Beer and Boston

I found a new local beer at the grocery. From Bloomington, Indiana, I give you Cutters Brewing! I love wheat beer so I tried their Monon Wheat:

Years ago whilst pierced the air and the ground literally shook from the power steam. The Monon Railroad helped propel Indiana’s economy from 1897 – 1956 and earned its name from the convergence of its four main routes in Monon, Indiana. From Monon, the mainlines reached Chicago, Louisville, Indianapolis, Michigan City, and most towns in between.
Our refreshing Belgian style Wit beer is powered by the memories of the Monon and brewed with lemon peel, orange peel, and coriander for a crisp, tart finish. For an extremly refreshing and drinkable beer, hard working cutters say “All aboard!” the Monon.

And yes, it's really very good!


I wasn't going to cast on anything else. Really. But I saw this posted on Facebook and felt like it's something I could do quickly enough to hit the due date.

Scarves for Boston Marathon

I bought some Lion Brand Hometown yarn in Fort Worth Blue and Pittsburgh Yellow. It's pretty bulky yarn so I think I can get the scarf done quickly. I'm using the Easy Mistake Stitch pattern by purlbee which looks like a farrow rib. It's a very squishy scarf!

You have until April 5th to get the scarves to them!

Just keep knitting! And drinking! And reading! And.....

Sit Down For A Spell aka The Jay County Fiber Festival Roundup!

First off...it's March 11th and 60+ degrees. My windows are open and the heat is off. Tomorrow is a snow storm. I really dislike Indiana this year.

Onwards....

Mom, me and Becky went on a road trip to Portland, Indiana to visit the Jay County Fiber Festival. I've been once before and really liked it, although it is a pretty small one. I was surprised at how full the parking lots were this year. Looks like word has really gotten out about it!

After a few hours of squeezing, petting and manhandling fiber and yarn, I looked like

But not as blurry in real life :)  I wore my Rainbow Pride scarf so I would be noticed if any other Knit n' Bitchers showed up but I was noticed by lots more people. One lady even said she was keeping an eye on me around the room so I wouldn't leave without her looking at my scarf. I actually felt like a real knitter Saturday.

Admission was $1 (what a deal!) and the first booth I see looked like this:

A Good Yarn booth

Walls and walls of gorgeous handpainted yarn. GORGEOUS. This booth was A Good Yarn by Mary Ann. She was supremely helpful in answering questions and explaining the dyeing process she used and how the yarn will knit up. I wanted to buy so many skeins but I reigned myself in and bought just two. Actually, as I was taking photos of my purchases I was shocked at how little I bought. I manhandled so much I thought I had bought more.

My purchase from A Good Yarn

My knitting teacher, Susan Markle from The Trading Post, had her booth. I bought my first drop spindle from her last time I was there. Becky bought her first drop spindle from there this time.

My spinning has been on hold, mostly because I was upset I wasn't perfect at it right off the bat (how silly is that?!?!). I was talking to a couple at the Bell Creek Farm booth and the husband was downright encouraging me to keep going. They also had a sale on their Shetland fiber. So I bought some! What I like about these festivals is the kick in the pants everyone gives me to keep going!

squishy pretty!

Onwards, I saw some basket weaving demos and got a demo on how to knit those odd scarves with the odd yarn with holes. That's really all I know about them. The Thankful Ewe was the booth with the helpful folks :)

I am really considering getting a spinning wheel and found some demo, year old Ashford wheels. I know this is a big investment so I wasn't ready to buy but Betty from Little Shop of Spinning gave me quite a bit of information on them and, even though her shop is in Ft. Wayne, I think I'll be making a road trip there to get my first wheel. We also got to watch a demo on making punis in her booth. Very cool.

So I thought I was done at this point.

I came across Oak Meadow Alpaca Farm's booth and fell for the natural yarn and fiber. What got me even more was that the labels contained the names of the "contributors" of the yarn. All the alpacas, sheep and bunnies got their names on the label. Nancy, the owner, told me that the names are also her dye lots. So if I want more of, say, the brown, I just need to tell her it's the dye lot that Peanut contributed to. LOVE!

Peanut! Nougat!

I also visited these booths but did not end up buying anything (I took the cards for future purchases!)

