Cottage46 Knitter

Two things I said I had no interest in...

Spinning and dyeing.

This weekend, I did both.  I dyed roving with KoolAid, spun it, and plied it.  I still can hardly believe it.  As lumpy and bumpy as that is, it's a vast improvement over my first attempt.

Let this be a lesson that podcasts can be dangerous.  I've been listening to the Knitmore Girls and Stitch It, both of which talk a bit about spinning.  (No, no, no!  Cannot spin! Time spent spinning is time spent not knitting.)  But in the end the pull was too powerful and I gave in.

This is Geraldine (after the Vicar of Dibley).  She's my new pal and just the right size for a small house. She was used, but had only had one bobbin of fiber spun on her.

But fear not, knitting has been happening too.  I'm almost done with my Eyelet cardigan.

It's a much darker purple than this picture shows. 

I was planning to participate in the Henry VIII KAL on Ravelry.  I have the yarn wound and everything, but I just can't seem to get going.  I think I may not be in big project mode at the moment.  I think I'll spend the fall clearing some WIPs and knitting some CookieA socks.  And spinning.  I'm hoping to take a class next month.  There's a local teacher who has a full class, but is considering adding a second class. 

We went to a Civil War reenactment yesterday.  It's the first time we've gone to one  They were reenacting the Battle of Corydon, the only Civil War battle in Indiana.

I thought the encampment was more interesting than the battle.

We're heading to a small fiber fest in Michigan next weekend.  (Activity two weekends in a row!)  Pictures next time!

Vacation!

Our friends, Kate and Graham, are visiting the U.S. from Australia.  We're enjoying spending time with them and showing them the sights of our corner of the Midwest.  It's our first visit to some of the places even though we drive by them all the time.  We went to the Auburn Cord Deusenberg Festival in Auburn, Indiana, and the World War II Victory Museum.  The Victory museum has lots of vehicles and equipment from all sides of WWII.  They also have an automotive museum where we saw this (I call it Batmobile on a stick).

And this which Kate and I contemplated making off with because we both love purple.

Then we went over to the Kruse Auction which is the largest collector car auction in the world (so they say) held in conjunction with the ACD Festival.  For old car lovers, it's nirvana.  Everywhere you look are the coolest cars you've ever seen!  I personally love the Packards from the 1930s and 1940s. 

How can you not love a car with this hood ornament:

We also went to a buffalo preserve.  This is Bosco.

He spent a lot of time resting away from the rest of the herd.  It's mating season and he's just about worn out.  They said he's lost 300-400 pounds in the last month or two of busy breeding. 

On the knitting front, I finished my Firestarters in Smooshy Gothic Rose.

And I scored 3 hanks of Wollmeise from the Loopy Ewe last week which I haven't photographed yet.  Not surprisingly, most of it is purple.  I think the Ballerina colorway is going to be a pair of Digitessas.  This weekend I'm looking forward to winding my Henry VIII yarn and doing a swatch.  The trees here are starting to turn so it must be time for some serious wool projects!