Wednesday, April 22, 2009

A Fiber Festival!

This is the Harvest Moon Handspun side of Harvest Moon Handspun/Clay Cat. Sue came all the way from North Carolina to be a vendor and promises to be back for the third annual (which are ending up being every eighteen months). :-)

The Clay Cat side.


Sue Dial runs Harvest Moon Handspun/Clay Cat,

Vickie Park and Parkridge Farms in a new vendor...and a member of our spinning group.

Jan has become a teacher of needle felting. Lucy and Jan are both in our spinning group.

Margaret Vogel is well known in the area for her weaving.

Heather representing The Yarn Patch. Heather's in our spinning group, too.

There were garments to be judged.

The Cumberland Yarn Shop

Temari Balls


Swedish Weaving


There were more pictures but I was getting upload errors. To top it off, I took a picture of everyone BUT our spinning group! There was a crowd in front so I was going to go back and shoot later. Sorry Karen, Cindy, and Belinda.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

What rock have I been under?


I was reading the latest issue of Knit Net and found a new advertiser..."Earth Faire". The Bead Stew Bracelet caught my attention...particularly the Moonrise on Neptune. I had to have it and ordered it immediately. I had the kit in my little hands within days and the shipping was very inexpensive. I am a lover of low or free shipping. Everything was included in the kit except the knitting needles (which I had). As soon as it arrived, I ran to Ravelry and submitted my new project. What a surprise to find 106 other people working on the same bracelet! So, yeah, what rock have I been under? These have been out since at least 2005!

When I get something I like, I want to extend the pleasure of working on it. I strung my beads the first night, knit the second, and finished up the third. All together, it was about six hours. The pattern was very easy to understand.

I have been putting beads in my yarn while spinning but haven't really thought about knitting with beads in clothing. Now that I know how to knit jewelry with beads, I'm on fire! My stash of beads will reduce somewhat as I purchase some larger beads to go with the colours I already have. Ha, ha. If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. But the kits from Earth Faire are the best...and the price is not much above buying the individual parts, if at all.

I have started this bracelet using beads I already had:
I am allowing myself one kit per month and have already ordered "Moon Flowers". Go to Earth Faire to check it out.

Plans are already made for a black one, brown one, green, turquoise, blue.....

Update: 26 April 2009 - I finished my fourth bracelet with plans for at least four more. These are SO addictive and I have the time down that I can finish one in an evening after the beads are strung!

Update: 9 May