Mid Indiana Alpaca Ranch

L&B Acres Alpaca

So it was a good road trip. I'm looking forward to the next one. To leave you, here are some more fibery goodness photos:

Take One Down Pass It Around

I've been enjoying the whole microbrew/craft beer movement that has been happening lately and Indianapolis is doing really well at keeping up with the trend. For the most part, I've never been a beer drinker, usually sticking to water or Coke while out at bars. Then I dated a homebrewer and, while that relationship ended fairly quickly, I discovered that I really love GOOD beer. My quest to try craft beers began.

Friday night, I went out with the data team from work to Union Brewing Company in Carmel, IN. They had a Groupon for a flight of beers and a t-shirt for, I think, $12. I'm used to flights being shot glasses of beer. Not at UBC! They gave us generous samples of 7 different beers.  Good place to try out if you are in the area, they back the Monon and, while it was still too chilly to go outside, it will be awesome when it warms up. They don't really offer food except on certain days, but food trucks make regular stops there.

 Doesn't this look inviting??

Today was the Jay County Fiber Festival. A larger blog post coming on that in a few days. It was pretty great :)

I got my shipment of yarn from loveknitting.com to start my first cardigan. It's really beautiful yarn and I'm excited to start. Since it's my first huge project, I'm carefully reading the pattern and making sure I have the right measurements and understand everything before I cast on. I've casted on in giddy excitement before and I usually had to frog the project back out. I really don't want to do that with this! I'm using the Iced Cardigan pattern from Knitty.com mainly because I saw it being worked on in The Knitgirllls podcast and it looked like a good starter for me.

 Colorway: Bakery

I'm still working on my Chicago Adventure socks and am working the heel flap (STILL!) of the first sock. I'm getting ready to cast on my friend's socks too so that she can get them fairly soon and then I won't have any knitting obligations on my plate :)

My knitting has slowed a bit because I was finishing Ashfall by Mike Mullin. Very good book and since I haven't mastered reading while knitting, the knitting took a backseat. Of course I've started a new book, The Sixth Extinction, so we'll see what happens.

Ah, I need to be independently wealthy....

Chicago Adventure

I'm trying to make progress on my Chicago Adventure socks, but distractions abound. At least I'm at the heel flap now. That's progress, right?

I found some gorgeous Corriedale sock yarn at Loopy Yarns in Chicago on an adventure trip last year. Never worked with Corriedale before and the feel of it is quite different than other sock yarns I've worked with, but I think they will be super warm (if I can get them done before winter goes away. Who am I kidding? Winter is never going away!). The yarn is Hand Painted Knitting Yarns and is in an orange, pink, maroon, greens colorway.

Up close and personal

Once they are done, I'll be reminded of the Art Institute of Chicago (we saw the Picasso exhibit), the park and bean we didn't get to really visit, but walked by many times and finally meeting my friend, Ro. It's amazing what yarn can do.

I've been distracted from the socks by a few things:

Library books! Man, why do I get sucked back in to the library? It's like a black hole and I WANT-ALL-THE-BOOKS. I grabbed Ashfall by Mike Mullin for my kindle based on a friend's recommendation and everything else in the world kinda ceases to exist. It's a YA book but so far, really good. The whole concept of Yellowstone finally erupting is pulling me in.

I also just picked up The Sixth Extinction because of The Daily Show interview. Should be uplifting.

Cross Stitch!  I've been tugged back to the dark side. Mostly thanks to the Commuter Knitter podcast. I'm working on HULK SMASH

 I found these shops with very awesome patterns:

Nerdy Little Stitcher
Grannie Panties
Wee Little Stitches
XStitch My Heart

I bought quite a few patterns, so more cross stitch to come! Perhaps some embroidery too?

And my last real distraction

Podcast Spotlight: Commuter Knitter

I'm trying to catch up (re-discover) podcasts. I've been listening to quite a few audio books that podcasts took a backseat for a bit. Well, they are back and I'm catching up on the Commuter Knitter podcast. Jen from the New England area is the host.

I love this concept. She commutes to and from work and podcasts along the way. I have no idea how she does it because I think I would be all over the place without notes in front of me but she's very coherent and fluid. The podcast has a Ravelry group here.

My favorite part of this podcast is the host. She's ambitious in her knitting, teaching herself double knitting and designing her own patterns (with double knitting!) and she's very enthusiastic about the projects she works on. Her Big Bang Theory scarf, while still in progress, makes me drool and it's all her own design. I can't wait to see it complete and I hope she writes up a pattern for it.

The latest episodes have her talking about another craft, cross stitch. I used to cross stitch a lot but it's fallen by the wayside. Jen has re-ignited my desire to get back to it and even links to some really good patterns on Etsy. Thanks! Another craft to add back in!

