It’s that time of year again: the leaves are changing and we begin the eager anticipation for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival.
This is an anxious time for me, to be sure. My kids have grown out of every lovingly created knitted garment from last year and while the younger one can inherit some of her sister’s things, the oldest has nothing and if I don’t produce something that she likes, she is more than happy to go to school without a sweater, hat or gloves, even when it’s 40 outside.
Here are some of the rules I’ve set for myself:
- I shall not buy undyed merino wool from that awesome Massachusetts based farm (I already have 2 years’ worth of purchases that I have not been knitted).
- I shall not buy alpaca or llama, unless they are blended into something, like Good Karma Yarn.
- I shall wear a cap and drink lots of water so I do not develop a headache by 2pm
- I shall not spend more than $200
- I shall carefully enter all of my purchases – with pictures – into my Ravelry stash when I come back.
- I shall not buy yarn for a hat for myself, but will use leftover skeins from sweaters.
This festival is our family’s annual yarn and food binge. I go for the yarn, my husband goes for the lamb and my kids go for both.
Here is my list of projects that require yarn:
- mittens for the girls (inexplicably, we’ve lost the pair my youngest should inherit). Goal: make 2 pairs for each child, so we always have something to wear.
- 2 weights – sport and thin cotton
- Pink for the little one
- blue? for the older one
- Light sweater for the older one – similar to the vest I made?
- Sport weight sweater for me – not sure of the color. I often wear greys and I find that they match just about anything, so perhaps a few shades of grey.
- Zipper collar sweater for my husband – it took me two years to knit the last sweater, so I’d better start now before he wears through it
- Dress coats for the girls
- Heavy yarn, could be rougher (no merino!)
- Pink for the little one
- Blue? for the older one? Perhaps I can find a combo that fits everyone so we can be matching.
- A heavy yarn for a sweater for my FIL. I made him a sweater two years ago which, sadly, is too small.