stitch marker

the fair

The Oregon State Fair was so fun, especially now that Sebastian is really into animal noises and new words. He said "baba" for bunnies, and "moooo" to the cows, and "mmmmm" to funnel cake. And it was very satisfying to see so much skilled knitting and sewing in the fair cases thanks to our fair-alongers. Martin said there was a lot more knitting than last year. Yay for us!

I was somewhat (well, I'll admit very) disappointed that my little trellis sweater was hidden behind other baby items and could not be seen by anyone. It took three adults about half an hour to find it. Can you see it? I thought about it afterwards, and was sad because I'm proud of that little sweater. I even sat in Sarah's craft room the night before the fair entries were due and took apart the collar to re-sew it in a better matching thread.

I finally decided it must have been a mistake that it got left back there, and not something that was done because the fair people didn't like it.

I'm gonna move on, folks. :-)

And besides, my sewn bonnet out of vintage barkcloth got 2nd place in the Master & Professional division for Sewing, Children's Any One Other. And Sarah won a blue ribbon in the Handknit, Designed by Exhibitor category with her reds wrap.

We got to see a very big farm machine, an assortment of egg-shaped candy dioramas, rows up on rows of decaying pies in locked cases, gorgeously murky honey, and the best plate of prunes in Oregon. Oh, and the coolest thing in the fair: a lego artwork of hundreds of little guys standing in line. We also saw all this other stuff.

1. binx's first funnel cake, 2. two browns in hats, 3. naked sheep, 4. big diggers, all in a row, 5. a chicken as big as binx, 6. phyllis diller chickens, 7. row of bun-buns, 8. pretty pheasant, 9. binx and mama, 10. state fair skyride, 11. oregon state fair, 12. mysterious honey, 13. friendly giant, 14. gorgeous all-white quilt, 15. blurry jam, 16. afghans, 17. katrina's wins, 18. sarah's big win, and reflections of lace, 19. shawl & pinwheel, 20. very tired baby pig

You can bet the little boy was cozily slumped in his car seat within minutes of leaving the fair, giving mommy and papa a nice quiet ride home. Unlike last year, when he howled for milk all the way back from Salem.

going to the fair

Photo by Sarah Gilbert.

This Friday we're going to the fair!

I don't know whether I've won anything, but there are my entries above. The trellis sweater, the green cotton kiri shawl, and a sewn bonnet of vintage pink and turquoise barkcloth.

But enough about me.

• Casey got 4 first place knitting ribbons at the Oregon Fair! Oh dear, I guess that means my chances of having any ribbons just plummeted. And get this, she also made some blue ribbon bread. Way to go, Casey.
• Pat from Abundant Yarn won a first place ribbon at the Oregon Fair for her gorgeous afghan.
• Hanna, also from Abundant Yarn, tied for second in the fastest fingers knitting contest.
• Sarah has posted a complete rundown of her fair entries and no-shows, including a tale of our last minute sprint to get items in by 6 pm.
• Aimee Noel was there with us. She was one of the two entrants who actually arrived at Mill End after me and Sarah.
• Melody entered a wonderful cable sweater she made for her husband out of mocha colored Knitpicks Merino Style, which was so much softer and nicer in person than I'd ever imagined. Go Melody!
• Kim entered handspun yarn and a gorgeous felted bag that she gets so many compliments on. We'll know soon if she has any ribbons when we visit the fair Friday.
• Dobarah's kids won prizes for their steers. Animals, people! We know someone who actually entered live animals and won.
• As I mentioned before, Heidi won some ribbons in the Kalamazoo County Fair.
• Michelle hand picked blackberries to make jam for her fair entry, and also entered her gorgeous dahlias.
• Siri shared a story of a past cookie win, and her local Cookie Man. Damn, I wish we had a Cookie Man. Maybe I'll become our neighborhood's Cookie Lady when Sebastian is older.
• Meghan's knitting was apparently judged by yarn snobs. But she won a 1st place and a 4th place ribbon. Way to go, girl!
• Anastasia won an honorable mention (A, For your sweater? My screen was doubling up the text in your blog entry)
• Beth entered the Fowlerville County Fair and is now addicted to ribbons.
• And Julie has made a deal with the devil. Let's see if it pays off in lots of blue ribbons.

off & running!

