What Black Sheep is Really About

As Las has alluded to, yes there was a lot of yarn buying.  But as anyone knows who has ever gone to a fiber fair, Black Sheep was and is more than just yarn.

Black Sheep is about:

Classes.  I had a great class with the knitting technique junkie J.C. Briar.  Where I finally sucked up my courage and knitted my first toe-up sock.  A baby toe-up sock, but a toe-up sock nonetheless.  It’s going to take me a bit to get use to how you do toe-up structure.  I can do cuff-down sock structure in my sleep.

The Fleece Sale:  I never realized people stand in line for hours so they can have a shooting chance of buying the champion fleece for them to spin.   I was killing time Saturday afternoon while Las was in class when they announced the beginning of the Fleece Sale.   When I got there, over a hundred people were standing in line.  A very nice lady came out the doors to explain the rules.  No fighting over fleeces.  Anybody fighting over fleeces would not be eligble to buy that fleece. 

These people may look like they are standing around but actually there's a pretty heated discussion over a fleece here.

The contests for knitting, spinning, and weaving. 

The Best of Show.

This amazing shawl was spun, designed and knitted out of cashmere silk by Paula Shull.  Too bad Las and I can’t enter as a team; her spinning, my knitting.  We might have a chance in a hundred years.

Anyway, Las all ready showed pictures of the amazing animals and some of the demos.  They are what Black Sheep is really all about.

Okay, you happy?  Here’s all the yarn I bought. Actually that’s a lie as I bought some on the way home but that doesn’t count.

In Which There is Much Naughtiness….

Friday morning Den and I woke up bright and early to get to the sale barns sign in for classes.  There is a short walk from the cute little Catholic school were classes were held and where the sale barns were.  My first class was Spinning Silk taught by Paula Shull.

I can’t even begin to fully describe this class.  We started with talking about silk worms, discussing the different types.  We started spinning silk from different levels of preparations.  As the class progressed, we went more and more processed types of silk.  After we reached silk top we moved on to try a sampling of the available silk blends. 

I had no idea there were so many different blends of silk.  Our class spun anything from Silk/Merino to Silk/cotton and please…I am not kidding…Quiviut/Silk.  I never thought I would say this, but I actually liked both the silk/cotton blend and the silk/linen blend.  I think I’ll probably do a seperate blog on silk spinning as there is almost an overwhelming amount of information that was shared.  If ever you get a chance to take a class from Paula Shull…DO IT.

During my lunch break (those clever people give you 2 hours!!) Den stopped by and took me shopping at the Gathering.  Wow.

What was left....

This is the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth AFTER Den was done.  It’s hard to see but they used to have a Mill Ends display and there was a LOT more yarn before she came along.  I have some fabulous fiber from there that I will taunt you with a picture at the end of the post with.

I found a new place that I loveeeeeeee getting fiber from:

Seriously, all the space in the cubbies is not from me...I swear!

They have wonderful fiber.  I fell in LOVE with their baby llama which was deliciously soft.  It was also quite affordable.  They also had some lovely yak/silk and mongolian cashmere/silk.  I bought some of each.

For some beautiful dyed fiber here is another place that had amazing colors.  I wish I had a better camara to show how beautiful it was but…wow.

One word: SPARKLY!

I got some of her merino/angora/silk blend.  I told myself I wasn’t going to buy dyed fiber since I have tons of it and well…I should know a dyer who can make me some, right?  Yeah…I knew I’d crumble too.

We didn’t look at the barns with animals at it during lunch because we had to go back to classes.  We also promised ourselves that we wouldn’t buy anymore.  Quit laughing. 

More spinning of amazing blends.  When class ended at 4:30 I think my poor little brain was stuffed with information and I had doubled my list of fiber “needs”. So, we went back to the Gathering.  Ok, again with the laughing…..

After we bought some more stuff and promised that really, we wouldn’t buy any more on Saturday, we looked at the sheep and the goats and I want you guys to see that I made proof:

We weren’t the only black sheep there!!  In fact there were TONS OF THEM! 

Saturday morning, Den had class but I didn’t.  She parked me in the Spinner’s Circle and went off to her class.  I started spinning but it was pretty early so I was all by myself.  Looked over to my left and they were doing demonstrations on Chinchillas.  Den and I used to have a Chinchilla when we were kids so I had to go and look.  Unfortunately now I have to add more fiber I “need” to my list now.  Can you imagine, chinchilla blended yarn..with silk and cormo?  We were even given samples!

Don't you just want one? Look at the yarn next to it!

How successful do you think I’ll be at convincing Martha I need one?  Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

So, after some more shopping and some more buying, lunch was over.  I had a class on spinning cashmere with Cynthia Heeren.  Great class.  Added even more stuff to the list of fiber I “need”.  Cynthia is a wonderful teacher and worked with us to help us create great yarns out of cashmere. Whew…That’s it for my end of the fiber at the Gathering.  Here is the picture of my naughtiness:

Looks so innocent doesn’t it?

