Don't Miss Fiber 'Tudes!

The Momma 'Tudes Weekly Radio Show is NOW The Fiber 'Tudes Weekly Radio Show. The name of our radio show has changed.. but the content is the same! Don't miss an all new Fiber 'Tudes radio show on Monday, June 1st at 1:30p EST. Please feel free to call in LIVE to the show ( (646) 200-0060) or log into Blog Talk Radio and "chat" in the chatroom with us during the show. As always, our show will be available via podcast approx. 1 week after the LIVE show. Be sure to subscribe for free via iTunes.

Catch up on our other shows by listening ON DEMAND (FREE) on Blog Talk Radio.

So join Karen, Stacy, Lara, & I as we talk fiber Mondays, 1:30p EST on Blog Talk Radio.

Don't Miss Fiber 'Tudes!

The Great Lakes Fiber Show

As promised, I will recap The Great Lakes Fiber Show on Monday, June 1st on our fiberlicious radio show: The Momma 'Tudes Weekly Radio Show. Be sure to listen live Monday, June 1st @ 1:30p or you can subscribe (free) to our podcast via iTunes - just search for 'mommatudes.'

I had alot of fun at The Great Lakes Fiber Show. So much fun, infact, that I snapped oodles of pics. I originally tried putting all of the pictures into a post, but found that my blog post would be the entire blog long. So I condensed them into a slide show.

Of course The Great Lakes Fiber Show is held annually in Wooster, Ohio. (FYI: Wooster is NOT pronounced like Rooster. It is pronounced as if you are saying the word 'wuss' and adding 'ter' to it. I heard non-natives mis-pronouncing it all day!) We recently moved from our beloved Wooster to PA and the fiber show gave me an excuse to come back home for a few days and meet up with all of my gal-pals.

I met up with Connie and Nora from the Cran-Knitters first on Saturday. They were on the hunt for quality roving. Then, I met up with Celeste who came to Ohio via Cuba (I'm pretty sure - LOL). It took her and her hubby a maddening 4 hours due to the turnpike being shut down to hoof over to Wooster. Celeste and I were on the hunt for good hand-dyed yarn.

I met some very interesting people and got to chat a bit with them. I met up with Dianne from Creatively Dyed Yarns. Oh. My. Good. God. This woman has the most gorgeous yarns! I was first introduced to her fiber goodness at the PGH Knit and Crochet Festival and have been smitten ever since. I have purchased her yarns online and wanted to buy some at the show - but needed a certain colorway that I already have. I was so dazzled and ADD I ended up at her stand 3 times - YES 3 TIMES and did not buy yarn! :( I'm so bummed. I will have to order the yarn. OR.. I did grab me a postcard that lists which shows she'll be at. I may just have to stalk her and buy some of her gawgeous yarn. PLEASE - visit her website. You will NOT be disappointed!

I talked with an Alpaca rancher from Richland County, OH who gave me the lowdown on Alpaca history and lineage as well as what fiber is most desirable. For instance, she told me that white Alpacas are the most common; that black Alpacas are the most rare, but have the least dense fiber and are therefore, the least desirable. She also told me that they are directly related to llama, but that llama fiber has no lanolin in it, thus making it less desirable to work with.

I watched a weaving demonstration. I watched some spinning demonstrations. I picked up some needle felting kits for beginners. I know - I need another hobby like I need another hole in my head. It looked so easy and like so much fun - I just couldn't resist. Plus - I can embellish my knitting with with. Such a plus! (Of course, I have to finish knitting projects before I can embellish them, but I digress.)

I ate a LAMBdog! It looks like a regular hotdog, but it's made of 100% lamb meat. It was actually pretty good!

And of course, I bought me some yarn. I got some hand-dyed yarn from Carriage House Woolens (formerly known as YarnSmiths). It. Is. Gorgeous. It's their Mazu yarn in 'Apples' colorway! I also skipped down the street to Calla Lily Yarn & Gifts and got me some beautiful Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in 'Very Scary' colorway.

It was such a fun trip. I miss my dear Wooster. But I will definitely be happy to get home to PA!!

The Great Lakes Fiber Show

Get Your Weekly Dose of Fiber Fun..

Be sure to check out this week's episode of the Momma 'Tudes Weekly Radio show! Available On Demand on Blog Talk Radio or via podcast on iTunes. As always, tune in live for the radio show, Mondays 1:30p EST where you can chat in the chat room with the hosts during the show or call in and chat with us live by calling in during the show at (646) 200-0060.

During this week's episode, 'Goal Oriented,' we chatted about:

• Lara's baby blanket and Kimono progress
• Karen's new loom design for her 'Toe Socks' pattern
• Stacy completes her purple sweater
• I finish my Entrelac Bag
• Interweave Knits Summer 2009 and Vogue Knitting International Spring/Summer 2009 Issues
• Botanica Medallion Cardigan pattern by Shiri Mor KAL
• Pattern -stealing and copyright infringement on Etsy
  
• Our knitting goals
  

Get Your Weekly Dose of Fiber Fun..

