I meant to post this today under “Socks and Such” and completely forgot.  I succumbed to purchasing something last night because of a newsletter that I receive and feel that I should share this with you in th event you need enablement to increase your sock stash.

Simply Socks Yarn Company is an online store dedicated to socks and sock knitting.  There are many different manufacturers carried here.  They are now offering SSYC Sock Club 1 which is a three month sock yarn club beginning in August.  Three different shipments will each be different and offer sock yarn from Amy at Spunky Eclectic, Sleeping Dragon and Dream in Color.  I predict this club will sell out fast!

Happy sock yarn shopping!

Socks
I finished the first sock for the new Jitterbug design.  This is a slipped stitch pattern that highlights the many colors of a variegated or hand painted yarn.  I need to come up with a name for this design so I can publish it. Any suggestions?    Whoever comes up with a winning name will receive a free copy of the pattern when it is published.   

Jitterbug – Florentine colorway   

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I am making great progress with the golf/summer sock from Crystal Palace Panda Cotton.  Usually, it is hard to get an even material when knitting with cotton without really being careful.  Look how nice the knitted material is!  Panda Cotton
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I am not sure if I have ever shared my sock blockers with you and thought I would give you a peek at them as well.
                   

And Such
I shared the two leaflet books I recently purchased to make wash/dish cloths.  I have collected a few colors of yarn and am ready to go.  I also was lucky enough to get some really nice handmade soap this past weekend at the fiber festival.  I think these will be really nice little gifts for someone. 

                                                        

More And Such
We are in the middle of a drought and the grass has not been mowed in three weeks now.  I know of several people that mentioned they have had rain for at least a week now.  I thought this picture would make them glad to be where they are now.

The dogs were milling about while I was taking pictures and I got tickled at the looks on their faces.  I think I woke them up too early.  Ya think???

Gracie         Jake          Luc        Missy 

Yesterday, I promised to share pictures of my booty from the fiber festival this weekend.  I believe I showed great restraint.   I mentioned Kim Caulfield from Far Out Farm yesterday.  She processed, blended and carded some awesome mixes and I am the lucky owner of a gray/blue mohair/merino mix.
Look at these curls: 
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I also succumbed to this Yak/Merino blend in the colorway Abalone:

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Brenda Morley, Peace Song Farms, tempted me with this 25% angora/75% Shetland mix that she dyed.  It is just like a cloud. 

I also got this kid mohair from her as well.  Anyone have any suggestions on spinning kid mohair?

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I purchased some handmade soap too and this segues into my next topic which is organization.  I have been organizing the closet where my washer and dryer are kept. I purchased these really cool colored cardboard containers this weekend and you can see the soap I purchased as well:
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Spinning
I have been spinning a little more than a year now and want to spin sock yarn.  I tried doing it and felt like it was very inconsistent.  I recently purchased some of the Sock Hop yarn from

Crown

Mountain and I got it in the same colorway I am spinning so I could compare my efforts to one of the pro’s.  After seeing their yarn, I really think I can do this.  I have one bobbin spun and am working on a second to create a two ply.
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 Beat Goes On (Crown

Mountain yarn and my spun single)
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Shawl
There are many reasons to blog and I am finding that one is to spur me onto finishing things that I start.  I promised pictures of the Forest Canopy Shawl when I blocked it.  The deal was that I did not have a blocking board.  Yesterday, I went to Home Depot to get a big, thick piece of that pink insulation board.  They only ¾” board, so I got that instead.  I got it cut in half and went out to put it in my vehicle and it would NOT fit.  I tried every which a ways to get it in there.  I went back in and had to get it cut two more times.  It fit….  Whew.   I got it home and soaked my shawl.  I finally started putting it on the board.  It has been quite awhile since I blocked and you could tell!  I started pinning in the wrong place and when I was done it was all whopper jawed.  One half measured 29” across and the other 23” across.  So, I undid everything and started over by putting the top in a straight line and measuring from there.  I should have done that to start with, but hindsight is 20/20, hmm?!   So, I took a picture to share with you this morning of the shawl on the board.  I am going to leave it on there a couple of days.
          

