Saturday, May 28, 2011

Let's Get Away from it All

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Let's take a boat to Bermuda
Let's take a plane to Saint Paul.
Let's take a kayak to Quincy or Nyack,
Let's get away from it all.

They say there's no place
quite like home
A charming thought it's true
But until the world we roam
how can we be sure

Let's take a trip in a trailer
No need to come back at all.
Let's take a powder to Boston for chowder,
Let's get away from it all.

We'll travel 'round from town to town,
We'll visit ev'ry state.
I'll repeat, "I love you sweet!"
In all the forty-eight.

Let's go again to Niag'ra
This time we'll look at the Fall.
Let's leave our hut, dear,
Get out of our rut, dear,
Let's get away from it all.


Recently, my bf and I returned from his family's annual vacation in northern Maine. We stayed at the Inn pictured above, which has become a familiar luxurious haven for us now. We almost didn't go because of the economy but when my bf heard that there was a Fiber Festival in nearby Southwest Harbor that weekend, he said, "Well! We must go now!" I tried to explain to him that I had just had Brimfield Fair, and then our local Sheep & Wool Fair (where I had indulged in stash enhancement beyond reason), and now my LYS was having a great sale, and my favorite online yarn, Blue Moon Fiber Arts was having a Rare Gems sale, but.... he had it in his mind that I would be so unhappy if I missed the Fiber Faire in northern Maine. So - away we went!

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The view from our room was quite lovely, even though the weather was subdued and the sky pulled a diaphanous fine linen curtain over all its activities. I love the ocean in all weathers and even love rainy days on the ocean, though we didn't have any rain this trip.

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After breakfast at the Inn, we trekked away along the coast to Southwest Harbor, a beautiful town full of big white houses built in 1800 and nestled around the end of North America's only fjord.

The Acadia Fiber Faire is small, with no animals - 3 tables outside of the local middle school (one of them a "swap table") and perhaps 20 vendors and fiber artists inside the auditorium.

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The quality of the fiber arts in Maine is superlative, in my experience. My first stop was to watch a woman spinning with a drop spindle - effortlessly - the colourful bright fibers she had dyed. A couple of skeins jumped into my hands:

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At the local library booth, I bought two vintage knitting books. The research librarian had a copy of a Shetland lace history selling for $300! She said it was very rare, perhaps someone's PhD dissertation. I settled for my 1940s finds, for $12 combined and was happy.

There was one particular booth that captured my interest completely. The woman there had her spinning wheel with her, and sold both her fibers and the knitted goods she made from them. She said, of her things, that she had knit them, and spun the wool, and dyed the fiber, and sheered the sheep and goats that she had fed with her hands, and helped to birth. It was remarkable and very moving. The beauty of her knitted things took my breath away.

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Those two little colourwork baby hats in the front are pure cashmere - every tiny stitch. So beautiful and soft!

And these gloves she designed, as well as spinning the very fine yarn:

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Her prices were high, but very fair for the quality and skill of the items.

In the afternoon, we walked around town,

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which slopes steeply to the sea,

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and, because it's been a holiday destination for at least 200 years, has all the comforts for travelers, even a fairly ancient dog fountain in the village green:

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I brought my BMFA STR yarns with me of course (they get fussy if they're left home when I'm traveling and always accuse me of 'having all the fun' )andI did some relaxing crochet out on our room's little 2-chair deck:

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The next day, we drove along the coastline, and stopped at all the usual places, like Thunder Hole - a natural crevasse in the solid rock, where the waves rush in with a thundering ROAR:

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The walkway that you can see was blocked off. The fierce storms this winter past had broken through the railings and it was very dangerous to stand too near. Last year a young person who insisted in climbing over the rail to stand out on the rocks, was washed over suddenly by a huge, powerful wave.

We took the walking path less traveled, along the cliffs...

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and I found wildflowers, Star Flower; they like the coniferous forest floor:

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And when we came out onto the cliffs, here was our view to the right

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and our view to the left

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The beautiful pink rocks were wet and slippery; dangerous, perhaps, for climbing. But one of our party laughs at danger! Ha ha ha ha Ha! (to his credit, he is a very experienced climber) And here he is, tempting Fate and the gods by scrambling around in the granite, on the edge of the sea:

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Our afternoon ended at the lovely Jordan Pond House, for tea

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and Popovers:

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Well, it was a most wonderful vacation. And we did, indeed, get away from it all, if only for a short time!

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Friday, May 20, 2011

The Sheep and the Wool

Last weekend I made my annual trek to the woods of a nearby pretty little town, for the local the Sheep & Wool Fair.

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Our week has been rainy and foggy for quite a while, but luckily on on Saturday it was only foggy and began to clear as I walked through the tunnel of forest, over the woodsy brook, to the fair grounds.

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I love this Fair so much and have been going to it for about....well, over 10 years! It used to be in another town, in the south of my state, but for the last few years has been much nearer. This means I get there very early and go back the second day.

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I love the "just the right size" nature of this fair - I can visit and talk to every vendor in a day and over time, I've gotten to know quite a few!

My first visit this year was to Ball & Skein (pictures of booths on my blog are all with permission):

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Her booth was Beautiful! Everywhere I looked there were the colours and the images of nature - leaves, vines, ocean waves, sea glass, abalone shell, beach rocks, flowing garments, natural coloured yarn, glowing natural woods... it was amazing and very striking! And very hard to resist! I got a pretty fingerless mitt pattern with an oak leaf design and two skeins of yarn - one in deep green and other in a dark, complex brown.

I was next distracted by the Sheep Dog Trials. I love to watch these happy well-trained dogs herding the sheep or the geese into the little pen across a wide and hilly field! What I like best is that the dogs are so joyous in their work - the just love to hear that "good dog!" from their trainers and when their turn is finished and they head out of the gate, their tales are wagging and their heads held high. I love a happy, well-cared-for dog.