Den will be posting about the yarn end of the fiber fair.  We’ll discuss the trip back and then I’ll post more on spinning cashmere and silk. 

The Road to Black Sheep is Paved with Fibery Goodness

Last Wednesday, Las and I packed up all our spinning wheels, knitting needles, yarn, and spindles, kissed our darling husbands goodbye and beat it to Eugene, OR for the Black Sheep Gathering.  Knowing that I was going to have to drive every minute of the way (Las is the world’s most amazing road sleeper. If she ain’t asleep by mile marker 20, something is horribly wrong), I insisted we stop in Ontario, OR for the knit.  Which just happens to be the home of White House Yarn and Fiber, a charming shop ran by the lovely Gail and owned by Sweetie the cat.

Sweetie Hurt That We Left Her at White House Yarn and Fiber

Sweetie insisted on showing around the shop, including her stash of wonderful spinning fibers and dyes.  Las had to get some merino/cashmere/angora fiber and some amazing Landscape dyes (I didn’t even know they existed before now) and dpn wip tubes followed me out of the store.  But no yarn.  Honest, hun, I swear it.

Sweetie had  a sister named Ditto who was out on the back porch with her litter of charming kittens.  We nearly brought one home but from experience we knew kittens and fiber generally don’t mix.

Once we finally and reluctantly left Sweetie and Ontario, we sent off across the wide openness (okay, read a bit boring) of Central Oregon.  Unfortunately, we hit Bend, OR at rush hour and between finding a gas station that would take credit cards (What crazy soul decided you can’t pump your own gas in Oregon?), spending 25 minutes waiting in line to buy gas at the only gas station in town that accepted credit cards, traffic and trying to find a park to sit down and eat, we somehow left Bend without finding any of it’s yarn stores.  We finally found gas, found a cute little park along the river to eat and see something besides bug splatters on the windshield.

It was quiet, the sun was shining, it was pretty and it had no bug splatters.

Once we left Bend, we tried to stop at Baabaara’s Wild and Wooly Shop in Sisters, OR, but she has since moved her shop back to the ranch in Bend, OR.  Down and disappointed, as we were leaving down, I noticed a spinning wheel in a shop window!  Now stores don’t have spinning wheels in their windows just for decoration (unless they are an antique shop).  And where there are spinning wheels, there is usually fiber!  Las scored some Pygora/silk fiber from Desert Charm. Believe it or not, I still had not bought any yarn.

From there it was on to Eugene through the beautiful central Cascade Mountains.  Construction was a pain, and the scenic route I wanted to take was closed for road repairs but we made it to Eugene, rested and ready for Black Sheep.

Next: Las reveals the extent of the fiber we purchased.

I have good news and bad news….

Good news:

I finally am posting again.  Yes, I know, it’s been ages.  AGES.  I won’t give a long list of excuses.

Bad news:

Den and I are done shopping at Black Sheep.  If you planned on buying anything at the Gathering, you should have done it before we got here, because trust me, there was PILLAGING.  You know how some restaurants have pictures of their regulars on the wall so servers know to give them the extra special treatment?  Den’s login and picture are on DISPLAY at Blue Moon.  Seriously.  She is “THAT” knitter.  In order to make up for the fact that she was going to buy them out we bought them muffins and sympathy cards.  Strangely, they like us, however, we owe them more muffins.  Probably some chocolate too or something.  I can’t completely blame Den because I cut a swath of my own there too.  I bought 2 things of merino/tussah roving, 1 of merino/bamboo. and 1 of their merino/tencel which I feel ok with since they don’t sell it on their website and it is only available at fiber fairs.  We are not currently counting Den’s fiber because it’s vacation and I refuse to do higher math while relaxing.

Good news:

I found some fabulous fiber blends.  There was pygora, there was cashmere, there was yak, and there was silk.  I now have a deep love for a new vendor.  If you ever get a chance to check out Crown Mountain Farms, do so.  The man who kept taking my money (he seemed pretty happy to see me all the times I kept coming back) seemed both nice and was also happy to tell me I have great taste in fiber.

Bad news:

It wasn’t free.

Neither was Den’s yarn.  We ever figure out how to make it free, we’ll share… unless it means ours won’t be free.  We’re nice, but not that nice.

Good news:

We have some great pictures of shops along the way .  We have lovely pictures of Eugene and the fiber fair.  We laid out our entire haul on the bed and took pictures of it separate and together.  They are beautiful pictures that make us feel a little warmer and fuzzier about all of the naughtiness and the frolicking.  We are going to share them.

