Your greatness is not what you have, it's what you give.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Kathleen finished another vest for the women veterans and I'm sure she'll be here next week with another finished garment or two!
Barbara worked on her sweater for herself and Liz knitted a scarf for donation.
Maureen worked her second pair of Kimono slippers. We Chicks decided to finish up donation knitting so we could concentrate on Christmas gifts until the holidays. In January we'll take up the donation knitting again.
This weekend was the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Amanda and Phil brought the boys up for a visit. Moose took Poppop and Daddy apple picking and bowling while Amanda, Leo and I enjoyed the festival.
The weatherman predicted 40% chance of rain on and off all day but it was sunny and warm all day. A perfect day to visit a festival.
The first booth inside had beautiful yarns and patterns but I had my pennies saved to visit a special booth!
This gentleman was hand turning drop spindles and knitting needles, among other hand tools for crafts.
He did amazing work.
I was almost tempted to buy a drop spindle just because they are so pretty. But I like to get straight to the knitting without wasting time spinning first. That's just me.
There were some wonderfully scented soaps.
And beautiful handwoven baskets.
But our favorites were the yarns. You just have to cuddle every one of them. The colors and textures are so luscious!
Amanda was admiring some yarns when a lady thought she was very clever to carry her purchases in her shoulder sack....uh....
No, that was Leo. He was such a good shopping companion. He slept most of the day and never cried once.
He even slept through the visit with our fibery friends. These baby angora bunnies were just too cute for words.
The guys were just hanging around.
And these angora rabbits were content to sit on top of their cages and watch the world go by.
This little friend seemed to say your welcome when we thanked him for his contributions to our knitting addiction.
Mr. Llama was just sheared so he wasn't looking too sociable.
We stopped and watched the spinners for a bit.
And then admired the ready mades.
Isn't this shawl glorious?!
We had to stop long enough to watch the felting demonstration. It's amazing what the people at this booth make.
This girl was needle felting a sheep.
The items at the booth ranged from this scary looking mask to....
this gorgeous hat!
Then we finally saw our favorite booth! Here we come Periwinkle Sheep!
Karin, (right) and her friend Amy (left) were working hard helping customers, but they had a minute to pose for me.
Amanda found what she wanted right away.
I, on the other hand, couldn't decide between the sock weight or the lace weight.
Leo came out of his cuddle spot long enough for Karin to get some good hugs.
I think there were as many people stopping to look at Leo as there were those looking at the yarns.
But by midafternoon we were all feeling a little tired. So I knew it was time to get going...
Right next door to The Ice Cream Man!
You can't go all the way to Schuylerville and not stop in for some of the best ice cream in upstate New York.
When Amanda and I got home we checked out our purchases and I wound the skeins for her.
I bought this silk cocoon fiber which is hand dyed.
You pull thin layers off and spin it or knit it right from the "cap".
Here is the sock weight yarn I bought from Karin. Notice the lovely cloud/sky color.
Then I realized I bought an alpaca laceweight yarn at another booth. Check out the color.
Now look at the shawl I made using yarn from another festival I attended this spring.
What color are my socks? Shirt? Knitting? Do you think I might have a problem? LOL!
I finished the shawl last night and couldn't wait to show you. It needs a good blocking still but isn't it beautiful?! I can't wait to wear it!
I had to throw in a couple of photos of my sweet babies. I don't know what he's dreaming, but Leo looks content.
And Moose is always a happy guy! He just loves the Dr. Seuss shirt we brought back from our trip to Universal Studios last spring.
Now I have to save some money for our next trip to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck come October. But first, I need to knit some of the yarn in my stash before I can even think about adding to it!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

HAPPY 6TH ANNIVERSARY CHICKS!

Today I thanked my Chicks for six years of their hard work and dedication to our organization. We had a pot luck brunch but before we could start I made them do their "chorus line" for a photo. Starting from left to right: Karen Ayres, Liz Hotaling, Barbara Kavanagh, Beth Mashmann, Maureen Cagino, Kathleen Corrigan, and Elaine Rivard. Karin Maag-Tanchak couldn't make it today but she's another important member of the group.
Everyone brought delicious food! We had ham and cheese biscuits, blueberry muffins, a strawberry and greens salad, banana bread, asparagus and ham rolls, various cheeses, and an egg breakfast strata with sausage, potatoes, vegies and cheese.
Everything was so good some of us went back for seconds.
After brunch we retired to the living room to talk about vacations and knitting and to eat a little dessert.
The brownies and lemon bars hit the spot.
DH hung around long enough to take a group picture and then he snuck off to watch football.
I wore my "February Lady" sweater for the first time since finishing it and it was a big hit. It's only the second time I've made myself a sweater that I actually liked and will wear forever.
When I went looking for buttons I couldn't decide which ones I liked best so I bought all three!
I have a nice red baby alpaca yarn sitting in my stash which I think will have to be used for this sweater also, with a few minor variations.

Thanks to all my Chicks for helping to make my dreams of running my own business come true. If it weren't for all of you wonderful ladies there wouldn't be a Chicks with Sticks. Thank you and God bless you all! Here's to at least another six years!