Quick but long overdue update

I have been meaning to do an update for a really long time but since the summer, my life has been filled with constant chaos, turmoil and also a lot of fun.  I'll get into all of the BS another time but in an effort to start getting back on track, and in the seasonal spirit of giving, I wanted to share a few projects I recently finished for very dear friends of mine.

 

Diane had an unfinished pair of tubes that she needed 1 heel fixed, 1 heel inserted and 2 toes inserted.

 

In addition to some of the repair work, I had to find matching yarn and both Diane and I were very impressed with the results.

 I am proud that I have now have acquired so much experience knitting socks that repairing them is a joy.  I can fix other knitters work.  These were machined tubes.  I had to match the tight stockinette with 00s.

            

You can see in the photo below where I had to add an alternative MC yarn to the bottom of the heel but since it's on the bottom, no one will even see it. 

For my next project, Diane gave me some sock yarn and a pair of already knit socks that she wanted me to use as a template for size and style.

 

The MC sock yarn she choose is a favorite amongst locals, the now defunct, once based out of Mechanicsville, Urban Girl Yarns, RBG colorway.

Man, it literally takes twice as long to knit socks for other people because I am so accustomed to knitting them for my children's size feet.

Personally, I'm not a fan of afterthought heels.  I find picking out the waste yarn to be tedious and time consuming and they don't give me enough heel support but what Diane wants, Diane gets.

Some might also say the same about a hand-sewn hung hem.  I knit mine Norwegian Selbu mitten-style.

If you have the patience, this type of hem is worth it for a thicker, warmer pro-finish. 

Finally, Angela is now a grandma and I knit these little bad boys for her new grandson!  Knitting them brought back so many memories of all of the baby and toddler socks I've knit for Xena over the years.  One of the greatest things about knitting is all of the memories locked in every stitch.

I haven't forgotten about Rhinebeck.  That will be my next post, after the weekend.  Stay tuned.  There are going to be some very big changes in my future!

The Dogwood Fiber Trail and a new pair of socks

 For those who aren't already aware, what was formerly referred to as the James River Yarn Crawl has been transformed into the Dogwood Fiber Trail.  There are now more stores across central and eastern VA included in this event than in previous years and Yarn Club is no longer a participant.  Multiple shops wanted Yarn Club kicked out of the Crawl after Andrea bootlegged the JRYC exclusive colorways and offered all of them in a kit to customers cheaper than the real ones (in essence so they could conveniently buy everything at her shop without having to travel elsewhere), sold the exclusive promo stitch markers for $5/each that were supposed to be free, etc.  From a business standpoint, I can only assume that she was trying to boost profits but from a team player POV, it seems idiotic to try to do that shit on the low and not expect the other shops to find out and get ticked off, really.  I don't have the time or energy to visit all of the shops along the trail this year.  After all of the BS that transpired at DWW last year, I really questioned why I should even bother supporting this event at all.

But, my knit buddy, Stephanie, wanted to check out Center of the Yarniverse in Ashland because she had never been there before and I am always stoked to see what FXBG Fibers has to offer to so I went along for the ride.

I instantly fell in love with their DFT exclusive Spring Green colorway!

I also had the most bizarre conversation with Laura's husband because was wearing a Clutch t-shirt.  When I did zines in HS, I chilled with Clutch and the Deftones on their first US tour together and got some amazing pix.  Anyway, it turns out that her hubby plays guitar and is totally into HC and metal and even recently went to Erie, PA and hung out with my old Lake Effect HC bro, EMS!  Small world!

Haha, this is a photo of EMS and I most likely at a Brother's Keeper show in Erie in 1996.

There was also a Keenan Hand Dyed Yarn trunk show happening with some lovely colorways.

Now that the NCAAMB tournament is in full swing, I have been enjoying my favorite spring routine!

I got this hank of  VA-based Skein Cocaine from Athena's stash via Misti's yarn swap 2 swaps ago.

 

I have always wanted to try Gina's yarn but never made it to Cakepalooza during Rhinebeck where she usually vends.  Now that I've had a chance to knit with her Hot Sock (80% SWM/20% nylon) sock yarn, I am hooked!

I haven't even blocked these socks and just look at the stitch definition!

I am so pleased with how these socks turned out. 

Now I have to take a short break from knitting socks for myself to knit a few gifts but hopefully I'll be back to selfish knitting soon.  I can't wait to get home from work and watch the National Championship game later on tonight!

Nash Yarn Fest 2025

 I remember when I first found out about Nash Yarn Fest and how stoked I was to be back living on the East Coast, closer to Amber, so we could go to more events together.  

 

(Unsurprisingly) everyone at DWW hated on it and couldn't understand why I would ever want to leave VA and go to a brand new fiber arts festival in Nashville.  FUCK 'EM!

Well, NYF was 100% exactly what we needed, especially after all of the false advertisement at Squam.

 

We stayed at the Bobby Hotel.  They were so kind and welcoming!

We loved our room.  We had a cute little balcony.

We had a Ripple Halter orgy.

On our first night, we went to a rooftop bar/restaurant at a hotel a few blocks away from ours. 

 I can't remember the name but it was decent.

 

I hadn't been to Nashville for years and it was interesting to see how much the city has evolved and changed over the past few decades.

The weather was so delightful!

It ended up raining half the weekend but at least we had a couple sunny days.

 

Amber's 12 yrs younger than me and like the young buck that she is, she went out on the town after dinner.  Meanwhile, I did what I enjoy most, knitting in bed, in a hotel room, watching NCAAMB - ALONE.

We woke up early and went to the gym every morning!

When I go to a fiber arts festival, my only goal is to live my best life...

...which includes knitting by a pool.

I finished my Poison Grrls Beauty School DK top just in the knick of time.

I used the Indie Untangled 2019 Heritage Wool that I grabbed from Misti's yarn swap.  It was donated by my friend, Athena, in Toano and she was pleased to see it immediately being put to use.

It's 60% merino/40% Romney, spun in Greenwich, dyed by Moondrake.  One colorway was called Ebb Tide but the other doesn't say.  I held this rustic handspun fingering weight yarn double.

Technically speaking, the fairgrounds where the fest was being held was walking distance from our hotel.  

It was actually an hour long walk and it was extremely windy but we brown bagged it and made the best of it.

It was rather surreal to see Arne and Carlos IRL.

Their talk was very sweet and funny.

I love Norwegians!  I love Norway!

Here's Amber and I in our pattern matching Midcoast sweaters.

The fest gave me a lot of Stitches XRX feels.  There were 90 vendors and the vibe was so positive!

 

Sally Holt and Lorilee Beltman also had terrific talks.  It was my first time seeing Lorilee IRL since I took her Continental Knitting best practices knitting class about 8 years ago.

Sure, my flight home was majorly delayed but that never bothers a knitter.

All and all, an excellent trip!  No complaints and I will definitely be back next year!

Swag-wise, I grabbed a bunch of yarn from Adella, sweater quantity from Camellia (Nashville) and a few other Southern belles.