling it in one direction, unrolling and then rolling again in the other direction.  Pay attention to your edges…you will want to use the palm of your hand to add extra friction there, giving a little extra firmness. 

Again, as this type of fiber is highly feltable, you will not have to spend too much time working it.  I usually toss it in the microwave at least once for a minute as the heat aids in felting items faster.

Once you feel the scarf is felted to your liking, fill up the sink with some very cold water and let the scarf soak for a few minutes.  (cold water finishes the felting)

Let the scarf dry over night and voila….a warm, soft angora, silk scarf to hug your neck on those cold days that are coming your way soon!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and have a fabulous weekend!

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing.
For charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double,double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and couldron bubble.
Macbeth ~ William Shakespeare

Heehee…..my husband is always referring to my dyepot as my cauldron, so I couldn’t resist this picture.  This was a FUN pattern to knit.  The pattern is The Enchanting and Magical Witch Hat written by Anne Carroll Gilmour.

I had only one little problem…the Brown Sheep Wool and the Noro yarn, felted at different rates.  The Noro could be a little more felted and the brown sheep felted so much that there was not really enough brim to turn under for the wire.  Other than that little snafu, I LOVE this hat.  Perhaps I will make another one next year and use only the BSW. 

I met Anne on my trip out to Salt Lake City.  She introduced us to the art of Wool Waulking.  You can read more about it here on Margene’s page.  Anne is a fun and talented lady!  Must be something about that name Anne and talented pattern designers.  I now know 3!

Some more knitting…..

Having finished both my mitts and my hat, I had nothing new to work on….EEK! Next on my list of to do’s is my Bee Stole, however, I had sent off my personal skein (second time now) to a friend who needed it more than I did at the moment, so that will have to wait until later in the week.  When all else fails……..socks work, right? 

Anne’s newest sock pattern The Cardigan Sock is now up on her website and let me tell you it is an addicting pattern.  Very hard to put down … another fun well written pattern!  Thanks Anne!

Brrr…….Winter’s Just Around the Corner

Wow……a cold front came raging in last night with very strong winds, taking down the last of our foliage….brrrr.

Today after my husband finished bagging up the last of the leaves, I watched the numerous robins who call our yarn home, looking for dinner.

I wonder…………could those little faces belong to the babies who nested in my shrub?  I guess we will never know, but I do know that I am going to miss those chirpy little faces when they leave soon. 
Fly safe little ones…………

Pattern:  Knitspot Delicato Mitts
Yarn:  Woolen Rabbit Sugar Maple Sock Yarn
Needle:  2.50mm knitpicks double points

Yes, I went for the mitts, even though they were not technically finished until last Friday night.  Much too warm at the festival though to be worn, but next week promises to be much cooler here 🙂

I have to admit that the crazy business of the last month since Fryeburg Fair finally caught up with me and set me right on my butt.  I feel as though I have had a good a** whooping that left me completely exhausted!   Life has a funny way of doing that to us now and then, doesn’t it?

 
I took the week to do very little other than what I really needed to do and spent some quality time spinning, knitting and watching our Red Sox move into the World Series with a bang……..and it has all been good.

Whilst I didn’t finish my hat for Rhinebeck, it now is finished and ready to be felted tomorrow, just in time to greet little Trick O Treaters…..so really, it is still all good, no?

Moriah Anne

I was hesitant in putting up too much information about this wheel, as I do like to keep some things closer to home, but given that she has spun herself onto many websites and given much joy, I felt better about sharing.

Seven years ago, I plunked down my money in hopes that one day I could be the proud owner of a beautiful Norwegian Norm Hall wheel.  This wheel that Norm refers to as Moriah has been officially dubbed here at my house as Moriah Anne, for reasons of my own.  It suits her. 

This is the most incredible wheel that I could have ever hoped to own.  Made of cherry and finished exquisitely as any well made piece of high end furniture, she literally sings as she spins.  I feel incredibly blessed to own this beautiful wheel and to all of you who not only spun on her, but cheered me on in raising the remaining part of the balance owed on her………Thank you!

Rhinebeck for me is all about the friendships I have made in my years of making this trek, but did I have my camera in hand when I was with the friends?  Of course not.  (note to self……get a smaller camera that can be slipped in a pocket and stop talking so much!).

I never can seem to adequately put into words how dear the old friends are and how wonderful it is to meet new friends……..  but the one thing I think that I love the best in all of this………we all get it, don’t we?  Love you grrls!!!!

And now a few pictures of my Rhinebeck………….

Beautiful Scenery…….

Who knew a square spindle could spin……
and oh so well!

Definitely hooked on some new things!