Oh drat, I'm going to have to continue my fair update after the big relay race. I have to leave like a half hour ago to meet my team. Our first runner has already started and my van (van 2) is loading up at 10:30.

There's a lot going on with fair entries, and I encourage you to look at the comments from my last post to see notes from some fair-alongers who've been awarded ribbons. And when I get back Monday, I'll draw a winner from among the Oregon-based knitters and give out two more Oregon State Fair passes. You'll have them in time to go to the fair on September 1 - the big knitting day!

If you want to read more about my training, I'm writing for a new fitness blog that launched yesterday and I have several weeks of diary entries posted here. I think my favorite one is about whether to Athena or not.

See you soon. Off to run at 158.5 pounds today and a good 12:30 pace over actual terrain. I'm SOOooooo nervous.

fair update

Two of those passes up above belong to Katie, who won them in the July drawing. All my other Oregon-based fairalongers, if you entered something in any fair this year raise your hands in the comments. I have two more to give away.

Now for some long-awaited fair updates. My connection is slow and I'm going to be updating this post several times today.

• Heidi has some ribbons from the Kalamazoo County Fair!
• Sarah has some photos of her entries and mine getting handed in to Ann at the Oregon State Fair table at Mill End Store. (Ann, close your eyes. She sneaked a photo of the room full of entries even though you said no. I'm so sorry. I encouraged her because I wanted to see what it looked like). Make sure you go ogle Sarah's gorgeous self-designed reds of many kinds wrap, which includes some of my friend Kim's handspun candy cane yarn.
• More updates to come later today...

sweater for davis

Last night Sarah and I met to do some last-minute finishing of items that are going to the state fair. Forms were due earlier in the month, but actual items are due tomorrow.

Sarah wasn't home yet when I got there, but her husband Jonathan greeted me with pink wine. Then he strapped Truman on his back and went into the kitchen to cook. First he came out with chips and artichoke dip, then sliced avocados sprinkled with rice wine vinegar, salt & pepper. Finally, a ragut with sausage meat and angel hair pasta. He also kept filling my wine glass. What service!

Somewhere in there, Sarah came home from her emergency trip to Jo-ann and we started earnestly crafting. The husbands took one boy each leaving us with just Truman (who likes to eat scissors, it turns out). I fixed up my trellis sweater with some re-seaming, checked over my leaf shawl for a few fixes since it's been worn and washed repeatedly, and then finished the little sweater you see above even though it's not going to the fair. When I left around 11 pm Sarah was working on a gorgeous miniature quilt involving strips of her wedding gown fabric and bits of all the other sewing projects she's done this year. I'd given up on finishing a knitted baby bonnet that is only halfway done.

The little sweater is a wrap sweater mostly done with the pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting, though I made straight sleeves instead of the several decreases and increases in their pattern. There was something wonky about the way mine were folding up when I did it the way they say to. Oh, the yarn is of course Blue Moon Fiber Arts superwash worsted. It's the Marbles colorway, same as Sebastian's hoodie, but this skein is dyed softer, more muted.

deer in shade

While knitting continues all around me, and in my own hands, I'm so hot and exhausted I have nothing much to say about it. I did work on my Lorna's Laces Shadow jaywalker sock today, while wilting in the park. And I've begun another new sweater in Cleckheaton's mohair blend. It's lace on size 13 needles and going fast. So that's nice. I just have a general hot malaise that's not getting better with every new project I start without finishing a current one. I hope to have better news by Monday. Maybe I'll finish something and get flooded with glee!

Kathy McCann - a fair knitalonger - came to our meeting the other night with her own pear preserves and pumpkin confiture for everyone to take home. That was a beautiful thing.