Funny enough, I've been catching up on this podcast on my own 45 minute (each way) commute. It makes for a much nicer drive to work!

Snow Fatigue

Another snow storm is underway here in the Midwest. We're in the lull, I believe, with round 2 hitting this afternoon. Oh joy. I have to say, I'm disappointed in this one. We were supposed to get anywhere from 9" to 18" but now we're reduced to 3" to 6". Why am I disappointed? Because I don't want to drive to work on Monday. 9" to 18" is a definite snow day, while 3" to 6" is just a miserable drive. Plus, I bought some crafty stuff to keep me busy on my snow day! Now it won't happen!

This weekend I did a deliberate "no-plan" weekend. I've been home with the dog, puttering around the house. I really needed this downtime. My brain was fritzing out.

Aside from puttering, I did complete ONE mitten for my sister (as part of her Christmas 2013). I finally found a pattern I really liked. I felt like the thumb was fiddly, but I think it was because of the large needles and super bulky yarn. I started the second one today and should have it finished tonight. I plan on lightly felting them so they are a bit more solid and warmer.

As you can see from the photo, the dog was highly inquisitive and impressed with this endeavor. I used the same yarn as I did for her birthday cowl (her birthday is Dec 23rd so it's so close to Christmas I forget what I got her for what).

Ravelry page is here.


I did get some medals for the Ravellenics. I had fun with my first Ravellenics and even though I basically got the "You participated!" medal, I'm good with that. I got 4 medals overall.

 I'm very ready to move on to warmer weather. I think the amount of cold and snow and the forced isolation have wrecked havoc with my disposition. I miss my patio, my dog wandering through the yard while I knit and sip wine in the sun. Until then.....I just dream

Daytona Beach, Florida

The Knitting Games

I don't normally do knit-a-longs or participate in any contests with knitting. I usually claim work or other responsibilities keeping me from such shenanighans.

Except for this time. I'm just shocked to say I've gotten 2 projects done, from scratch, and entered into a few contests. It's amazing what happens when I put work aside and just do something I want to do.

The first was the Gnomeacres Warm Up Make-a-long. You had to make something to keep you warm and it had to be with Gnomeacres yarn. Of which I have approximately a ton of. Winner gets a gift certificate to the Gnomeacres site. Of which I need more yarn from. Right.

Anyway, I had a skein of worsted Sonic Screwdriver, bought with the intent on making fingerless mitts to match the Hitchhiker I had already made. So I casted on....

Done and entered into the Make-a-long. AND entered into the Ravellenic games into the WIP event, since I started these pre-Olympics. Done and done.

I casted on the GAP-Tastic cowl for myself in yarn I found in my stash. I remember buying 2 skeins from Knit Picks in a color they discontinued and never using it because it was 100% wool and I wasn't sure what to make. I just bought, ok, without thinking.

I actually finished it. In a week. I was so happy I wore it the next day all day, even  in the house (it IS still cold in Indiana). I'm amazed at myself for hunkering down and completing something like this in a week.

Herbert the Head models

 Amazing.

This was entered into Team Knitting Dead (the team I joined for the games)  and in the Ravellenic games in the Cross Cowling event AND in the Stash Skeleton event (which I didn't even realize existed). Yay me.

I casted on the Rainbow Pride scarf as well on the 7th. I've been focusing on that and I believe I can get it done and entered by the close of the Olympics on the 23rd. If you go by ROY G BIV, I'm on the G and have B and V (purple) to finish. I can do this. I just need to finish the knitting and add the fringe. I can do this!

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

I still have mittens for my sister. The original pattern I posted did not work because my brain didn't register that the yarn I have is super bulky. I made one mitten from another pattern but it was pretty confusing and when I tried it on, I wouldn't give it away. So I found a new pattern and will be giving that a try soon.

My friend also bought a skein of gorgeous sock yarn during our trip to Chicago and wants a pair of socks. So that is on my list as well. I forget the name of the pattern but it's from the Joy of Sox book. I will post more once I start them.

I'm fairly certain that this year is the year of knitting for myself, however. I rarely do and I was so happy to finish the cowl and wear it...because it was MINE.

As a side note: I got a new knitting book and love pretty much everything in it. Once Upon A Knit is out now by most of the same folks who designed for Vampire Knits.

If you are participating in the games, post your project pages in the comments!