Newer Knits and their story-Alpaca Sweater and Indigo Dandy

Thanks for the yarn, Black Tulip Farms!

Pattern:: 122-41 Knitted Jumper with Short Ragland Sleeves and Norwegian Pattern in "Alpaca" by DROPS design
Size:Small (34 5/8" bust)
Yarn:Black Tulip Farms Alpaca Fingering Grace (grey), Athos (blue) and Adrian (white)
Yardage:~1200 yds
Needle:US1 & 2 Circ
Date started: Dec 13, 2010
Mods:The original pattern is a short sleeve sweater, which will never be worn unless the weather is perfect. I continued on the sleeves and decreased every 7 rows or so. I also added more short rows because I slouch and need a lower neckline.

This sweater has a fun story: The grey yarn came home with me when my knitting group visited Black Tulip Farms for the Alpaca open house in 2009. I remember one knitter laughing really hard because I jumped when another knitter claimed that she was getting ALL of the lovely grey yarn. The yarn was all lovely, but Grace the grey alpaca made my heart skip a beat. We also got to meet the alpacas. The yarn always mean a lot to me when I get to meet the animals that the fiber came from.

About a year later, I had gotten to know Ms. R at the farm; we took a spinning class together. I had the honor to redesign their new logo. We bartered her yarn for my graphic services and received the lovely blue wool/alpaca blend and the white pure alpaca yarn.

Knitting it was an adventure because it called for tiny needles. I love the fabric though, it's really soft and drapey. It's also very comfortable.

Also useful for hiding identities

Pattern:: Indigo Dandy by Hannah Ingalls
Size:one size
Yarn:Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia in Heathered Teal
Yardage:~120 yds
Needle:US6 Circ
Date started: Mar 21, 2011
Mods: None, except I went down two needle sizes because this woollen yarn is very fluffy.

This yarn came from my first swap I ever. My swap partner is a wonderful mother to three in Oregon. She took time to pick out wonderful yarn and fiber from Oregon. It was such a great experience. I feel like my gift to her didn't measure up to what she had given to me. I know now what to get for her next year, since we're ravelry twins and share the same birthday.

The simple pattern shows off the subtle colorways in the yarn, and it's really warm. The pattern is brilliant because it combines the easy-wear of a cowl and a dressy look of a lace shawl/scarf.

She also gave me 2 oz of lovely fiber to spin, and that's being worked on right now!

No More Fiber challenge!

So March has come and gone, so did April, and half of May. What!

Anyway, I noticed that I have SO MUCH fiber in the house. I can knit at least 3 sweaters, 3 shawls, 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of mittens, and hours worth of spinning.

And my boyfriend still thinks I'm not insane.

After coming home with only 8 oz of fiber from the Maryland Sheep and Wool (I know, I'm proud of myself), I decided that I shouldn't buy any more yarn until Maryland Sheep and Wool next year.

Some silk caps, primary color roving for mixing colors,

and a braid from my good friend Mary Ann @ Three Waters Farm

in the coloway Morroco

Enter this past Sunday--

My good friend Miss A and I went venturing out to a farm with Jacob sheep! Since the Yarn Harlot raved about the breed, I was worried about not finding any. Fortunately, I was able to find some local fleece available. yay!

sweet sheepies

kind of shy

After sorting through the fluffy and lovely fleeces, it was like Christmas:

I'm the fleece Santa!

I'm pretty sure I can work with the fiber I have for a full year. Not just for knitting, but processing and spinning the fleece.

Let's see how long this will last =)

Gratuitous Photos of Sheep @MDSW 2011