Knitting and Artichokes

Sometimes you just have to go with your gut. I did last weekend at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival. My gut told me not to buy yarn. There were a few reasons for this:

1. My yarn basket overflowith. Happy 2. Computer time has cut into knitting time. Sad 3. Wool-related items were in hot demand, so I purchased: sheepskin slippers, alpaca socks, wool-batted pillows, and a scarf from Peru. Oh, and...artichokes. Yes, you read that right (more below). Satisfied

A funny thing happened on the way to the Sheep and Wool Festival...

I got sidetracked at my local yarn shop - Fabulous Yarns. You may recall, I posted a rare, free pattern of a reverse cabled scarf. Apparently, not only was the scarf scrumptious and warm, it was a hit in the knitting world. That cabled scarf was picked up all over the web: Ravelry, Pinterest, One Pretty Thing, Vogue Knitting, and a few other sites. I purchase the baby alpaca yarn for that scarf at Fabulous Yarns, and when I stopped in before the Festival, the owner asked if she could create a kit using my pattern. I'm thrilled, and will announce when the kit will be available. In the meantime, you can get the pattern here and purchase the yarn online at Fabulous Yarns.

Sustainable Sheep Stuff...

Last year, I wrote about how overwhelming this event was in its pagentry of everything yarn-related. This year, I focused on the many small, less commerical merchants selling their warm, wooly wares. For instance, my friend, Lynn Mordas owns and operates, Dashing Star Farm, a working farm in Millerton, NY. She is a one-woman sheep farmer. Lynn operates her farm in a humane, sustainable manner. Her livestock are free-ranged on rotated pastures, and fed locally grown forages and whole grains. Her gorgeous yarns, wool and sheepskins are naturally processed. I am pleased to say, the wool pillow I purchased from Lynn at the Festival is one of the most comfortable pillows I've ever slept on. Here is a wonderful story about Lynn's farm.

Artichokes...

I believe many people come from far and wide to the Sheep and Wool Festival just for the French Artichokes. They are amazing...festival-food at its finest. Check out the artichokes here at Knitter's Review. It's well worth spending a chunk of your precious time waiting on line and talking to knitters in the know.

Photo Credits: Main image: Colours, Johan Ku via Items by Design Bird, Goat, Juliet R. Harrison Photography, Pillows: Berkshire Food Journal

Unraveled and Moving Forward

I know, I’ve already chewed your ear off about knitting, and I promise to get to the matter at hand – greening it up. But, it’s not everyday the circus comes to town and you get to jump into the ring with your buddies.

Knitted Rapture

While a bit overwhelming, The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival brings both pageantry and artistry to the creative craft of knitting. The sheer quantity and quality of yarn and wool-related items at this event is truly remarkable.

I generally don’t wear my love for knitting on my sleeve. Actually, most of my knit/purling goes directly to gift giving, but once a year at the Sheep and Wool Festival I'm in my element. In my yarn rapture, I feel connected to this creative community. Each year, I bring home one special skein (ok, maybe two) that reflect the moment.

Socks made from last year's blue/green gem:

Poking through the bins today, I found this beauty:

Greening up

As I continue to examine the eco-friendliness of….well, everything, I’ve got to say that knitting is not the greenest of crafts. It’s expensive, and much of the yarn is dyed with nasty chemicals. The manufacturing process is not energy-efficient, and a large chunk of yarn comes from faraway places, and that stomps on our carbon footprint.

What about organic yarn? Yes, organic yarn exists and it adheres to the same rigorous requirements as organic meat. The sheep must be fed organic food and be free of injected growth hormones. Their fleeces cannot be washed in chemicals. Even managing organic livestock is more sustainable than mass farming because the overgrazing of sheep is limited.

The yarn industry as a whole may have a way to go, but it’s encouraging to see that more and more small yarn producers are greening up their wares as they move forward in favor of a more sustainable future…like these folks:

Unraveled

I’ll leave you with a pearl of wisdom that my friend, Eric once noted while watching me (during a faculty meeting) rip out two hours of complicated knitting. He said that if you want to really get to the heart of a problem, you’re going to have to unravel your knitting and follow the situation back to the place where you made the mistake. Then move forward.

Photo Credit: Socks - Jen Kiaba

Knit...Purl Your Home

This weekend brings to town my favorite knitting event, The New York State Wool and Sheep Festival. I just drove past the fairgrounds and there's a flurry of pre-event activity. The vendors were setting out their wooly wares, the farmers were hauling hay to the sheep stalls, and a stray Border Collie was eagerly looking for work. If you happen to be in the vicinity of the Hudson Valley this weekend, I highly recommend checking out the Sheep and Wool Festival. Just thinking about all that luscious yarn has inspired me to write a knitting post...

Did you know that I love to knit and shower my family and friends with warm and fuzzy handknitted goodies? This post is not about wearable items, it's about a trend that I’ve noticed in the home décor world.

Over the years, I have observed the popularity of knitting go up and down. At the moment, the pendulum seems to be in a full upward swing, and knitted items are showing up in some unexpected and unusual places.

The latest trend in knitting, along with knitting small items (knitted bags, fingerless gloves and cowl neck scarves - the latest rage), and the subversive act of yarn bombing, are knitted chair coverings and functional knitted items for the home. These decorative knitted and felted pieces are bumping up against the soft edges of design with their intricate stitches and contoured shaping. The Wall Street Journal recently covered the Milan Furniture Fair and targeted a designerly group of haute-knitted items for the home in this article, A Gripping Yarn.

So, without further adieu, sit back and enjoy some eco-chic handknitted home décor, and a creative and simple DIY project that will knock the Kitchener Stitches right off your cabled cashmere socks!

Knitted Stools

Knitted Pendant Light

Knitted Poufs

Knitted Slipcover

DIY Sweater Chairs

Eco-crafter and author, Danny Seo recovered his IKEA chairs with cozy cashmere and wool sweaters that he scored at Goodwill.

He explains the simple DIY process: “It was easy: just unscrew the seat cushion, wrap a sweater over the cushion, staple gun into place underneath, trim off excess, screw back on and voila!  Sweater chair.”

Photo Credits: Sweet and Lowdown Lounge Chair, Knitted Stools, Knitted Armchair Slipcover, Knitted Pendent, Knitted Poufs, Sweater Chairs, Knittted Trashcan