I Finished Knitting The Never-Ending Bag & Yarn Acquisitions

I have been so pre-occupied recently with trying to get the radio show/podcast and the social network up and running, that I haven't focused much on my knitting. Infact, I went 2 wks without picking up the needles. {GASP} I know, right? So, anywho.. I decided this weekend that I WAS going to finish the entrelac 'Market Squares Bag' (by Lynda Cyr). I started knitting it back in November and had been poking at it bit by bit and making small amounts of progress over the last 6 months. Then on Friday, Celeste, Marilyn, and I decided that we would have a KAL for the Vogue Botanica Medallion Cardigan and I decided that I needed to finish this bag as this was also a KAL and I was the last person to finish! SO I finished it up and felted it. The top pic is of the bottom of the bag. The bottom picture is of it blocking.

I ordered some leather handles from WEBS that I will sew on to complete the bag. They were relatively inexpensive ($20 for 30" handles). And since I had spent 6 months knitting the bag and $50 in Cascade 220 - I figured I may as well go ahead and buy some nice handles for it. After all, this bag represents a FINISHED OBJECT for me. And you know me - finished objects are hard to come by.

So I have ordered some lovely Cascade Cotton Rich DK for the cardi (from WEBS) and can't wait to begin. I need to focus this week on completing my second "Breeze" anklet sock so that I don't have it hanging over my head during the KAL. I think I will try to focus on knitting mates for all of my socks at Friday Morning Knitting Group. Perhaps by fall, I will have mates for my socks. We'll see.

Latest Yarn Acquisitions & My Plans for It

I got these l'il gems on CLEARANCE from Natural Stitches in PA. I was immediately drawn to the price colorway. I picked it up and fondled it for a few minutes before putting it back down. Then I walked past it again - flirting with the idea of adding it to my stash. Then I picked it up again. And finally, Alicia said, "Just buy it!" So I did! It is Steadfast Fibers Wonderful Wool in Carrot Cake Colorway. It's a wool/merino blend. I only have 380 yds of it so I'm not sure yet what I want to do with it. I'm thinking a felted handbag of some kind. But I only paid $8/hank for it (regularly $14/hank). Gorgeous.

This amazing yarn was also a find at Natural Stitches. Unfortunately, it was NOT a sale yarn. The picture does it a disservice. It's so beautiful that when I saw it, I HAD to have it immediately. (Even at $18/hank) It's Kraemer Yarns Sterling Silk & Silver in Majestic Blue colorway. It's a Merino, Silk, Nylon, and ACTUAL silver blend. SO amazing. I have 1680 yds of it and would like to make a shawl with it. I just need to find a pattern I like.

This pretty yarn reminded me of summer the minute I saw it. And since it was a nippy 50 degrees - I bought it instantly! I got this yarn at Knit One in PA. It is Farmhouse Yarns Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie in Tangerine colorway. It's a cotton-rayon blend that is hand-dyed. I got 600 yds of this yarn and actually bought a pattern to go with it! I plan on knitting Farmhouse Yarn's Cotton Blossom Wrap, Pattern #13 with it. (Also listed on their site as Cotton Blossom Ruffle Shawl.)

Finally, I got 2 skeins of Knit Picks CotLin (cotton/linen blend) for some washcloths I want to knit. Celeste found and knit up the most adorable Butterfly Washcloths by Susan B. Anderson and I was smitten. I want to knit these up using these two colors and put them in gift baskets with some handmade body scrub and bath bombs for end of the year gifts for DS's teachers. The yarn is in Clementine and Creme Brulee colorways (top to bottom).

I Finished Knitting The Never-Ending Bag & Yarn Acquisitions

KnitPicks Giveaway ALERT

Okay, Knitsters - Things Moms Like are giving aways a KnitPicks Package including some wonderful cotton and Harmony Options Needles!!!! Get your bums over there and enter to win today!!!

KnitPicks Giveaway ALERT

And the Winner is...

The winner of the ADHD Curbing Bag Kit via random number generator is......

Terry D

Congrats to Terry and thanks to Gail of ADHD Knitting! This was a terrific giveaway! Be sure to check out Gail's Etsy Shop and her blog regularly!

And the Winner is...

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That..

* Don't forget to enter my giveaways: 'Curbing' Knitted Bag Kit (ends 5/4) & Fused Glass Pendant (ends 5/6)*

First off, here is my entrelac 'Market Squares Bag.' I've dubbed it, 'The bag that never ends.' I truly believe my kids will graduate HS before I finish this puppy. But, I am making progress. And I guess that counts for something. (Stop shaking your head, 'no.' Yes it does!)

Remember I said that I'd take a better pic of my 'Breeze' anklet. Well, here's a much better pic. I am happy to report that this sock will get a mate (unlike my other 3 socks which are destined to be mateless, me thinks). I have cast on the second sock and hope to make progress on it this weekend!

I'm hosting a Mother's Day Gift Guide and Giveaway on my Mommatudes Blog. Pictured above are the amazing prizes I'll be giving away! Be sure to get over there and enter! You can enter once daily through 5/8.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That..