I went to a ‘first’ annual Fiber Festival in Dickson, Tennessee this weekend.  I have been thinking about this event and what it means.  I attended Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in 2000 and went to SAFF last year.  When you compare this weekend’s event in size and number of vendors, it does not compare.   When you compare heart and community, this event is right up there.  Because it is new and the spinning community is not that big in the Middle Tennessee area, we have to take baby steps.  We are growing though and that was evidenced in the turnout this weekend.   
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When thinking about this weekend too, I thought about the fact that Nashville did not even have a yarn store 15 years ago.   Now, there are several in the area. Haus of Yarn has an awe inspiring selection of yarn.  Knaughty Knitter offers yarn AND spinning supplies.  Did you know they carry Crosspatch Creations???  Angel Hair Yarn is known for their hospitality and they stock Rowan.  So, we have gone from NO yarn stores to several great stores.  Spinning has been around here for quite awhile.  I remember seeing spinners at the festival in Murfreesboro or at TACA in the Spring and Fall, but was never too curious about it.  I am now!!!   So, a new tradition was formed this weekend and we began the baby steps to creating a new tradition in our area.  If you are a local, I encourage you to participate, you can only grow from the experience.  
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There was a plethora of items to lust after  choose from this weekend.   There was a booth containing herbs, another offered free kittens, there were felted sheep fleece wall hangings, home made soap, rabbits, a really cool espinner, and (of course) some really great roving/fiber to choose from.  There were a few vendors that brought livestock.  The spinners congregated in an air conditioned building and we got to see several of our friends. 
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 Sally, a spinning teacher from Hohenwald, came and we were so happy to see her as she does not come to the spinning meetings often because it is such a long drive for her.  Did you know that Hohenwald is the home of The Elephant Sanctuary, the nation’s only natural-habitat refuge developed to meet the needs of endangered Asian elephants?   How cool is that!   
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Beth at Three Creek’s Farm is largely responsible for putting this event and she did a great job.  There were organized events or items of interest to spinners and I was happy to learn several things.  The first was how to choose a fleece hosted by Kim Caulfield, Far Out Farm.  Kim is an expert on evaluating fleece.  Her farm specializes in raising hormone free lambs.  I also bought some roving from Kim that she processed herself and carded and it is very, very nice.  I heard a few of my friends mention the word “Road Trip” and “Kim” in the same breath.  I foresee a trip to Cornersville, Tennessee in my future.  I can imagine that we would also visit Little Barn in Harvest,

AL.  Speaking of Little Barn, they have a poll at the bottom left of their website.  They want to know if you would be interested in attending a workshop.  Go Vote! I digress. 
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 Brenda Morley, an extraordinary spinner that is owner of Peace Song Farm, gave a talk on how to groom and care for a rabbit.  She brought an English angora rabbit with her.  Although I have no notion of getting a rabbit, it was interesting to learn and understand how long it takes to get enough fiber to do something with.  Kim also demo’d how to Navajo or chain ply.  Another lady gave a demonstration on stick weaving and another lady showed how to dye roving. 

Pictures shown below are of the event and some of the vendors booths.  I will share pictures of my loot goodies, tomorrow. 

                           

Angora/Wool & Rabbits            wheels                                Herbs

  Escape Artist

   chasing Rainbows

       

Check out this espinner!

  

Lunchtime???

There was weaving too!                   

And the spinners group: 

 Here is to New Traditions 

I love cute little ornamental snails.  I hate to step on yucky, slimy snails in the yard.

I love to wear cotton, but hate to knit with it.  There is no spring to the yarn, no life to it and it.is.not.Wool.  Nuff said.    Not.

Actually, there are two cottons that I recently knit with that may have changed my relationship somewhat with knitting cotton.  The first would be Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton.  I knit the Garter Cardi out of the natural cream color and put little puppy dog buttons on it…..too cute!  Sorry, no pics before I gifted it.  

The other cotton that I love, love, love is Crystal Palace Panda Cotton (bamboo and cotton). 

This stuff is a little springy, it has life, the color is pretty, and (best of all) it feels so very, very soft to the touch.  I am knitting short golf or tennis shoe socks.  If you have the same love/hate relationship as I do with cotton, this may just be a life changing event.   Wish other things in life were so easy, hmmm….