Another beautiful thing is our boy. As I changed his diaper this morning, Sebastian looked at me and said in a clear, determined voice as if he'd been rehearsing it and dreaming about it all night..."Bobby." Then he thought a second and tried again. "Mommy." It was so lovely! I've realized that there's no first word, and no first time he's said something. It's like a flower opening, and each day it's a little more open, and while it started as a bud there comes a day that suddenly it's definitely a flower. And you're not sure when that happened.

Oh that shirt up there is something I sewed, a patch on a thrifted baby tee. I'm not sure what it has to do with all this.

Cheers!

90 of 300? 400? 700?

That's my borg designation. Or, no, the number of rows I've gotten up to on this luscious feather and fan comfort shawl, done in Adrian's handdyed yarn.

I was briefly thinking this is what I'd knit for the state fair, but now I'm designing a scarf for the Knit Purl scarf contest, so I've delayed myself. And with hundreds of ever-lengthening rows to go I'm just not sure this can happen by the August fair deadline. Even if I go up a needle size or 2 (I'm currently on 4s. Was I drunk?)

No matter. Thursday night's knitalong at Abundant Yarn was so fun, with 7 or 8 of us knitting together in the cafe and comparing yarns and color cards and dishing about patterns and learning about berry picking from Sarah and Kathy. Sarah arrived on her bike, fresh with optimism on the first full day of her low-car diet. I met Melody for the first time and saw her gorgeous sweater she's making for her lucky husband, who attended the knitalong with her (nice!). Melody took home a little door prize - a little cherry pie pincushion I made.

And the highlight of the evening?  The real actual in-the-flesh Superintendent of Home Arts & Hobbies of the Oregon State Fair visited us! Janita is her name and she could not have been more lovely and friendly. She brought us several brochures and posters about entering the fair, and she's organized with Abundant Yarn to do a whole day of presentations at the fair including plant dyeing and -- get this -- a fastest knitter contest.

Also, she graciously donated two pairs of free fair tickets to our knitalong to give as prizes.  One of those pairs will go to a lucky winner today, and the other I'll save for the wrap-up party at Abundant Yarn on July 31st.

So yes, we have winners. I drew 3 names by assigning numbers between 0 and 1 to all eligible knitalongers, then using excel's random number function to choose three winners.  And they are....

Katie from PDX (free fair tickets)
Katie of Knits & Grits (yarn gift pack)
and Michelle (yarn gift pack)!

Congratulations to all three. Would each of you send me your address so I can mail you gifties?  You can contact me at dumbmail (at) larissabrown (dot) net.

Now, back to my scarf design and my billions of shawl rows. Once again, I've signed myself up for too many things and can't possibly do them all.  There's a lesson in here somewhere. But I've decided I hate learning lessons.

state fair & running

This Thursday - July 6th - is our mid-point meetup at Abundant Yarn in Sellwood, with prizes.  See you at 7 pm? (Another of Sarah's awesome photos. This one is Binx and Truman playing at the kids' table at Abundant Yarn)

Click the photo for a larger view of the adults knitting and spinning in the cafe.

I'm also giving out prizes online. All you have to do is sign up to knit or craft or bake or preserve or tableset along by July 5th at midnight. I'm adding names later today, but wanted to get this post up. So if you've already commented that you want to join don't worry I will get you on the list. If you want to join now, just comment below.

The Oregon State Fair just put up their rules, categories, forms, and deadlines. August 4th is the last day to get your declaration forms in, and then items are due at the Mill End Store on August 14th.  If you're a handknitter, entering knitting, you will be entering the Home Arts & Hobbies competition, Section F Open Textiles. Within that, you will choose a lot number. If you're entering something else other than knitting, just browse through the main page below. Here are the links - mostly pdfs since that is how the OR fair site does everything:

Main page, not a pdf
General rules
Calendar, with entry deadlines and fair dates
Open Textiles categories & lot numbers
Entry forms

I'm thinking that under knitting I'll go in for an Infant Cap or Booties, or maybe an Infant Sweater if I get inspired. I also see that they have a special lot under Handknitting for items you design yourself (Kabira?  Pat?)  Finally, I also noticed a category that seems really fun under Quilting - miniature 30" x 30" or less, may be machine quilted.  Amy, I think that category is calling your name. And maybe calling mine, in a more humble and less accomplished tone of voice.

