Conference Knitting, as Opposed to a Knitting Conference

I am currently at a social studies education conference (this one).  My session yesterday went well, I've attended a number of other sessions and I am currently sitting one out.  I'd leave and go home, but I want to attend the next one.  History education is currently focusing on the US Civil War.  The session I'll be attending is focusing on analyzing the session arguments in North Carolina. 

This photo is from the state archives - this young woman is a weaver at Black Mountain College in the 1940s.

As fascinating as that is, what's really interesting is what people are knitting.  One woman in my session was knitting lovely creamy wool socks.  Another woman was making a baby hat - very tiny!  I'm knitting the Mossy Cardi - again or still -whatever you want to call it. It's all the way up to 5 inches long so it's almost as long as it was when I frogged it last time. 

In the evenings I've been working on a couple of new hat patterns.  No details yet, but there is a bit of a time crunch.  My friend Lisa (of Friends and Fiberworks) will e a vendor at Stitches South in Mid-April and wants some easy one skien patterns that are yarn-specific.  She wants to sell the patterns for yarns that she has a good bit of.  So my task is to develop patterns for these yarns that are reasonably easy to knit and don't exist yet.  Two have come out nicely.  The third is really giving me trouble.  The pattern that she visualized does really work with the pattern.  I kind of knew that, but I sometimes try to give people what they want.  I think I'll leave it where it is and ask her to take a look at it before I go any farther. 

Although I am certainly ready to go home, I kind of like the out-of-time feeling of being at a conference.  Staying in a hotel, eating in restaurants, seeing people that you seldom see in 'real life.'  But the 3 hour trip home should be pleasant.  I am listening to 'The Knitting Circle' by Ann Hood.  Highly emotional and a wee bit melodramatic, it's a good travel 'listen.'

My biggest decision for the drive home, where shall I eat lunch?

Rare Purls: Knitting History

If you have an interest in how knitting has been part of culture for a long time, take a look at this article in the Toledo (OH) Blade. Writer Ellen Foley has been collecting images of knitting and other needlework and in now sharing her collection in the rare book room of the Toledo Public Library where it is now in display in the rare book room.

You can read more about it here.

Nothing that exciting going on at Smoky Mountain Fibers, though I did start spinning a lovely alpaca merino blend that I purchased at SAFF.  I purchased it from a local alpaca farmer here in Madison County, NC.  I have quite a bit of fiber ready to spin, but with no apparent purpose, other than it was lovely and I want to encourage local small business.  It is a very soft fiber, but you'd never know to look at it.  The color is a heathery golden brown - looks rustic, feels sweet!  One of those fibers that you have to pet to really understand.  My spinning pals at last night's spinning group - [hey - How come I was the only one spinning?  Everyone else was knitting.  What's up with that?] - were quite appreciative of its texture, color and ease of spinning.

I'm not sure what it will end up being, but as I have 8 ounces, I'll end up with enough yarn to do something with. I'll try to take some photos that will do justice to the subtle color.