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So it was time for the Knitting Guild of America Conference in Manchester, NH and I was READY.  Here we see a tiny bomb (knitted by my sister Kathlene) in place at a McDonald's in Augusta, Maine.

Later that same day -

A railing outside the Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH, was hit!

Then the KNITTING OUT LOUD team got to work!  We had a great weekend!

In other news -
I'm working very hard at my spinning.  Here's my first attempt at plying two of my handspun yarns together!  The grey is hand-picked, hand-carded & hand-spun Romney, and the gold is hand-spun from merino roving I bought in NH.  Very excited about the way the gold gleams through the grey.  We see this colour range a lot in late fall in Maine.

I'm also trying to hone my designing skills.  Here's a little sample I came up with, holding two yarns together & working in stockinette.  (one commercial yarn, one my Romney). I love the way it appears to form a pattern, just because the mohair I used and the Romney both have beautiful fuzzy bloom.

Washing & drying more Romney now in the cool, fresh wind that we're being treated to here today.

More soon!

OPEN FARM DAY IN MAINE

A glorious summer's day here in Maine, and farms throughout the state were open to visitors.  We managed Brae Maple, Agricola, Hawes and Guinni Ridge farms in Union, before visiting Sweet Season Farm Cafe here in Washington for lobster rolls and ginger ice cream. 

At Brae Maple I met a bunch of spinners who graciously invited me to sit and knit (I didn't bring a wheel), then I went down to Agricola and bought some lovely black alpaca yarn.  At Guinni Ridge we looked at the Katahdin & Suffolk sheep, and I bought some white roving (Corriedale & Romney blend).  Definitely would like to carry roving at Village Books and talked it up a bit with the spinners.

At Hawes Farm we bought some beautiful French green beans and small red potatoes (which we were going to have for dinner until I got the lobster roll/ice cream idea).

All in all, very satisfying day.  And now to my spinning wheel! Do you think spinning will burn off those calories?

The Fiber Side of Village Books: Check it out!

Don't forget to stop by The Fiber Side blog here for the latest on gently used fiber & textile books.  We only carry the best, in the best condition and you'll pay a lot less! Plus, you'll be supporting a Maine independent bookstore & small business.

 Alice Starmore

Fiber Frolic, Windsor Maine, 2010

The animals were the stars of this year's Frolic, especially the cashmere, Finn, and Angora kids, who let me hold & stroke them.  Melted my heart! Chris Leith of Eggemoggin Textile Studio was our fantastic neighbor to one side. Beautiful silks and handwovens!  I also got to meet knitting maven Mary Jane Mucklestone, a real delight. My knitting circle, The Washington Handcrafters, were out in force, doing their part to boost the economy. Congratulations to Janet Eckhard of Burkettsville, who won first place for her cashmere wristlets in the first ever Make It With Fiber in Maine contest, juried by Mary Bird of Fiber Maine-ia fame.

 During quiet moments in the Knitting Out Loud booth, Kathy & I worked at our knitting, of course!  I've gotten this far with my Shetland Nemesis shawl:

 Added 4 rows of Fair Isle just to get crazy:

 When my hands got tired, I began my search for my FF knit bomb target.  I finally settled on Golding Spindles.  This company's booth always gleams like a jewelry store.  The spindles are one of the holy grails of
handspinners - truly beautiful, functional works of art. But Seth, minding the booth alone, seemed restless during the quiet stretches.  "My duty to cheer him up", I thought.  Soooo...

Golding's cunningly designed seller's stand received a friendly decoration.  Seth was intrigued and amused.  So I taught him to knit!

Being a clever lad, he caught on right away & settled in to help with the knitting of  a future "bomb".

You may be next!

Watch for Knitting Out Loud in Manchester, NH at the Knitting Guild of America conference July 9-10.

Knit In Public Day, Washington, Maine

There will be a celebration of World Wide Knit In Public Day at Village Books on June 12th from 10 am - 1 pm.  Join us to knit (or sit) and for a potluck lunch!  If it rains, we'll take over the shop & house.

Anyone interested in contibuting to the Washington Village Knit Bomb Project** should let Karen know!  Squares, swatches, and unwanted handknits eagerly accepted.


Village Books, 18 Waldoboro Rd, Washington, Maine (Rt 220)
FMI: 207-845-2133.


** The Washington Village Knit Bomb Project is the brain child of Karen Jelenfy, who is determined to bring glory to our humble town!  First target: the old Silvia's Market site!

Read us in The Free Press!

My Life With Knitters will be available online in the Free Press as often as I can get to it!

Up first, my interview with Kathy Goldner of Knitting Out Loud fame.

Stay tuned for interviews, pictures, fair & festival reports and other handcrafters' concerns.