Wool weather?

One sure way to bring on colder, winter weather... mention in a blog that it's too warm to wear wool!  So, here it goes... lately, I've been slowly knitting away on two UFO's in wool.  And I've been wondering when I would wear them... Every day we go from nighttime freezing temps to daytime 20º+ C.  

Here's my proud moment of finishing Boardwalk Vest in a colorway that I created last summer.

I've admired Pattie's Boardwalk, and then I admired the same pattern a year ago when my path crossed another woman in the Shetland Islands.  Now here's mine!  

As with all hand-dyed yarns, there are subtle differences, if not blatant, in-your-face differences... two skeins used for the body, then the third one, which was the fraternal sister of the other two, was used just as I came to the interesting mitered front detail. It worked out... I can see that the colors got a bit more bold from whatever, but I accept that.

I love it, but I couldn't model it for long---too warm!

Pattern: Boardwalk by Heidi Kirrmaier from Wool People Vol. 3

Yarn: Bare Paragon by Knit Picks, Sport,
50% Merino, 25% Bombyx, 25% Alpaca
246 yards / 100 grams

Then there's this:  Maple No. 2,  for me.  

It may get finished today, if I would just put my feet up and sew in the sleeves...

At 5,400 ft altitude. we call it High Desert...

My daughter proudly wearing her "Maple No. 1", and then finding the model at a yarn shop at a "knitting festival", Bergen, Norway.  SHOCKING!!

Pattern: Maple by Marie Wallin from Rowan 50
Yarn:  Felted Tweed DK by RowanDK
50% Merino, 25% Rayon, 25% Alpaca
191 yards / 50 grams

Another Knit Camp in WNY

Back at the original Knit Camp, in WNY, we shared goodies in goody bags, knitted a composite blanket for Resistance Knitters, dyed more yarn, and became even better friends.

The master dyer from Propanicus Moon.

Jo and her geese,

the rebel...

And a repurposed classroom as studio.

My newest attempt... 

what it turned into!

I'll learn to love it!  

Painting yarn

Yes, it's over and what a week it was...
The weather was perfect, our tents are packed away, we suffered a few insect bites, and we have unfinished projects and beautiful yarn to take away!

One day devoted to coloring our own yarn.

Everyone got creative, and all were surprised (good and better) with their results.

Even the sampler/test yarn (on the right) turned out great.

Unwrapping the steamed yarn.  Hovering in the shade while it lasted.

CeeVee rejected her first attempt, and somehow managed to eliminate the red! Clever!

Looking pretty "neat"!  No surfaces were permanently harmed.

The sampler:  Could be trouble!

But which one is the sampler now?

An experiment in grouping,

the Denver special,

the unintended results of everyone dabbing on our tester,

the red purple project,

muted sage and blues,

I'm seeing a trend,

the winner of "who came the farthest to see 'Shrek'",

and lovely pastels.

The dyeing gang!

The finished Knit Camp in the Rockies project.