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(the dog is that dark spot behind the last sheep)

Next, I wandered through the several barns, perusing what might well have been every single skein and accessory!

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I love especially the small farm vendors and always find treasures. Here is Tidal Yarns, a spinner and dyer new to me. Her natural colours just glow:

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And here is Persimmon Tree Farm, who I first met at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest in Virginia where I fell in love with her single spun Pot Luck yarns:

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I fell hard, and although her yarns don't have colour names I think the green one is definitely seaweed-like, and the magenta yarns so closely match the cherry blossoms in bloom at my house right now!

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I don't know what it is about these nature-dyed yarns. I love the subtlety and depth of the colours so much more.


These are silks from Longridge Farm - Earthhues Natural dyed yarns...

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And speaking of gorgeous colour, I visited the DyakCraft booth both Saturday and Sunday, to visit with the wonderful Linda and to finally make up my mind about which interchangeable needle set I wanted!

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Their needles are Darn Pretty! Each one is hand made by Linda's husband Tom, hand polished, hand tipped and pointed, individually tested. You don't get that just anywhere! Only with an artisan company where the owners are the crafters of each individual tool.

The colours above are, from left to right, Hazelnut, Vermont Apple, Sunrise, Bubblegum, Winter Sky, Sunrise (again), Bloomin', and Vermont Rosewood. I had a hard time making up my mind - they are all so beautiful - and Linda allowed me to order a mixed set. I can't wait! But I have to wait - for Tom to get the wood and to make them by hand - each one, just for me. Linda will make my case and Tom will sign it. There is just no comparison. I'll love using my exceptional knitting tools!

By now I was so near to the animal barns that I could hear the sheep baa-ing and the alpacas whistling! Wandering through the animal barns and visiting the owner's booths is another joy of this particular fair. I always look for handspun yarns that are labeled with the names of the 'real owners' - the animals themselves!!

feeling cosy and sleepy:

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Here's a happy friendly fellow - this particular alpaca was quite outgoing and social!:

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Recently sheered, but not minding one bit:

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And my favorite small farmer of the Fair: Dillner Hillside Farm

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and the yarns - the beautiful, incredibly long locks fleeces - were kindly donated by the angora goats, Max and Primrose:

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This handspun will lend itself well to a simple vintage shawl pattern. I'm searching my 1840 - 1860 books for the perfect pattern!

By this time, it was starting to drizzle, and my bags were full.

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Time for me to wend my way back through the woods to my cosy home for a warm afternoon of tea of knitting, and hugging my new yarns.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

In the Fields

The next day at Brimfield the fields opened and we were lucky to get a good parking space in the local church's lot for a contribution to their activity fund. I had vague memories of our Brimfield visit a few years before and, unrealistically, kept expecting to find the same vendors and booths! I had to make myself let go and just let the experience flow over me. It was a beautiful sunny day with a nice cool light breeze. The antiques glowed with a "Buy Me" glimmer, but we feared for the rows and rows of glass-wear in that breeze!

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The people-watching was very rich in the fields. There were many people wearing vintage, looking so cute! And it was a bit easier to take photos in this vast outdoor area.

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The antique clothing on their racks waved at us. I think we looked at every item! E was looking for 40's dresses for a movie costumer, M was looking for 30's to 50's haberdashery for the next Fifties Fair in Sydney, and I.... well, I really really wanted to find some vintage knitting or crochet tools: needle gauges, wool-holders, needles or hooks, stitch holders and counters, even little flat bone, bakelite, or mother-of-pearl bobbins for colour-work.

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Only M found what he was looking for, although E found a pair of pointy-toed shoes. M and I speculated that many antique dealers just toss the knitting and crochet items thinking that they are of no value. Anything needlework related - other than finished lace itself - was very hard to find! I was lucky enough to find several vendors with stacks of knitting booklets and they were happy to move them on to a buyer - happy enough to always throw in a couple free when I bought a handful.

Here are a few of my finds...

Vintage Vogue Knitting - including the 8th volume of the magazine!

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Potholder patterns:

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(this is the back cover showing more patterns)

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A WWI (1918) pattern booklet for soldier's items from Star Needlework Journal:

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Some 30's booklets:

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Bedjackets (these would make beautiful sweaters) and an early 1900s Crochet Nightgown and Corset Cover Yokes booklet from Clarks:

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40's fashions and Juvenile Styles:

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The two hard-cover books I picked up are The Big Book of Knitting from the early 40's and the 1920 volume First Steps in Dressmaking from the Women's Institute series (I already have this series' volumes about sewing lingerie and sewing for maternity and infants):

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The sewing book is a self-study textbook that contains directions and patterns for beautiful characteristic 20's clothing:

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The patterns - just like 20's knitting patterns - are simple, with mostly kimono-type sleeves and the layouts are easy to copy by drawing out the shapes and measurements given in inches onto paper or cloth. The booklet also gives information on how to send away for "pre-printed paper patterns for the items in this book" for 10 cents.

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The Big Book of Knitting is full of patterns for knitting clothing for everyone, all ages, as well as accessories and the home. I also found some patterns for knitted bathing suits - very similar to those finished items I saw displayed all through the Fashion Fair!

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But, although all the stockings, scarves, men's vests, and other patterns are wonderful, the best - in my opinion - are the women's knitted blouses!

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and, the hats! Oh, those caps and cloches! I've already identified a couple that I'll make for my winter hat-wearing, and I found these wonderful vintage celluloid hat pins for them:

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That was the extent of my fun finds at the Brimfield Antique Fair. Two days is really not enough to explore all the fields full of booths and tents! But I needed to return for work and for our local Sheep & Wool Fair. What a busy time of year!