Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival

Alert! Alert! Mark your calendars, hitch up the horses, and head on out for the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival the 26th – 28th of September. Up here in beautiful Northern Michigan we are all joining again on the Ogemaw County fairgrounds.
The vendor booths are SOLD OUT so you know there will be new yarns and patterns, tools and toys jam packed into the buildings. Free parking and free admission, all you have to do is show up!
There will be spinning, knitting, felting, weaving, crochetting, dyeing classes (be sure to sign up for these early, they sell out quickly).
Do you want to learn to shear sheep? Come to the sheep shearing school and then join us for the sheep and pasture seminars and tours.

Here’s the informational brochure, see for yourself, you can’t miss this event!
http://www.lambandwoolfestival.com/brochurein.pdf
I have to tell you what happened to me last year. I was nonchalently wandering up and down isles, occasionally tripping over my jaw and slipping on my own drool when I came across a novelty yarn that “spoke” to me. (it said, “you must have me”, as it jumped into my arms. I don’t like novelty yarn, but still it persisted, almost attacking me viciously until I finally got out my charge card. I had no idea what to do with this stuff that already owned me. So, that night I fired up my trusty internet and searched for The Perfect Pattern! And this is what I came up with. From Jimmy Beans Wool, the Venus Openwork Diamond Cardigan. You have to pet, er I mean, see this yarn, it’s just awesome! And maybe I’ll have my sweater done and wearing it!

Next Pattern:

I know that my posts can be read at different times of year and in different years by different people, but as I write this we’re on teh cusp of summer. And I know a lot of people don’t knit as much, and certainly don’t wear a lot of knits in the summer, but I want to encourage you to make and to wear your makes no matter the temperature.

To introduce you to the joys of summer garment knitting, I offer the Tied Vest from Lion Brand Yarn.

This easy project is great to make and wear throughout the year but it’s especially good for summer. It’s worked flat in one piece from the bottom up, mostly in stockinette stitch with a seed stitch edging. The I-cord ties are worked directly onto the garment so you don’t have to sew them on.

The project uses worsted weight yarn, and calls for a blend of cotton and hemp that’s great for warm weather.

There are eight size options, ranging from a finished chest measurement of 35 to 62.5 inches, or 89 to 159 cm. That makes it sound like it should be worn with at least a few inches of positive ease, but the pattern doesn’t specify.

The ties at the front give it a casual look and make it great to wear over a tank top or T-shirt when the weather is warm.

I also think this one would be good to knit in wool or a warmer fiber, too, to make a version you could wear more comfortably in the winter months, too. Though of course you could layer the summer version over a long-sleeved shirt and wear it throughout the year, too.

The tied vest is a free pattern available from Lion Brand. You can also purchase a kit that includes the yarn and optional needles and stitch markers if you need them.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Knit an Easy Hooded Vest

Knit Vests to Help Transition to Warmer Weather

Next Pattern:

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