Now, back to our regularly scheduled channel….Wool.  Jan, sadly blogless in Murfreesboro, recently went to Suwannee to see Lynn Vogel (Twisted Sister) at a one-day craft show.  Jan feeling sorry for me because I did not get to go thought of me and brought me back a surprise. 
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Whoa, this stuff is nice too.  When she pulled it out of her bag, I immediately knew it was wool/tencel.  The drape of this yarn is amazing, so fluid looking.  The color is another amazing thing about this yarn.

I have shared so many things lately, I need to knit and spin like mad to keep up.  My fiber room’s floor is beginning to be so full it is like a game of Twister just trying to walk through there. 

Jan, Denise and I are off to the Fiber Festival with our wheels today.  I am taking my new-to-me Rose wheel.  What a great day to spend the day-good friends, spinning, fiber, etc.  

I am a member of the Spunky Fiber Club.   Amy, Spunky Eclectic, sends out a shipment of fiber each month to 200 of us Spunky Junkies.  Each month, we get something different both in color and type of fiber.  There is a blog for members to share what they spin or make with their fiber - Spunky Club Blog.  Jan, gladly blogless friend in Murfreesboro, is a member as well.  Each month when one of us gets our Spunky fix, we call the other one and ask if she got hers yet too.   I received my shipment yesterday and called Jan to check on her.  She had hers, but did not know it…it was still in the mailbox.  I think we are both very happy with this month’s shipment!   It is called Nightshade.  Amy wrote that it reminds her of her eggplant and planting and does remind me of the earth and many colors within.  I really like this colorway!  It is Coopworth sliver.  I am not sure what sliver means exactly, but will research that find out.  If you know, please leave a comment so we all learn something new.
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   Nightshade

Playing with this roving and looking at the colors had me out in my yard and I saw how happy my flowers are since they have had a few weeks in the dirt and gotten lots of good sunshine.  The flower look happy, hmm?!
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                                                                                  Boy, the lavender is really outdoing itself this year.  It really smells good too!
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Warning – Danger, Will Robinson, Stash Enhancement Message coming… There is going to a first annual fiber festival held in Dickson, Tennessee this Saturday.  Details: 
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Three Creeks Farm is hosting a fiber event at the Dickson County Fairgrounds, in Dickson TN on May 26, 2007 from 9 am until 5 pm. It will be inside a building so it will go on rain or shine! We also have use of the sheep barn which has built in pens. We hope to have lots of fiber animals to see and for sale.If you would like more information, call or email tn3creeksfarm at yahoo dot com Schedule of Events
All Day Weaving Demonstrations
Spinning Demonstrations
Knitting and Crochet Clinic
10 am Fleece Selection Workshop
11 am Spindle Spinning Demonstration
12 noon Grooming

Angora Rabbits
1 pm Stick Weaving Demonstration
2 pm 4-H Wool sheep Orientation
3 pm Dyeing woolVendors:Three Creeks Farm
Charlotte, TN Shetland and Icelandic Fleeces, Kromski Spinning
Wheels, Felting supplies, Hand Forged Fireplace
(dyepot) sets and other custom Ironwork.

Countryside Crafts
Ethridge, TN
Ashford Spinning Wheels and Supplies, Amish dolls,

Angora Rabbits, Shetland Sheep, Handmade Crafts and
fresh and potted herbs.
www.countrysidecraft.bizDeer Trace Farms
Fayetteville, TN
Spinning Wheels, Exotic Fibers and French

Angora Rabbits
deertrace@vallnet.comFar Out Farm
Cornersville, TN
Wool and Roving (Romney, Shetland, Cotswold, Blends
and Exotics) Peace of Yarn, Chasing Rainbow, etc.
jcaulfield@vallnet.com

Praise Song Farm
College Grove, TN
Shetland Sheep, Cashmere Goats,

Angora Rabbits, Fiber
Art Pieces
www.praisesongfarm.comBon Aqua Cabin
Bon Aqua, TN
handmade soaps, sheep tallow soaps, personal
toiletries, cotton dish towels

