Fair

I was very excited with the results of the 100th Fremont County Fair held in Riverton, WY!

This picture of "Sage" won the "People's Choice" award!  She is one of our Shetland lambs born in Wyoming!  

Interestingly, if you were to take this picture to our flock it would be hard to pick her out because she has been sun bleached with all of the sunshine here in wonderful Wyoming. 

Different Socks, Same Yarn

Can you believe that both of these pairs of socks came from the same skein of yarn?

The large size sock created a zig zag pattern with the color, while the smaller sock created rings!  I have begun a third pair of socks for my third son and am curious what pattern I will get with these.  Any guesses?

Seychelles Blocking

I finished a shawl last night and decided to block it so that it could dry overnight.  I thought this might be a better idea than waiting for the morning because I was worried that the kids would get into the pins.  As it was, my youngest handed me the pins while I was blocking!

This shawl pattern and yarn was part of the Dream in Color club from December 2012.  I love the beautiful colors and yarns that Dream in Color produces.  I do plan to modify the pattern by omitting the buttons and using a shawl pin instead.

Blocking is getting a knitted or crocheted object wet, drying it in a towel, and then pinning it into the shape desired.  This seems very intimidating but it really is not hard once you try it!  I was intimidated until I got a crash course using a sampler scarf, it is all the same basic principle no matter the project.  

Chic Knits Headband

This headband is gorgeous!  I love the cable pattern and the width.  I feel that the width is great because it really keeps your ears warm!

I used Cascade Cash Vero with a Chic Knits: The Elisbeth Collection pattern.  The pattern has four different accessories: headband, hat, shaped cowl, and tube cowl.  I think that I will look for yarn that will make one of the cowls.  This was a good pattern which Chic Knits recommends for the advanced beginner; sound advice.  I have already started another headband in a dark grey.  I have another Chic Knits pattern that my sister and I are going to use as a knit-along.  I will post my progress on that project once it is started.

Zig Zag Socks

I just love the happy colors in this yarn!  I made these socks using a Schaeffer Yarn and a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern.  I was concerned that the yellow was pooling but as I progressed I was relieved to find that the yellow actually created a really cool zig zag!  Of course, the socks have not left my son's feet since they were completed!

Turn a Square Hat

This hat is simple and lovable.  It is Jared Flood's "Turn a Square" hat pattern.  The pattern is written for stripes but I have never actually used it for a striped hat.  I am a believer in letting the yarn talk for itself.  In this case, the yarn is a Tweed Cascade 220.  The flecks of white, black, and tan would be lost in a complicated pattern, but the simplicity of this hat pattern is perfect.

I use this hat pattern when teaching beginning hat classes.  It is a great way for students to learn the basics of hat construction.  This pattern is worked from the ribbing at the brim up to the crown and can be tailored for any sized head.

Hat, Mittens, and Scarf Set

I finally finished the matching hat, mittens, and scarf set for my husband!  All are made out of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair in Alpine Shadow.  He wanted a Marsan Watchcap for the hat; however, after getting the hat mostly done he did not like the way the hat folded at the brim.  So, upon further questioning I discover the part he liked was the swirling top!  "Oh, I can do that," I exclaimed.  The swirling is caused by the decreases to the crown of the hat.  So, I modified the pattern to have the knit 2, purl 2 ribbing he wanted and then did the decreases in order to create the swirl.

The mittens are a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern.  The Scarf is just a knit 2, purl 2.  I did not block the scarf as he wanted the stretchy look.

   

Lambs, Lambs, Everywhere!

Lamb Resting Time 

I am sorry that I have been tardy to post anything.  We have managed to move our Shetland Sheep to Wyoming!  I am so very excited because this means more fleece, which of course means more yarn.  Yippie!

However, it does mean that much of my time has been consumed by unpacking and LAMBING!  These little lambs are so cute they will make your heart melt.  I have a farm blog at dragonwoodranch.blogspot.com  Please visit the blog to see the newest members of the flock and to see the upcoming fleeces.  Happy Knitting!

Ruffle Scarf

I just love ruffle scarves! I have made two types of ruffle scarves. I have made the lacy-type ruffle scarves (like in the picture) but I have also made solid ribbon-type ruffle scarves. These scarves make great presents for Christmas, or any occasion really. These would even be great for Moms-to-Be who need a little something special just for the Mom! Ruffle yarns are available in colors for every season and with or without glitzy borders and by all sorts of different companies. I love the sparkle so I tend to choose those yarns when I see them!
This scarf only took about 6 hours. I can make one in 4 hours when I sit straight through, but that hardly happens with three boys!

Leaves Long Beanie

This is a very pretty pattern! Leaves Long Beanie by Melissa LaBarre is a good pattern to practice knitting from a chart in the round. The chart is simple to read and a good way to start learning how to read a chart in the round. I must admit that normally I prefer to work from written instruction instead of charts. However, I was very comfortable reading this chart. Stitch markers are fabulous when the chart repeats multiple times in the round. I was also impressed with the section at the bottom of the pattern that recommends using stitch markers for multiple repeats, just another reason why I like this book so much. Weekend Hats has been a joy to knit from and I am glad to have it on my bookshelf!