Oh, and for the really aggressive and accomplished among us?  The Oregon fair also offers the Jackman-Long Building Contests. As far as I can tell, at the OR fair competitions like the knitting competition are judged before the fair and you see the results there. Contests are live. You actually compete in real time at the fair, in the Jackman-Long Building. They are mostly cooking and baking contests, but there are also contests for kids to make scultpures out of vegetables, trash-to-treasure collaging, and more. And unlike the knitting competitions, some of these include cash prizes.

Now on to running?  I know, the suspense is killing you.

fairalong & running: in which i write the longest post ever such that it needs an executive summary and color coded subheadings i'm so sorry for that

I've had a few questions about the State Fair knitalong, so I'm going to post the answers, which means this may get a bit long. The key things to remember:

• You should join us - even if you're going to sew or bake or table set rather than knit.
• You could win prizes for joining on this blog by July 5th.
• And/or by coming to Abundant Yarn to knit along on the evening of July 6th.
• I will be at Abundant Yarn tonight.
• My runningdex updates are at the end. Aren't you dying to learn how much weight I lost this week?

What is this knitalong?

The State Fair Knitalong is for anyone who wants some camaraderie and friendly prodding to finish and enter a craft object in their local or state fair this summer. About 20 23 of us are signed up so far, and my cohosting yarn shop - Abundant Yarn in Portland, Oregon and on the web - provides a meeting place and 10% off in their cafe Monday and Thursday nights for those of us in town.

Sign up, knit, win

Sign up by leaving a comment on this blog. If you sign up to knitalong or craftalong (in the comments on this blog) by midnight Pacific Time on July 5th you will be entered to win prizes that will be drawn randomly from all knitalongers. This already includes anyone who has signed up previously.

More prizes for those who are in the Portland area:  Attend a mid-knitalong meetup at Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks on Thursday 7/6 at 7 pm and you will also be entered into a door prize drawing for additonal prizes, including a few craft prizes handmade by me (cherry pie pincushions anyone?)

Answers to some questions

Can I still join?
Yes. You can join anytime up through the end of August. But if you want to be eligible for the current raft of fabulous prizes you must join by July 5th.

What should I knit/enter?
Last year I dipped my toe in by entering two small but well-crafted items, a baby hat and a felted bag. You should enter something you are proud of. Whether it was challenging or not to knit it should be good quality knittin'.  You can enter something you've already completed. Or if you want to make something over the next several weeks, the staff at Abundant Yarn are more than happy to help you choose a project. And they are nice. We like them.

What are the categories?
At the OR State Fair, hand knitting includes many, many categories (pdf). There are also many other types of crafts and competitions you can enter.

Does it have to be my own design?
While Ann designed her own incredible piece last year, here in my home state I was able to enter items made with commercial patterns.

Do I have to win a county fair first?
In Oregon, no. We are all equal in these parts, and free to do things like enter the state fair. But please check your own state's guidelines.

How do I enter?
If you live outside of Oregon, you will need to find out the dates and procedures for your own fair. Here is a list of links to state fairs in the US.

The procedure in Oregon is pretty simple. You fill out a form declaring what you are going to enter. Then you bring the actual knitted item to a drop-off location on a specific date in August (still to be announced). It gets judged, and then you can go visit it at the Fair the last week of August/first week of September and find out if you won a ribbon. You pick it up later at the location where you entered it (usually for Portland that's the Mill End Store). This year's exact procedures and deadlines have not yet been announced.

What are the deadlines?
Dates and forms for 2006 are not yet posted on the OR State Fair website. Last year, forms were due August 5th and all entries were to be delivered by August 16th. It may be similar this year, since the fair dates are nearly identical. But I just don't know for sure.