Presents from the hive…….

and a little something special
………

I am in a quandary……but it is a good quandary because it involves smooth knitpick  needles and delicious yarns.  The yarns above are yarns that were supposed to be something for Rhinebeck and if I am a very diligent and good girl, it could get finished…..

…and then there are these mitts that are oh so close to being on my hands and given the very sharp change in weather up here, I think that they would be nice to have on my trip to the NY Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck this weekend.

So…………do I work like a demon on the first project which is a very fun one, or do I finish the mitts with very little stress..big needle project/little needle project….or could this girl become insane and try to crank out both?  Stay tuned and you will find out on Monday…

Sad Flowers………

I have had an exceptionally busy 2 weeks of work since the fair ended and as many of you probably can relate, I have barely been able to come up for air.  Yikes…in those 2 weeks, summer has come to an end and Autumn has claimed her fame.

Somehow in the blink of an eye this happened.  My beautiful dahlia’s and sunflowers came to their sudden demise with the early morning frost today.

Sigh………….we were spoiled by all of the warm weather so much so that it was easy to forget that winter is just around the corner….not that I mind winter, but I was getting pretty comfortable with the extended late summer weather and the warm, windy yarn drying days.

So we move onto the next season…..and it truly is my favorite, even if I was enjoying those warm Indian Summer days.

This will probably be my last post until I come home from Rhinebeck, so I will leave you with another bee blog to enjoy while I am away…….this one is my favorite.  Jordan has a unique writing style that reminds me of an old, lost friend I once had…. a true kindred spirit and a soul mate.  I laughed my way thru his trials and how he deems himself a bad beekeeper. Go take a read from the bottom up……you won’t be disappointed.

And finally…. The Autumn that happened in a blink of an eye here in the mountains.

You know the old saying…….rain, rain, go away, come back another day.  We desparerately need the rain, but after 5 straight days of rain, I am feeling a bit frustrated as these:

and these:

should have been on their merry way to their new homes, but sadly, they are still here with me, drying ever…. so… slowly.  Oh well, not much you can do about the weather, right?

This has been the most bizarre summer/fall that I can remember since I moved up here to the mountains.  Here we are mid October and still no frost in sight.

Usually by this time, I have cut back all of my perennials and have replaced the annuals with Autumn mums.  Somehow though I couldn’t bring myself to cut back all of those perennials still in bloom and believe it or not, these
stunning Dinner Plate Dahlia’s did not even start blooming until the end of September….

It has been so blessed dry this summer that I believe they just didn’t have enough fuel to get themselves open…….but they are spectacular now….it’s crazy, but I may have to get out some more staking sticks again to
support these girls when in reality, I should be digging up the bulbs
and putting them away for the winter.

So what is all this wacky weather doing to our annual foliage display?

Truly it has seriously held it back.  I can hardly remember such a late color change.  Usually come this time of year we are raking up the leaves that have fallen and preparing for our first snowfall but this year, the colors have still not reached their peak which is bit bizare up here….

So here’s hoping that the temperatures will stay a bit cooler and the sun will come out, so we can enjoy the colors that the gods usually bestow upon us up here in the North Country.

Until then though, I will continue to look to the pots for color……with a little devil on my shoulder how can I go wrong?

Oh………..and before I forget, in my google search for bee blogs, I stumbled upon this gem!  For all of you who have also expressed an interest in beekeeping to me go take a peek here .  Start reading from the bottom up, you won’t be disappointed.  It is completely and utterly fascinating!  Bzzzzzzzzzzz!

I’m hoping that Carole doesn’t mind me borrowing her phrase….somehow it just fits today.

This week has been spent getting my house back in order.  It’s amazing what falls behind when I am not home for a week………..so I thought instead of showing what little knitting has been done, I would show you a few things that make me go hmmmm……..while I catch my breath a bit.

Of Bees and Mugs……..
Do you not love my little felted Bee, right down to his little leg pollen pocket?  My friend Julie of Kick The Moon Farm made both the jug and the little bee for me last week.  The little cream jug matches a set of coffee mugs that I bought a few years ago from her.  Julie is an incredibly talented artist and makes me laugh all week long.

Gadgets………..gotta love them!

Have you ever used one of these apple coring/paring tool?  I know, I know….it IS a gadget, but let me tell you, it is one of the coolest gadgets I own!  Love It!  The weather finally has a fall crisp bite in the air, so tonight for dinner it was a pot of beef stew, some home made bread and some apple crisp…yum!  Now that I finally broke down and bought one of these gizmo’s, there is a better chance that I may actually make more than one apple dish this fall…..

Mmmmm………hot bread!………

Speaking of that home made bread………I thought that I would share my favorite bread recipe with you.  It is some yummy and if you have a bread maker, it’s Easy Peasy!