The Outback Menagerie
Waverly, TN
angora rabbits, angora blend yarn, llama wool

Welcome to the Hop!   Today, we are going back to the 60’s and going to a dance…..A Sock Hop!Ever heard of Sock Hop Yarn?   Sock Hop Yarn comes from Crown Mountain Crown Mountain Farms owned by Teyani and Klaus.  Teyani, aka The Intrepid Fiber Wizard, is so talented.  She dyes the roving for these socks and has a crew of handspinners that spin the roving into sock yarn.  Not only are you getting hand dyed yarn, but you are also getting HANDSPUN yarn.  How many places can you find that???  I cannot forget Klaus, he is such a big help and answers questions as soon as you ask them, and is a big piece of the operations part of the business (plus he is cute!)
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To get some of this yarn, you get on a waiting list and you say what you would like, the spinners spin for months, and then you receive a notification email stating the sale is about to commence. They just had a sale and I was lucky enough to get a few hanks of this yummy sock yarn.  After this sale, the waiting list is now a thing of the past.  This yarn will now be added to their website on a regular basis as it is spun instead of holding it for one-time sales…..so check their website often! 
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   Let’s see (clockwise starting at 9:00), there is Brown-Eyed Girl, Happy Together, Twist and Shout and last but not least The Beat Goes On. 
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Keep on dancing, now it is time to do the Jitterbug!  There are several disbelievers in the group!  No one believes you can make a whole pair of socks from one hank of Jitterbug.  Well, the proof is in the pudding picture in this case.  Check out that leftover ball of yarn!
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  One hank Jitterbug, Fruit Coulis colorway, size 2 needle, Women’s Size 9, 6” cuff, pattern:  Leah Oakley Original Sweater Sock Pattern.  This is Jan’s first smaller gauge sock.  Jan is a professor at MTSU and now sock extraordinaire.  Way to go, Jan.  Thank you for sharing this with us! As a Swan Song for our impromptu dance this morning, we can all have “A Charmed Life” 
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Carolyn, owner of Huas of Yarn, gifted me with this pin from Gita Maria and it is glass enamel on sterling silver.  Carolyn placed an order for shawl pins and fell in love with the sock pin and thought of me….how very nice!  Surprises are always so much fun.  Speaking of surprises, Carolyn has a new family member, Sophie.  Sophie is a 4 pound Rat Terrier who, I hear, is too cute and smart for words.  I will share a picture when I have one. 

Thanks for coming to the Dance!  Jake says “That was fun!”  

Socks
I finished the Comfort Rib Sock pattern and it is almost ready for publication.  I think I may have a test knitter and once it has been tested, it will finally be completely ready for the world.    Yarn used was Trekking.
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        Detail
I am almost done with the Jitterbug….about 1.25” from the toe decrease.    The big question has been can you knit a pair of socks from one hank of yarn.  Question exists because the yardage for Jitterbug is 267 meters or 291 yards.  I had read on SockKnitters Yahoo Group that someone was able to knit a pair of socks to fit women’s size 9 with a 7” cuff.  Well, there is proof now!   Jan, gladly blogless, recently took my two circ sock class and knit her first pair of socks in small gauge.  She used one hank of Jitterbug and use the Sweater Sock pattern.  She made her socks to fit a women’s size 9 shoe with a 6” cuff on a size 2 needle.  She said she had a ball of yarn the size of her first digit on her thumb left.  I think she was sweating it toward the end.  Whew and that is a good ending to that story.  I will post a picture of her sock when I get it.  Huge congrats, Jan, on your smaller gauge sock! 
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Shawls
I highlighted Nicky Epstein’s felting book yesterday.   Writing about it made me think about her other books and what ideas and things can from idea books such as hers.   The Adagio Shawl is a great shawl and the pattern is an easy to remember 8-row repeat.  Pictured below are two versions of this shawl.  The one on the left is knit out of one color of Koigu and the pattern was altered to change the edge from a ruffle to a lace edge.  The lace edge came from Nicky’s book.  The shawl on the right was made from six colors of Koigu and used the ruffle as highlighted in the pattern.  Big difference, same pattern.  I love Koigu…. 
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Spinning
Louet Northern Lights is a pencil roving that comes in 8 ounce bags.  It is extremely easy to spin and I recommend it for anyone that does not like to predraft or needs something to practice on to become more consistent.  It is so soft, virtually VM free, and the colors are nice too.  Pictured below are two colorways that I spun and two plied, Teddy Bear and Grape Jelly.  In the bag is Icy Winters. 
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Dogs
I have been feeding Ace a high quality, high protein diet this past week since I got him and massaging his ear too.  His right ear does not stand up as it should.  It still flops, but I was able to catch a couple of shots with his ear standing up.  Shows you what love and a good diet will do! 
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Yesterday                         Today 