Bad news:

Left both the cord and the adapter that would have made it possible to show all this picture glory with you guys at home.  It’s probably sitting right next to the hand carders I borrowed for this fiber fair and my lazy kate *facepalm*.

To Black Sheep or Bust

Las and I are off to Black Sheep.  Actually, we are all ready in Eugene.  A miracle considering how many yarn and fiber stores are between Idaho Falls, ID and Eugene, OR.  It’s only taken us 2 days to cover 740 miles.  And while my husband would never, ever believe this, (I do have a witness), I have gone to 3 yarn stores, and I have not bought any yarn yet.  Now,  I have bought dye and knitting accessories but no yarn.

However, before you think I’m deathly ill, there will soon be a smoldering crater left at the Lane County Fairgrounds and my credit card will have a nuclear melt down, from the yarn buying binge.  Because I will fully fess up it’s going to take some serious yarn retail therapy to fully recover from the Sock Summit episode.

So, for anyone reading this that is going to Black Sheep tomorrow, I apologize in advance for my behavior.  The yarn fumes made me do it.

Now Back to Knitting and Yarn

Thanks for all the support and suggestions.  I’m all ready talking to the lovely owners of Yarn Today about their October retreat and saving my pennies to go to the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Camp next year.  And if that wasn’t enough to help me get over it all, Las and I will be at the Black Sheep Wool Gathering next week, taking classes and fondling fiber.

On top of working way too much, (why else have I not been blogging), Las and I decided to start up a fiber and yarn dyeing business, The Sassy Sheep.  

Wyoming Sunset in SW Merino/Cashmere/Nylon

 

Glacier Bay in Cashmere Merino Lace

 

 

We have a large variety of fibers, dyed and undyed, and lace and sock yarns.   We’ll be dyeing more this weekend and hopefully it be ready to put up before we head off to Black Sheep.

Since I’m not heading to Sock Summit, the Mystic Star shawl has stalled out since I’m running out of yarn, I’ve abandoned my current works in progress to cast on and finish Vivian as my Black Sheep sweater.  I don’t have any pictures to show but I have the body knitted to the armholes, the left sleeve done and nearly done with the right one.  I’m still on the fence whether I want the hood or not.

Now forgive me as I try to kill myself making a knitting deadline since work didn’t kill me off.

A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Tuesday, May 26, registration for Sock Summit opened at 10:00 am PST.  I was ready; my entire day was scheduled around being in front of a computer with an internet connection (a rare thing at my work place), my morning meeting got out at 10:45, giving me plenty of time to get to my office to grab my list of class options and credit card and make it back to that computer.  

Unfortunately the knitting goddess had different ideas.  Oh, no my meeting did not run over, not in the slightest, actually ended early (for once).  No one else was on the precious internet computer.  No, the computer was running fine.

Nope, nothing of the sort.  What happened was the “super-robust” server that was supposed to be able to handle all this traffic, crashed at 10:50-something and couldn’t handle everyone that was trying to log into the website to register.  I tried for over 45-minutes to get on, once getting to the registration page, only to get thrown back out.  Finally, I had to leave for another meeting that I COULD NOT MISS!  When I got back, I was finally able to log on to try again, only to find everything sold out.  Supposedly in the frenzy some people double booked by accident and the organizers realized this and released the double-booked classes at various times in the afternoon only to be snatched up by other people immediately.  I missed each time, reading about it hours after it happened because again, I don’t have ready access to an internet computer and my job does not allow me the luxury to browse the internet.  

 Of the twenty classes I had picked out, I wasn’t able to get into a single one.  Not a one.  The only classes left open of the over hundred offered was basic crocheted socks, cabled crochet socks and podcasting for amateurs. None of which is my cup of tea.  (Nothing against crocheters, I just really, really suck at it.) By Tuesday evening, after trying to get to the website to find any last second classes, I realized I wasn’t going to get into anything I wanted.  I broke down and cried.  Yes, I admit it, I cried.  I had my classes picked out and planned for several months, even arranging all the possible schedules and prioritized which ones I wanted for each times slot.  Two of the four pairs of Sock Summit socks are completed, and the third pair was on the needles.  

Now, after realizing how much it’s going to cost for me to travel to get there, let alone buy once I get there, I can’t justify the trip to Sock Summit.  Yes, dear hubby is giving me some of his frequent flier miles, but hotel, food, luggage fees, etc, etc.  Yes, it would be a wonderful couple of days of being surrounded by sock knitters from around the world and the marketplace of vendors would easily double my entire stash in a few hours.  But without classes and not being able to get into any of the special events, I can’t justify a very, very expensive shopping trip.  If I lived closer that I could make a day trip out of it, I would do it in a heartbeat.  It’s tough to realize this after all the planning and anticipation, but I can’t justify it.

I’ll get over this and be fine in a couple days, really I will.  It all just comes on top of a really crappy week of work and being exhausted.