Quick & Easy Anadama Bread
1 c water
1/4 c. molasses
3T melted butter
1 egg
1tsp salt
1/3 c. cornmeal (whoops, I forgot this first time around)
3 c. flour (I use 2 c white flour and 1 c of organic wheat flour)
1package yeast (rapid rise or regular)

Breadmaker:
add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order they are given and push the magic start button.

Conventional method:
In lg bowl mix cornmeal, salt, yeast and 1 c. flour.  In 1qt pan, heat water, molasses and butter until very warm (120-130 degrees) 

With mixer low spd. gradually beat liquid and lightly beaten egg into dry ingredients.  Increase speed to med, mix 2 min. occasionally scraping sides.  Add 1c. of flour and mix for 2 more minutes, then add final cup of flour and mix with wooden spoon.

Place in greased souffle dish and let rise for 1 hour then cook at 375 for 30-35 minutes.  (I use a bread maker these days and love it!)

Enjoy!!!

Whew………..as much as I love working at the fair, it sure feels good to be home again.  It is a challenge keeping up with work both at home and at the fair this one week a year, but it is all worth it, as the time spent with good friends I see only a few times a year is special.

One of the nice things about the fair is getting to work on some new projects and learning new techniques.  The above yarn is a yarn that I dyed before I left for the fair. The warm red/orange tones were too much for me to resist, so I snagged one for myself.  More will be available in a few weeks.  The pattern is Anne’s Delicato Mitt.  Such a beautiful and well written pattern!

Do you see that little bit something hiding?  Sneaky little Devil………..(more about him later)

Felting…………

One of the things I worked on was felting my angora roving.  Susan Mills is a genius
when it comes to felting techniques.  If you ever have a chance to take a class with her…….do it!  She is such a fabulous and patient teacher.

Hannah had spent one evening making a scarf with some merino in her school colors when she was not working on her little felted pumpkins.  I loved the way it draped around her neck so much so that I thought I would spend some time felt playing as well and I am so glad I did.  It was fun, quick and the end products are so nice.

Hooking……

Another thing I attempted was Hooking.  No……..not THAT kind of hooking, but rug hooking.  The pin above was a gift to me from Janet Connor, who is another great fiber teacher.  I bought a Santa kit 3 years ago from Janet, who encouraged me to bring it to the fair so that we could work on it.  Felting……..easy peasy.  Hooking, not as easy as Janet makes it look, but I am going to keep plugging away on my Santa and hopefully conquer that hook.

Deviled Eggs Anyone?

Is this not the cutest thing you have seen?  I admired this little guy all weekend, but as much as I tried to find some free time to make one of my own, there just was no extra time to be had.

As we were packing up on Sunday evening, Susan, his creator came up to me and placed him in my hand, saying that he really belonged to me……..she could tell.  I was so touched….. I just love this little guy, even if he does look like a little sperm…hee!  Susan is such a good friend!

It is always a little bittersweet to say good bye to my fiber tent sisters, as some of them I only see once a year.  There is a wonderful bond that we all share and it is this bond that always keeps me coming back for that long, hard week at the fair 🙂

Ya have to love these ladies, even if they are looking a bit sheepish without their clothes…!

You would think by now, I would be tired of all this Bee stuff.  Bee shawls, Bee stoles, Sisterbee books,Bee colored yarn and now Bee colored fiber to spin, but I have to admit, I am still fascinated.

It all started early this summer when my daughter, Ashley prodded me into reading The Secret Life of Bees. 

The way the story wove in and out with  quotes from books such as The Queen Must Die: And Other Affairs of Bees and Men, really struck a cord with me.

Then of course, there was Anne’s stunning Honeybee shawl/stole, which I will finally be able to start working on after next week.

……and then there was the revival of my summer garden. As I tended the garden I became acutely aware of the interaction between the bees and the fruits of my garden.

Many mornings, I would find little sleeping worker bees in most of my squash flowers………and as I would see them, I would contemplate a bit.

Hmmmm…..more bees in the garden would be a good thing, right?  Next I met a beekeeper in Utah, who spent some time chatting about bees with me and gave me a list of recommended reading.

Part of the fascination for bees as been what they have represented to me in terms of how I regard my fiber sisters…..but even more than that is what an important contribution these little workers make to our environment.

Coming home from Utah, the first thing I did the next morning was to stroll thru the garden with my coffee.  When I saw this little guy snoozing on the Sunflower petals as the morning was quite chilly……….it kind of confirmed in my mind, that YES, I think I would like to be a Keeper of Bees.

…..and my husband thought I was kidding……..until he saw my books today…he really should have known better… 🙂

This will probably be my last post until later in the week as the fair is winding down.  I have some new things that have been on the back burner to start working on……new yarns, new fibers and maybe a new pattern, so I am looking foward to what’s ahead. 🙂

I hope that you all have a great week in your corner of the world!