Tour de Fleece

I keep hearing about my fellow fiber enthusiasts' goals in the Tour de Fleece.  This is where you spin every day that the the riders in the Tour de France ride.  I had great intentions to participate.  I haven't spun in a long time, and I'm dying to let some wool run through my fingers, even in the heat.

I also heard about the Gran Fondo bike ride in my community to support the hospital.  I've often wanted to participate in a fun bike ride through my beautiful valley, but I'm so intimidated by the experienced people in most races.  This one sounded perfect, because a Gran Fondo (Big Ride in Italian) is truly a ride, not a race, and is supposed to accomodate all levels.  There was a 40 mile ride that seemed about right for me.

I told my husband I wanted to ride, but the cost (which is a fund raiser for a good cause) seemed really high.  Well, my husband sponsored me and I started to ride last week.  That gave me a whole week and a half to train for my ride.  Let me just say that it hurts to sit.

So my deal with myself was that for every day I "spun" on the bike, I could spin on my spinning wheel.  This would have been great!  But I've biked almost every day, and haven't done a lick of spinning.  Maybe after the Gran Fondo on Saturday.

Navajo Wool

This April my family took an amazing two week trip through the southwest.  We saw 7 National Parks and lot more in between.  One of the towns we stopped in was full of Native American kitsch for tourists.

There was a weaving room with amazing (and stunningly expensive) Navajo weavings for sale.  While I was looking, a woman came and started weaving on a big rug on the loom.  She would weave a few inches of the appropriate color, then if she was done, simply break off the yarn by untwisting it a bit and pulling.  It was wool singles in naturally dyed colors.  I asked her who made the yarn, and she said it was made locally, and I could find some in the grocery store.  I had found my souvenier!

I almost walked past it in the grocery store.  There was just a grocery card piled up with skeins of navajo wool in tons of beautiful and tempting colors.  The naturally dyed skeins were hanging from the rafters above my head and were of course more expensive.  I took six skeins to my husband and he helped me pick two colors to bring home.  I'm first going to weave a simple hat band for my outdoor hat. Then we'll see what inspiration comes!

Liberty or Death

I was surprised by how many people were a bit shocked when they saw me knitting this hat.

This was hat made on commission for my best Monmouth Cap customer. It's a bit big on my model!

In the immortal words of Patrick Henry,

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

The Hat that Started it All

My current knitting phase really began with making baby hats; first for me, as I wanted a hat with ear flaps for my baby, then for others as baby gifts. I just found this picture of Adelaide in my earflap hat!

This was on a camping trip in Fairfield canyon, I believe, with Erin & Andy, and Mom.

Dane's Red Sweater

Dane started requesting that I knit him a red sweater last spring. Every time I knit anything after that, even if it was brown or green, he’s say, “Are you knitting my red sweater?”

I finally got yarn (washable), but couldn’t get gauge. I finally knit the whole thing at a larger gauge, and have done the math every step of the way. I cast on 74, instead of 110, and have used that ratio for for the rest of the width. For length, I followed the pattern.

I'm finally finished, and Dane loves it!

Fish Soup

Just made Russian black bread and fish soup for my bookclub on brothers Karamazov!

Toboggan Sideways Cardigan

I just got the free pattern for for this cardigan, and I really want to make it. It will go so quickly! Anyone want to cast on with me?