Dreams and Frustrations

It is my dream to one day own and operate a yarn store in Lander, WY! I would love to be able to combine this with a fiber arts instruction studio in which people could come and learn about all of the aspects of making and using yarn. I have learned so much in the last four years about fiber. We started with two Shetland Sheep and now are up to twelve. It was the goal of my husband and I to learn how to make a finished product from our sheep: we like to call it from "Sheep to Sweater, Shawl, or Scarf!" I would love to share this knowledge and fun process with other people.

Here comes the frustration piece: my sheep are still in New York! We have been looking for a place to put them out here, but with no luck as of yet. However, that is not going to deter me from looking into the yarn store aspect of my dream. I would like to hear from you about your favorite brands of yarn. What do you think every yarn store should carry?

Hat made from Mountain Meadow Wool

I bought this colorful yarn from Knit on Pearl, Jackson, WY. I subscribe to the idea that one must always buy something when you go into a yarn store in order to support the local yarn store economy! Although I did not need this yarn I fell in love with the happy color! Aptly named Summer by Mountain Meadow Wool. Mountain Meadow Wool is a Wyoming based mill which tracks their fiber, this wool specifically came from the Cole Creek Ranch according to the tag. I recently read an article in Spin-Off about their mill and was intrigued by their practices of water conservation and wool tracking. So, when I saw their yarn at a local yarn store I jumped at the opportunity to try some of their products. I also bought some bison/wool mix that day which is still waiting for a pattern. I made this hat from the skein of Summer and already have another hat in progress from the same skein. My middle and youngest sons fell in love with the bright colors and asked if they could have a hat. I used the "Everyone's Favorite Hat & Scarf" Pattern by Fiber Trends, Inc. I like this patterns because it is simple and lets the yarn do the talking. This pattern is nice because it gives you options for three different weights of yarn: Super Bulky, Bulky, and Worsted.

Ogee Beanie

Finished! I have completed the Ogee Beanie by Kirsten Kapur. I used Cascade's Ultra Pima Cotton to make the hat. I believe that there would have been better stitch definition if I had used wool; however, I wanted the softness of the cotton. The twists add extra weight to the hat but should make it warm. This was a fun hat to make with well written directions.

Spinning

It snowed here last night. . . about four inches! For some reason snow always puts me in the mood to spin. I received some gorgeous Wool of the Andes roving from Knitpicks. Their color selection is very nice and the colors I chose were even nicer in person than on the website (it is always nice when the product you buy exceeds your expectations)! My wheel is an Ashford Kiwi. I have been creating two-ply worsted weight yarn. My evenness is getting better with practice. Practice makes perfect is definitely appropriate for spinning. However, I need to find some patterns and use up my random practice yarn. I shall have to look on Ravelry and my old Spin-Off Magazines. Happy Spinning!

Flyer Cap Done and Sent!

I finally got the long awaited buttons and was not disappointed!

The Ogee Beanie is the next hat in progress. This hat has some easy cables to create a left twist. I have tried two different cable needles working on this hat; the u-shaped cable needle and the curved needle. I found that for this cable the curved needle worked better because there is only one stitch moved to the cable needle. I believe that the u-shaped cable needle would be more effective if there were several stitches held on the cable needle. I remember being very intimidated by cables. . . I did my first cables as part of a Sampler Scarf. A Sample Scarf is great for learning many different types of stitches and how to read a pattern. After I did my first cables I decided they were fun and not nearly as difficult as I believed. I asked my knitting group why cables have the reputation of being scary and they laughed. They all had felt the same way about cables until they tried them also! Moral: Just try the cables, they are not that bad! Happy Knitting!

Socks

I have chosen my next hat project while I wait for my buttons to come in. For Christmas I gave my sister one sock because I could not get her other sock done on time! I am sure that many of you have experienced the same situation. So, I have been working on her sock furiously to give myself a break as it is easier to work on with the kids running around!

Hats

I am going to try to blog my fiber experiences and ideas from Lander, Wyoming. I moved with my family to Lander in August 2012. A lot of changes have happened in the last 5 months. I wonder where the time has went. . . it feels like we just moved here yesterday. One of the most important events was my mother's diagnosis with stomach cancer the day before Thanksgiving. She asked me if I would knit her a bunch of hats for the chemo treatments and of course I said yes! When I flew back to New York in December we went to our local yarn store, Finger Lakes Fibers, in Watkins Glen, NY. My mother picked many beautiful yarns and we chose a book that I had been eyeing for some time: Weekend Hats by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa Labarre. The second hat from the book that I am working on is the "Flyer Cap." I am using a beautiful blue Cascade Pima Cotton. You will notice that there are no buttons yet. . . they are on order from Knit Picks! Here is the first hat I made from the book. I did not finish the hat completely because my Mom already had a button she wanted to use. I also left the ribbon long in case she needed to resize the hat.