Sean's Soapbox

I haven’t posted in quite a long while, it seems. My how time passes without notice if we’re not careful. What have I been up to? I’ve been knitting to keep my sanity! You may say that it’s too late! But it’s what I do to help me escape and keep “out of my head.”

As many of you know, last weekend was the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival otherwise know as Rhinebeck. This was my second time going, having gone last year. And this year’s visit was as enjoyable and as different.

Here we are, Stephen, hizKnits, me, and momKNITS (Stephen’s Mom, Ann). momKNITS was a wonderful addition to the terrible duo…and I enjoyed her company a great deal.

(For a minute there, I had to wonder to myself where I was going with this Rhinebeck angle…oh, yes.)

It was at Rhinebeck that Stephen introduced me to Clara Parkes, or Miss Parkes as we tend to call her. I have long been a fan of her book, The Knitter’s Book of Yarn and (where have I been, under a rock?) was so excited and surprised to see that she was signing her new book, The Knitter’s Book of Wool. She was a delight and the book is my newest bed-time reading and obsession.

I’ve already knitted the Hill Country Hat — twice, in fact. And if you follow the link you can download the pattern yourself from Miss Parkes’ site, Knitter’s Review. And the other day I cast on the Sweet Fern Mitts. Today I cast off and I can’t wait for the temperature to drop so I can wear them! Here are some photos.

I’ve been encouraged by Miss Parkes to knit all the patterns in the book and I wonder if I shall.

Other than that…I’ve been spinning some Blue-Faced Leicester fiber (my only fiber purchase from Rhinebeck…can that be right?) And the resulting 3-ply yarn is turning out beautifully. But that’s another post.

While cleaning up the other day, I came across Anna Zilboorg’s Magnificent Mittens. I know I’ve looked through this book, but I haven’t really read it that carefully. That was a mistake! What a wonderful book. I’m not sure whether I’ll use the EZ “sore thumb” method or Anna’s “invisible thumb” method. But I am sure that I’m really enjoying the knitting. I’m using some stash – Green Mountain Spinnery’s Mountain Mohair on US 3s (I know it’s going to be firm…but they’re mittens and should be wind-proof as far as I’m concerned. Next time, I think I’ll try to work these up two at a time on 2 circular needles. But two-color knitting, doubling that up, I don’t know if I want to deal with the tangles. Perhaps knitting them one at a time is the way to go.

Here is a close-up of the knitting.

Check for updates in the next few days.

With the disaster of the Eco Wool sweater behind me, I decided to knit the Seamless Hybrid, but one color this time! The body is done. Now I’m starting the sleeves (2 at a time on two circs) with a 1×1 twisted rib. Here’s a picture!