In the Wild

I’m not home, I’ve again escaped down to the Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado area to crash yarn shops.  And I’m doing quite well on that front.  

At Lambspun, I made a killing on back issues of Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits.  (Stalking scarce copies of knitting magazines in the wild is the ultimate thrill.)  

From there, it was a quick jaunt up the street to My Sister Knits to fondle luxury fibers and argue the merits of various fibers and yarns as sock yarn.  

With that high under my belt, I went on the hunt to find the reclusive A Simple Piece of String, 15 miles off the closest paved road, to find rare Kromski walnut bobbins.  I found A Simple Piece of String and 6 Kromski bobbins.  Las is on cloud 9, as she didn’t realize it was possible  for that many Kromski bobbins to be in one place at one time other than her own house. 

On the saunter on the way back to base camp, an alpaca/merino farm that sells their own yarn and fiber.  A expedition has been planned for first light tomorrow morning.

Am-I-Dumb.com

Am-I-Dumb.com – Intelligence Test

The Yarn Speaks

I was going to write a long blog entry about my road trip across Wyoming, snow storms (yes, even at the end of April), wonderful yarn shops and a chance to be a test knitter for one of the said yarn shops.  But instead, my entire last couple of days have been learning to listen to my yarn and what it’s trying to tell me.  And for something so silent, it is speaking volumes.  Mostly what it doesn’t want to be.

I’m not use to my yarn talking back at me in such a tone.  Almost always, when I pick a yarn out and a pattern; they work.  Maybe not perfectly, but they make it work and usually turn out some pretty darn good socks   Occasionally I get socks that will knock the socks off your feet.

Las spun me up 8 oz Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe in My Blue Heaven.  It’s gorgeous, it’s got fantastic twist, great sheen and is perfect for my collection of Sock Summit Socks!  What better than handspun socks out of some fabulous roving after all for the sock summit of sock summits?  I had the perfect pattern all picked out for it: Mystic Sea by Cass White.  The stitch pattern was lovely and yarn color would be appropriate for the sock, being all blues and greens with the sea theme going on.

I casted on happily after wrapping up the Titania’s Revenge socks on the road across Wyoming.  The pattern calls for Socks That Rock Mediumweight on size 1 needles.  I’ve found in the past I prefer a size 2 needle with mediumweight.  64 stitches completely filled my dpn even with me squeezing the stitches on.  By the time I finished joining in the round, I realized size 2 needles were too small.  I frogged my stitches, switched to a size 2.5.  Casted on again, still cramming 64 stitches on the needle.  Frogged my stitches again when I realized 2.5 were too small for the yarn.  Dug out my rarely used size 3 needles and casted on again.  This time I got done with all ten rounds of the ribbing before I realized the ribbed section was big enough to get around my thighs.  I studied the pattern, could I possibly trim some of the pattern’s extra columns to reduce the stitch count?  I’ll just trim a few columns of the purls.  

I frogged again, casted back on, got through the ribbing and began my modifications.  Within 3 rounds of my supposed brilliance, I realized the stitch pattern didn’t even look like a stitch pattern in the same way a hairball doesn’t like a kitten.  This pattern and this yarn were not ment to be.  I grumbled, I cursed, I told then yarn how perfect they would be together.  It said nope in no uncertain terms.  I frogged again.  I was going to use this yarn for socks if it killed me.

I vaguely remembered a leaf lace pattern I kilted off a shawl pattern a couple years back for a pair of socks for Mom.  Normally, I don’t repeat stitch or sock patterns because there is so many great stitch patterns out there and so little time to knit.  But the pattern had a 9-stitch repeat that could easily accommodate  sock yarns of all different weights by subtracting or adding a repeat.  I casted on 54 stitches as I sat on the phone Saturday night talking to hubby.  I got through the ribbing, through the first 2 rounds of the pattern before I realized while the sock would no longer fit around my thigh, it would certainly get past my fair size calf easily.  

I frogged again, poured myself a drink and got out the calculator to subtract 9 from 54.  You know it’s bad if I can’t do basic math off the top of my head.  Casted on 45-stitches, held my breath as I had to figure out a good ribbing repeat for 45 stitches.  (I always do 2×2 ribbing.)  Finally figured 3×2 would actually work, then had to pay attention to each stitch to make sure I remembered I was doing 3×2 ribbing instead of 2×2 because I tend to go into auto-pilot on the ribbing section.  I only made 3 mistakes with the ribbing.

At the moment, it’s working.  The yarn is finally playing nicely, says it likes the pattern and it’s not large enough to fit around a lighthouse.  Okay, so I’m a point slow listening to my yarn.  However, I did go into the yarn room and tell the skein of sock yarn for the next pair of Sock Summit socks that it better shut up, play nicely or I was feeding it to the moths.  It’s not saying anything at the moment.