What’s a great fiber stash without books?  My thoughts exactly.  Never enough books…. 
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Every so often I get the urge to visit Barnes and Noble.    First stop the magazine rack.  I subscribe to Knitters, Inknitters and Cast On.  I used to subscribe to IK and Vogue, but started perusing them at the book store before making a final purchase.  There is a magazine that I really like and usually buy called Creative Knitting.
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This magazine always includes at least one or two things I would make.  One feature I really like is they include a picture in the back of the magazine of all items where patterns are included.  I really like that.  How many times have you wanted to make something, remember seeing, but don’t remember where?  With a quick glance in the back, you can know right away whether that is it or not.
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Another magazine that I add to my stash on a regular basis is Simply Knitting, an English publication. 
 
They always have interesting things too.  The best thing my Mom and I both like are the little ‘critter’ patterns.  Several months ago, they had beach bunnies.  This month they feature a chicken. 
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The web is both friend and foe.  You learn so much from others in our community and find such wonderful things that Paypal comes in handy for.  If only we had unlimited Paypal funds!   I normally am not as in never a dishcloth knitter.  I found the coolest dishcloth books by Melissa Burgland Burnham and now I want to knit them.  Some day.   Melissa has a website that offers free dish/wash cloth patterns and highlights the patterns she has for sale.  It is always nice to have a gift in your gift box for someone special when it is least expected.  I think some goats milk soap with one of these cloths would be a very much appreciated present. Baby Washcloths to Knit and Garden Dishcloths to Knit
        
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Mandatory Socks.  Of couse, I had to have a sock book too:  Favorite Socks:  25 Timeless Designs by Interweave.  

