Friday, March 10, 2017

It was wonderful.

It was brilliantly organised, and there were plenty of stewards, so that the capacity crowd – this event is obviously a huge success – scarcely suffered. It began when we were queuing before nine to get in for the class-attenders’ private hour at the market. People passed among us inspecting our class tickets and dispensing golden wrist-bands. All we had to do when the magic hour struck was walk in past the gate-keeper holding a hand aloft.

I have never seen such a market – and I’ve been to Stitches. Admittedly, not to Rhinebeck. It would be interesting to compare.

Several of you spoke to me (on account of my Thanks Obama bag) – that was nice. The first one, while we were still in that queue outside, had a Strachur Primary School bag of her own. That’s where Alexander and Ketki’s sons began their education, on Loch Fyne. Other people congratulated me on the bag for its own sake.

I didn’t wear knitting, but instead my new sweat shirt, whose only previous outing had been on Chrstmas Day:




And, sure enough! I met an Oberlin knitter. She was actually in Hazel Tindall’s class! If we can get Arthur Dent’s Infinite Improbability Drive to work that well at Twickenham tomorrow…

In the market: I bought the colours I couldn’t supply from stash, to make up the colour scheme for Alexander’s Fair Isle vest. 



I decided against the Brooklyn Tweed "Arbor" yarn for the Nila pattern, beautiful as it is. It cost something like £13 a skein, and I needed something like 15 skeins. That's too much, considering that I was doubtful about the pattern. But I can tell you that Jared was there, first thing in the morning and still there when I re-attacked the market after lunch. He looks younger than I expected. I also saw Gudrun Johnston (this year's patron of Shetland Wool Week) and Kate Davies and Carol Feller, among others.

I didn’t buy Baa Ram Ewe’s yarn for the shorter Ancasta, either. I didn’t like it quite well enough, face to face.

I did buy the Samite for Nancy’s Vest. I regretted that purchase almost as soon as made. I chose what I thought was a dusty red. It turned brown as soon as I had paid for it, but looks perhaps slightly better this evening.

I bought two skeins of Sweet Georgia sock yarn (=washable) for Mary Lou’s Pollywog Popover pattern from Drop Dead Easy Knits, one solid, one variegated. I’ll have an incentive to do that one soon, before the great-grandchildren start school. And I added an (expensive) mini-skein set also from Sweet Georgia. Mini-skeins were everywhere, as expected.

Hazel Tindall’s class was wonderful. She is delightful. I’ll have to write more about that tomorrow. For now, I’ll just tell you that Hazel Tindall doesn’t finish a steek – neither reinforcing it before cutting, nor hemming the facing in any way. That’s if she’s just knitting a sweater for herself. If she’s aiming at a competition, she takes more trouble. For the judges’ sake – the steek doesn’t need it.


So now I’ve got the yarn, and I’ve taken a class with Hazel Tindall. All we need is the Calcutta Cup.

19 comments:

  1. Wonderful to read this post. I was a bit afraid that some problem or other would arise and you would not get there. Or that we would need to wait a day to hear about it.
    Having been to Rhinebeck (I live in New York City) I can only imagine how wonderful this event was. I must go someday.
    Rhinebeck has all the trappings of a country fair with many sheep, goats and alpacas on view. You can attend judging and sheep dog trials.
    And the yarn of course and many classes.
    Happy knitting and I am hoping for a miracle on the oval tomorrow.

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  2. If your screen has just turned brilliant green that is because I am so jealous! So glad you enjoyed it though.

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  3. I'm so pleased you got there and had a wonderful time. My elder daughter has just accepted an offer for Glasgow Uni, so that sounds like an ideal excuse for a trip up North for next year's festival.

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  4. Anonymous1:44 AM

    So glad you had a good time! Your purchases sound wonderful.

    We really need to get you to Rhinebeck this year!

    Beverly in NJ

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  5. I checked anyway, although not expecting a post. So glad you got to go! Sounds wonderful.

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  6. Glad you enjoyed your day. And what is it with red yarn? I was looking through my stash for something else and found three or maybe four yarns that I had bought to make myself some perfect red socks. Ugh. One is orange, one pink and one is some fuzzy yarn no one could ever make socks with and it's not red. I hope your dusty red turns out to be dusty red tomorrow.

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  7. I'm so happy that you had a grand time at the market and at Hazel's class. Hopefully tomorrow you won't feel overtired from your exertions today.

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  8. So glad to hear you had a marvellous time. I spied a picture of you at eyf on instagram last night, so I knew you had made it! I'm not going to make it this year - which is ridiculous as it's only about a mile away. But we are selling our house andmuch consumed by that at the moment - along with the small matter of finding somewhere new to live. Fingers crossed for this afternoon.

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  9. So glad that EYF lived up to expectations. I'm sure that we have all had that experience of yarn turning brown as soon as it has been paid for! But I imagine that the Samite is lovely stuff to handle.

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  10. It was lovely to meet you yesterday. I'm so glad you had a lovely time.

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  11. I was sitting next to you in the Hazel Tindall class, it was lovely to meet you. I've found enough in my stash to make a mug hap, but it didn't stop me blowing my budget in the marketplace. I did buy some Arbor, but just for a hat!
    Rachel

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  12. SO happy to hear you made it and all went well. Some years ago I purchased a Hazel Tindall download which I have yet to watch...glad to hear her take on steeks done with the right yarn.

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  13. So glad you got to go. I was worried after Thursday's trouble. I wore my Nancy's vest yesterday in your honor. It is a fabulous item. I really think I need a red one as well. Good luck and good health to you so you may realize all your plans. Bev (in Oklahoma--I think there are more than 1 who comment here!)

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  14. Like others, so glad you had the energy for market, class, and a post for us. What is it about red yarn? Seems especially prone to changes with the light, and variations in the amount of yellow or blue in it make such a difference. To my own eye there are few colours as lovely as a very slightly blue red, but a search for it must definitely be hands-on, and in daylight

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  15. =Tamar7:46 PM

    It's so nice to hear of a well-run and successful event. You have my sympathy about the yarn. Reds and purples are tricky for me since they depend greatly on the lighting. My eyes' lenses have aged yellow to where some reds look orange to me anyway, yet others still look very red and I wonder what they look like to other people. Lavender looks brown unless it is in daylight or under an Ott Light. I've thought of getting color tags made to sew into my clothing, but on the other hand I am usually indoors anyway. I have a tiny UV light which is sold for looking at modern money to make the UV lines show up, which I just realized might help reveal truer colors when shopping.

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  16. Anonymous2:27 AM

    Looks like you don't need tai chi after all! Your day sounded wonderful. Loved your sweatshirt. Chloe

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  17. Rebecca in Minnesota3:10 PM

    I love your Oberlin sweatshirt and must have one! Can you say where you got it? Congratulations on success at EYF.

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  18. So much in this wonderful post, but you end with the amazing "she doesn't finish a steek". Must go away now and digest that. If I can.

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  19. Ah, it's that amazing Shetland wool - so "sticky" and lovely - you really don't need to finish your steeks. Our U.S. wools can only come close.

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