Kid’N Ewe Fiber Festival

February 6, 2012November 10, 2012 | Verónica

Besides the absolutely adorable animals, the highlight of the Kid’N Ewe Fiber Festival was the fibers! From raw fibers, natural and dyed, combed and carded, there were fibers aplenty. I started a very healthy fiber stash to complement my yarn stash. My first visit was with Mary Berry, proprietress of Fancy Fiber Farms. Mary runs a family farm with her husband where she raises her own animals. Her booth was interesting because it allowed you to see the fibers from their sources (she had pictures of her animals).

Mohair locks from Blossom, Cherry and Flower, kid goats from Mary’s farm.

DSC_2813 COPY 2 — Wool roving alongside a picture of their makers.

DSC_2813 COPY — Brightly dyed sheep’s wool.

I then stopped by the South Texas Angora Goats booth. Their carded Angora wool was soft and crisp white. I highly recommend visiting their website. They have great pictures of their animals especially their Racka sheep with their spiral horns.

Natural Angora from South Texas Angora Goats.

I loved the combination of the purples and reds in this dyed fiber from the Weavery at Indian Meridian.

2 oz. each fine wool imported from the U.K.

Another fiber booth.

Like letting kids loose in a candy store.

My last stop was at the Wooden Spinner. Proprietors Mike and Brenda Harrower offer high quality, hand-processed fibers. They specialize in creating natural plant dyes for their fibers. The resulting fibers are cast in soft, soothing colors.

Naturally-dyed Merino fibers from the Wooden Spinner. From the left, 1 oz. dyed with marigold flowers and 1 oz. dyed using walnut with aluminum and iron.

Now we shall have to put my spinning skills to the test. Stay tuned!

Goats, and Alpacas, and Sheep! Oh My!

February 4, 2012November 10, 2012 | Verónica

The Kid’N Ewe Fiber Festival took place at the Kendall County Fairgrounds in Boerne, Texas. The 23rd annual festival provided “quality supplies and equipment to crafts people, and share[d] knowledge about fiber producing plants and animals.” Source: 2011 Festival Guide. Highlights included: the animals, natural fibers, spinning and weaving tools and classes, dyeing techniques, and the resulting yarn. Here is a peek into the weekend festivities.

Kid'N Ewe Fiber Festival 2011 — Texas-raised kid mohair goat. Playful toddler with soft, curly locks that are sheared twice a year. He kept butting his head against my legs and would not stand still! Cute little guy.

The 2011 festival was sponsored by the South Central Llama Association, the State of Texas Alpaca Ranchers, and the Texas Cashmere Association. You can read about the festival’s history here.

{Logo image source}

Bind Off. Weave In Ends.

February 2, 2012November 10, 2012 | Verónica

One of the steps in knitting that brings me a sense of satisfaction is getting to the part of the pattern that reads “Bind off. Weave in ends.” That’s when I know I’m almost done! Even though I enjoy the process of knitting itself – selecting the yarn, figuring out what I’m going to make with it, casting on stitches, knitting and purling, and watching the design evolve – my impatient self eventually just wants to get to the final product. Here are a few of my recently completed projects.

From top left:

I had fun selecting the various yarns in purple hues with a punch of blue to make this Easy Scallop Throw. The pattern is by Colinette although I have to admit that I did not use Colinette yarns.

I made this Garter Stitch Scarf for my husband. I liked the blue and yellow with a racy green stripe in between. I used Peruvian Mirasol Sulka – 60% Merino Wool, 20% Alpaca, 20% Silk.

I also made him this Monochromatic Scarf in garter stitch, knit lengthwise. I used RY Classic Yarns Cashsoft DK – Extra Fine Merino and Cashmere. It’s a very simple pattern but the grays and blacks give it a nice, elegant look.

From top right:

I kept seeing cowls in magazines so I decided to make one. I liked the look of this “Burberry” Style Cowl. Knit with Berroco Peruvia Quick – 100% Wool. Pattern here.

When I saw the Big Cable Scarf pattern in Men’s Knits by Erika Knight, I loved the look so much that I made it in lilac for me! I also knit a slouchy beret to match. It’s soooo soft in Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande.

I fell in love with the incredible colors of Noro yarn and used it to make this top for my four-year old niece. I used Noro Silk Garden #87 and the Tamayo pattern from Noro Family.

Knit Chair

Link | February 1, 2012February 2, 2012 | Verónica

From the first time I ran across this Knit Chair by Claire-Ann O’Brien, I fell in love with it and her designs. I love the way she takes the knit stitch puts it under a magnifying glass and makes it functional as well as engaging to look at. Design Milk just ran an article on her knit stools. You can also see her work on her website and blog.

{Knit Chair from her website}

A Mild Texas Winter

January 25, 2012 | Verónica

I am stressed about my unfinished knitting projects. I like the process of knitting and usually it relaxes me but not lately. Perhaps it’s because I really wanted to have one in particular done by now, before winter was over. We have had a mild Texas winter. This is not a bad thing – there just haven’t been many days cold enough to wrap yourself up in wool.

On the other hand, the signs of spring are peeking out. I took this picture of white blossoms daring to show themselves on the tree in my backyard. They even made it through a thunderstorm, gusty winds and a tornado watch.

Well, if they can still bare their delicate blooms after all that, I can peacefully keep knitting.