This books is a ‘must have’ for sock knitters.  There are several patterns that have been in past IK issues, but there are six new designs as well as designs included in other Interweave publications such as Piecework.  I really appreciate the binding in this book.  It has a hard cover and is spiral bound on the inside so it lies flat. Okay, for the finale.  I saved the best for last.  
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I love Nicky Epstein and wish I could see inside her head (Lucy Neatby is another).  Her latest book is just as great as just as great as many of her others.  Knitting Never Felt Better:  A Definitive Guide to Fabulous Felting. There are several pages of patterned swatches before and after felting.  I love before and after pictures!  There are several different options shared on how to make and attach purse straps too.  Of course, there are some awesome patterns included.  I would almost consider this a coffee table book.  I am glad to have this one added my collection! 
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Before and After Pictures
Speaking of before and after pictures, I usually try to take pictures of my rescue dogs when the come in for their ‘before’ picture and then take pictures later for the ‘after’ to be able to compare their progress.  
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Before                 After 
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Jake, Yorkshire Terrier, came to me in 2002 and was about one year old.  He is now approximately 6 yrs old and just full of himself.  He always gets attention at the agility trials and hams it up.  He will do just about anything for a treat! 
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 Ace, very temporary foster puppy, came to visit with us last week.  He desperately needs a foster or adoptive home that will love him and help him learn.  He is a puppymill rescue and is learning every day.  I have several dogs of my own and do not have the time it will take to teach him everything he needs to know.    He is the type of dog that wants a person that is his (he will share) to love and will do whatever it is that he thinks will please you.  He wants to be near you and will worship the ground you walk on.  He is playful and has found a ‘favorite’ toy to play with at my house.  Right now,  I am his human.  He knows that I get in this box each morning and shut the door and there is lots of water in there.  He comes and knocks on the glass door and asks to look in several different times to make sure I am okay.  He is not so curious as to jump in though.  Last night, I was vacuuming the pool from the top of the deck and he could not find me.  After he figured that out, he stayed up there with me and layed down in a corner and patiently waited for me to finish.  He just wants a person to be near.  He runs when the toilet flushes, but not in a panic any longer.  He knows how to climb stairs.  I was going to start working with him on potty training last night and got a leash to tie around my waist and he and I were going to become close buddies.  Well, he does not know what a leash was and he thought it was a scary process.  I took him out to the front yard to work without distraction from the other dogs.  He froze up and I figured out that he was afraid that he was being taken away from what he was growing used to and thought he was not going to get to go bac–that made me feel so bad.  So I carried took him back him to the back yard and worked with him on lead with all of the other dogs clamoring for Ace’s lead treats.  Ace became much more interested then (the gobble factor) and he learned the very beginning of walking on a lead.  That is definitely a work in progress that will take time.   
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Agility is like playing a slot machine.  The great weekends keep you coming back.  While this was not a great weekend, I appreciate getting to spend time with my dogs, the agility community and learning.  I learned several lessons this weekend.  The main lesson is not to give up when you think the judge calls something.  I thought Gracie was called for flying off of the teeter and I let up mentally.  Bad mistake.  She was not called and we would have Qd if I had stayed on top of my game.  Big lesson learned.  Another lesson is that this trial is late in May and is hot.  Jake does not run well in the heat and I think we need to run in the first trial in May at this location and skip the second (this weekend was the second competition).  Another lesson learned.  Our next competition is in June at the MOTC trial in Murfreesboro, TN.  Last year when we competed there, Channel Two News came out and taped a story on Rescue Dogs With a Job and they taped quite a bit of Jake and I for coverage.  I had to walk a course with a mic and power box on.  They taped us running the course.  I was so self conscious about running that I ran out over the start line instead of the finish line (they were within three obstacles of each other).  I cheered and everyone else didn’t.  I later figured out what I did.  Everyone thought I did it on purpose though for the camera.  It was fun having them tape us, but I would not give up a Q for that.  The story on TV showed ribbons you could win and at the end they said no matter what ribbons you win, the biggest winner is the one with a Rescue and they faded off showing Jake giving me a big kiss.   Awwwww 
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So, wouldn’t you like to give Ace that chance??? 
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Book Review for Dogs
Animal Wellness Magazine
This is, hands down, the best animal magazine.  Whole Dog Journal is the best newsletter.  They both contain excellent articles on homeopathic remedies, training, and review new products of interest for your dog, cat or horse.  I highly recommend both!Happy Reading!

    
Little Princess Spirea – Blooms in Spring and is a great foundation plant.  Cut back after blooming. 
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Forest Canopy Shawl – My first knitting project using my handspun.  Spunky Eclectic’s hand dyed Romney in Rocky Mountain High colorway, 8 oz, approximately 550 yards.  Unblocked. 
 
I need to get a blocking board.  After blocking, I will share a picture of it and it will look much better.  I loved working with my handspun and it meant something a little more knowing that I spun the yarn.  It was interesting to see how the thickness of the yarn varied here and there and how the colors blended from one to another.    
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Jitterbug Sock Design

I turned the heel.  The colors are so vibrant in this yarn—they are almost alive.  When I am working on this project and the sunlight hits it, the colors literally glow.  This is my first experience in knitting with Jitterbug and it knits up very densely.   I am working on a size 1 needle, but a 2 would most likely have worked even better.  Anyone that knows me would be gasping to hear me say that since I love my socks knit on size 1 needles. 
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Dog Doins
Gracie tore her nail on her rear left dew claw last night.  I left her howling for me at the vet’s office.  I pick her up this afternoon.  I am hoping she will be okay to compete tomorrow. Ace, the rescue Pap, that came to stay briefly with us this week is doing fine.  He is like a boneless cat, he just gets in your lap and sprawls.  He needs a forever home and his own person to love.  Wouldn’t you like to have a Papillon?