I Feel As Though I Owe a Rhinebeck Post

Or maybe two. I took a lot of pictures.

I've has quite the roller coaster ride the past couple weeks...my long-term business partner/ boss resigned, a great deal of the company is being reassigned to unemployment, and I've been dealing with a pesky and painful reoccurring kidney infection that knocks me out for days at a time. Morale is pretty darn low in my 9 to 5 world. Some quiet meandering upstate was a great way to clear my head and catch up with friends I don't see enough.



It's been a tough few months upstate...all that rain from Irene and a generally soggy fall means the autumnal colors aren't quite as brilliant. Still, it's a beautiful area and completely enjoyable regardless.





It was, dare I say, unseasonably warm for October. Perhaps a little tough to think about woolen things. The best remedy for that is to surround yourself with wool and woolie creatures. Soon the spirit of a woolen wonderland will take you away.



Unusual for me, I did not get to the fleece sale first thing and nab some primo crimpy soft fleece. I think the three fleeces that I have from last year still have me content that I have enough fleece, and maybe I need to start looking for more time to sit down and spin said fleece.

The Loop Booth looked great, as usual. Steph had a rather tough year, and she's missing a digit to prove it. Irene was not kind to her either...her studio flooded and she had to move, all while trying to get enough batts and roving made to fill her booth with goodies.



I'm not really a glitter girl, but her stuff is so pretty.



On to the animals, who are the ones doing all the hard work and producing all the goods (and plenty of organic fertilizer as well).

















Angora goats:







More tomorrow....

New Spinning Fibers Posted!

I posted some spinning fibers on my Etsy store over the weekend.

A couple of weeks ago, I dyed a few pounds of Tussah silk:



Silk takes dyes wonderfully, and granted that you don't expose it to high heat, the silk has a beautiful sheen. I especially love tussah- it has a light gold color that gives the overdye colors depth that you don't get with white silk.

Somewhat shockingly, the silk looks like this when it is dried:


but a little bit of fluffing and drafting turns it once again into pure dreamy awesomeness.







I also dyed up some faux cashmere. This is really soft and should spin up lofty. It's easier to spin than real cashmere since it has a longer staple. It's also much, much cheaper. This comes from some sort of elusive nylon goat apparently.



It takes dye beautifully. Above is a 2 oz braid in "Persimmon". Below is "Flamingo in the Mud", which should spin up lovely and muted.



I also listed some kettle dyed sock yarn in "Bitter Sweet Biddy":


Really subtle variegation of pinks and reds with purple tones. This is my Silk/Merino sock yarn blend and it will make a very pretty pair of socks.

Depending on my schedule this week, I am going to try and get some more dyeing in. I have some silk caps soaking and a mountain of merino and romney ready to go.

Rhinebeck! Part I

Rhinebeck weekend! After seeing that a nor'easter was forecasted, I spent Friday morning digging out from under my bed my stash of deepest, darkest winter clothes. Knee-length wool coat, boots, winter woolies, waterproof pants, long johns...and the weather ended up being pretty damn fabulous.

What better way to spend the weekend of the Knitter's Christmas then with 7 really awesome fun friends who are equally passionate/obsessive about the craft as you are? I can't think of a better situation.

Here is KnitHoundBrooklyn's fabulous handspun snail hat:



The colors just scream fall. So does the apple core.







The fall colors were fabulous. Our rental cottage overlooked the Esopus creek on a dead end street in the woods.



A perfect place for a bunch of city kids to hang out for the weekend.

If you are ever in Saugerties, I would highly recommend checking out Miss Lucy's Kitchen. They source local food and cook it up right in a cozy unpretentious setting.

More to come...