Summer Knitting

Here is the thing about Georgia in the summertime: it is hellfire hot here. Molten lava from the sun hot. 90 degrees Fahrenheit at midnight hot (you think I jest). And it's humid. Can't breathe because the air is so thick humid. I can see the haze on the city humid. It may be hotter in Arizona but they have a dry heat (I don't understand dry heat but I hear it is a magical thing, like unicorns and fairies) so it actually feels hotter here. The northeast is experiencing a little taste of what we in the South affectionately call "Every Summer of Our Freaking Lives." I'm sorry if I have no sympathy. The only place hotter than Georgia is New Orleans, Louisiana. I spent several weeks there one summer and lost half my body weight in water every minute I was awake. This, if you couldn't guess, is my least favorite time of year. The heat literally makes me ill and the only cure I have found is ice cream. So, until October rolls around I will trying to consume as much of this tasty treat as possible. I feel it is the only way I will make it.

One would assume then that any knitting I have been doing is small, light, and made of cotton. This is actually what I have been working on:

A large wool blanket made with bulky yarn. Ah! Perfect summer knitting. Ok, in reality this thing is huge, heavy, and hot. Sometimes I sweat a little while I work on it.

The blanket is for a collection of blankets that the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project is doing. 154 blankets for 154 orphans. By November. Tell your friends. I need more full sized blankets and 8" or 10" blanket squares. Seriously, tell your friends. Teach your children to knit. Teach your significant other to knit. Learn to knit with your feet and hands simultaneously. Send me blankets! (or squares)

The blanket isn't the only thing I've been working on. In fact that's just a few weeks old. While I was in Asheville for the Friends and Fiberworks Summer Retreat (vending) (2 weeks ago) I finished up my Red Dragon socks (finally).
Hotel room photo shoot.

Close up of "scales."

And on the sock blockers.

So glad to have these finished. I always want to jump right into another pair of socks but I'm wisely waiting. They take so much out of me. Oh, details on these...um, I think I used a US size 2 needle. I know I cast on more stitches than the pattern called for (68 methinks). I ended up adding 3 reverse stockinette stitches to either side of the pattern on the foot and 6 on the leg (since the pattern is doubled). Used Lotus Yarns in the Hairdresser on Fire colorway.

Instead of starting socks next I started a little hat.

Worked from the top down (probably until I run out of yarn) in Vivid Creation Fiber's Hawaiian Hibiscus colorway. I was going for newborn but I think this is going to be a bit bigger (I'm such a precise knitter). Haven't really worked on it much since Asheville. Will probably be used for a sample in my booth.

Going back even a little further to the beginning of July (what sort of order am I blogging in exactly?) I made this little hat while I was in Romania.

I like making little international knits. This will be going to Project Hope for care kits for new mothers in Eastern Europe. I'll make some little magic slippers to go with it. I love how this was finished in Eastern Europe and it will eventually end up back in Eastern Europe.

In closing I leave you with a sheep picture, just because I can.

I'm going to go eat some ice cream.

Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival

I have some catching up to do I see. The biggest update is about the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival which was this weekend in Dickson, Tennessee. It started on Friday but I had to work all day so my friend Stephanie and I headed out after I was able to leave. We got into Dickson after 10 so we just checked into our motel for the evening. The next morning we headed out at 8 to set up for the festival.

Pulling the car in to unload (as you can see, everyone else had already set up for the weekend).

My little sign marking my booth space.

Unloading everything.

Stephanie helping to set up the wire shelving.

Sock yarns on the table.

And on the wire shelving.

Aran yarn (on the left) and all the sock yarn.

Another view of the sock yarn.

Roving on the back shelves, bulky (in front of shelves) and aran yarn (front).

Checkout.

View of the whole booth.

And me!

Inside our "barn" area.

The fairgrounds outside the barn doors.

On Saturday there was sheep shearing every hour on the hour. Stephanie was able to catch one of the shearings and she took some great pictures of the process.

Sheep in the pen.

Baa, baa, black sheep...

The shearing.

And afterwards! I think it's so cool how their fleece comes off so cleanly in one piece.

We had a great time on Saturday and I ended up crashing at 8:45. I was exhausted! Thankfully the festival didn't start until 10 on Sunday so we were able to sleep in a little later. First thing Sunday we had a visitor.

I think I need a bunny. She would match Penelope perfectly.

Stephanie got in on the bunny love too.

Sunday was another productive day, up until the very last minute actually. Got to meet Mercedes of Kitchen Sink Dyeworks which was very cool. We broke down the booth and headed out to meet our friend Paloma who lives in Nashville. After dinner with her we headed to my aunt and uncle's house who live east of Nashville. While there I got a call from my dad saying the weather was bad in Georgia. Stephanie and I decided to stay with my aunt and uncle for the night since we'd be getting home after 2 a.m. anyways. This morning we had some delicious pancakes (made by my uncle) and headed home. Finally pulled in to my place around 3:00 this afternoon. I took a nap, picked up some groceries, and I've spent the night just relaxing. And designing a child's fair isle sweater.