Is there a limit or entry fee?
In Oreogn, no. You can enter multiple items, and in fact you're encouraged to. There are volume prizes! And it is free.

What is everyone else entering?
Sarah is designing and knitting a cabled baby blanket. Jenni - whom I got to meet at Abundant Yarn - is considering entering her adorable baby hoodie. My friend Katie is excited to competitively table set. And I'm thinking this Katie should enter her gorgeous blue dress, that is if she can pry it away from her adoring daughter.

As we head into serious fair season, I'll start posting updates more frequently. And I'm looking for someone to design an e-ribbon for everyone who participates and enters something in a fair.

What am I, the hostess, going to knit?
Good question. With all the work and swaps I have going on in addition to this knitalong I just haven't thought about my own entry. I had several ideas, but I think I've settled on making a tiny, perfect baby bonnet with a new pattern - this time my own invention. Whee!

And the billion dollar question. Did I get lighter & faster this week? Hit continue to learn.

join this knitalong

Oh, I've had this idea for so long. Long ago in the summer months, when there wasn't much competition at the 2005 state fair, even though I knew all you incredible stitch-n-bitches were out there making great things. And even though it's free to enter and get ribbons! Long ago in the fall, when the rain began and I thought "There's still time..." Long ago in the winter months, when I was dreaming of the sun coming back.

I thought "What we need is a State Fair Knitalong. To get people old-fashioned-crafting and honoring the grandma aesthetic of pies and lemonade and hand quilting. People all over the world can join, because even though they may not live in a state they may have a local fair. And if people live in those states where they require you to win a county fair first (though Oregon doesn't), then those people in those states can enter county fairs!"

(In my dream of a hazy crafty summer, everything is punctuated with great drama. Sorry about that.)

I thought "We'll all have such a great time knitting challenging and fulfilling works of great utility and beauty. And then we'll bring them to the fairs and get our props. Oh, and if people who do some other craft instead (table setting?) want to join, they can join too. It'll be a Fair Along!"

But did I do anything about it then? Did I invite people to join and whip up a frenzy over the idea? Oh no. I waited. Till the time was good and ripe. That would be two DAYS before the kickoff of the State Fair Knitalong that I'm co-hosting with Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks in Sellwood (Portland, OR).

So, my last-minute lovelies, please come to Abundant Yarn on Monday night at 7 pm (that's June 5th) for a kickoff party with door prizes.  And if you have won anything at a fair before, please bring that thing and/or your ribbons to show off. There will be a special table set aside for such geekery.

And for all of you - Portland or not - please join this along right here, online. There will be prizes! There will be e-ribbons for anyone who enters a project anywhere in a fair to put on your blogs and websites. There will be a flickr group. There will be pie and jam and funnel cake. Deep fried twinkies, and a sense of accomplishment. What more can a crafter ask for?

Rules?

• You can knit, crochet, spin, quilt, sew, bake, make jam, raise giant pumpkins, or sheep, or set tables (in honor of Sarah, who used to do that as her sport - in junior high, was it?)
• You can enter into any kind of local or regional competition wherever you live. (More on how to enter Oregon's state fair, and links to other states and places, are coming soon).
• You must send me your name, email, and blog address in the comments below, and I will add you to a master list of fair-alongers.
  
• Please use the pretty button up above, and save it to your own computer before uploading to your site.
• By fall, you should plan to upload at least two good photos of your work to our soon-to-be flickr group.
• Between June 5 and July 31, if you are in Portland, you should join us at Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks at 7 pm any Monday or Thursday evening for crafting among friends.
• July 31 will be the final party at Abundant Yarn, at which there will be tiny bite-sized pies and more door prizes.

Yay! Summer is on.

And a big thank you to quiet cricket for letting me bastardize her beautiful photo of plum jam to make the button above. Would anyone be willing to take a stab at making a lovelier button out of the jam photo?