Organizing my Junk Drawer

Well, I found it!!

Here is my Judging Evaluation Form from my Minnesota State Fair scarf entry.

How did I find it? Well, I had to call my website hosting company and was told ahead of time that the wait would be approximately 8 minutes. Thank you www.godaddy.com for being honest!

I thought, "well this will be boring", as I stood in my kitchen where all the dishes were done, the dishwasher was cleaned out and it was not yet time to start dinner. So, I remembered what Kathy, my favorite organizer person taught me...in 8 minutes of focused time I could have a clean drawer, or purse, or use your imagination here...

So, as I took out all the items in my kitchen junk drawer I found my Judging Evaluation. I also took a huge stack of old school papers and filled the recycling basket. Kathy has tons of great organization ideas, you can get more information at her website... www.projectpartnerservices.com.

My score was 90 out of 100. I received Very Good on General Appearance, Color and Design, Construction/Workmanship, and Level of Difficulty. I forgot to sew in one of the ends of yarn, thus the "ends should be better hidden" comment. And I received at Good rating for the Choice and handling of Finishing category. Apparently my cast off was too tight!

Over all 90 out of 100 is pretty impressive to me. It was a great experience to go through and would recommend it to anyone thinking about entering something in their state fair.

As for the scarf, I gave it to my mother-in-law for a birthday present in October. She is often chilly and I am sure she will wear it inside and outside her home this winter!

Ta Daaaa!

Ta Daaaa...

Here is my scarf with the tag still on it. 1st Entry has been printed at the top of the tag.

Note to self...keep all documentation until it has been blogged about!!

I did receive a "report card" from the people at the judging booth. Out of 100 possible points I received 90. Which I was rather proud of!! I cannot show it to you because it is gone. Probably in the recycling pile in St. Paul somewhere.

The State Fair was a great adventure, and somehow I feel a bit more Minnesotan for having entered my scarf.

I'm Back!!

I decided I did miss blogging! And I have news to share about my scarf. It really was displayed at the Minnesota State Fair!

More tomorrow...

Today is the big day!

Today I am going to the fair to see my scarf! and many other things.

I am excited to see the fair in full swing. My anticipation has been growing since I saw things in prep mode when I dropped off my scarf.

First I had to get past security...

Ok, that was easy.

Next I saw this sight!! Notice some of the swing chairs are missing!! I guess we can feel safe knowing they really do resecure the chairs each year.

And the saddest sight of all was this...NOT OPEN!

But today all will be well...

Yarn Garage

Wow!

I found my favorite knitting store in the Twin Cities so far.

The Yarn Garage in Rosemount, MN.

http://www.yarngarage.com/

As someone who enjoys knitting, but is not yet very sophisticated in the craft, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and intimidated by walking into a yarn shop. I feel like everyone else there knows WAY more than I do!

When I walked into the Yarn Garage, I was met by a splash of colorful yarns flowing out of their floor to ceiling bins.

The yarn called out comfort, fun, and creativity. There was no overwhelmed, in the sense of "I don't belong here, I don't know enough about knitting to be comfortable even asking a question ."

Then as I proceeded into the store Steven, the store owner was trying on a vest that will be created at a future knitting class. He was modeling it for several friends and shoppers for their opinion. He asked for my opinion and included me in the group as

I made my way to the back of the store for the 50% off section.

In my quest to get my State Fair scarf started I wanted to find the ultimate yarn, and it was waiting for me on the sale shelves. I got this beautiful yarn for $2.00 a skein!

Steven expertly answered my questions and posed for a picture in his Rosemont shop. You can get more info at http://www.yargarage.com/.

A Prototype of the Scarf

Well I started on creating my pattern and it has been really exciting! I am testing it out with a black yarn because, well, that is what I had laying around in my craft closet.

So far I have a border in seed stitch, then garter stitch, and then the beginning of a pattern for a pony which is still in development. Thus, I only knit up to the hooves of the pony. I am trying to incorporate beads into the pattern as well. Obviously these beads are too big for this gauge of knitting. Good to know.

Hmmm, it is a bit difficult to see. Well, next update the additions will look great!

A Diversion to The Bead Monkey

In my quest to enter a knitted item into the Minnesota State Fair this year I have felt my creativity expanding in many ways. On Tuesday night I took an Intro to Beading Class at The Bead Monkey in St. Paul, MN. The class was free and included a demo, an in depth store tour, and a free earring kit.

www.thebeadmonkey.com

Kathy started the class right on time. She expertly demonstrated putting a clasp on a bracelet or necklace. Then she showed us how to make loops for earrings. She told us the goal is to make a round circle shape at the top of the beads not a lopsided letter P.

Next Kathy lead us on a tour around the store. It was a complete tour and was great for someone like me who did not start out with an appreciation for Swarovski crystals. The store has beads from glass to semi precious stones, and amazing colors and shapes.

They also have all types of clasps and loops and wires and leather and silk and on which to put your beads.

If you are new to stringing, or not feeling very creative there is a wide variety of kits you can purchase. It comes with all the pieces you will need, as well as easy to follow instructions. Most kits have many different colors of beads to choose from.

The class list is also impressive! Many different classes are offered and each one lets you complete a project in the class.

We were presented with a complimentary earring kit and the offer to work in the classroom using The Bead Monkey's tools if we wanted to.

A creative lady in my class wanted to buy a few extra beads to add to the earring kit we received. Great idea! I followed her lead.

Here is what comes in the complimentary earring kit...

Here is what I created...

Very fun!

Yarn Shop Visit to Knitter's Palette in Lakeville

On Sunday I had a chance to get away and visit a yarn shop I have not been to before in Lakeville, MN. It is called Knitter's Palette.

http://www.knitterspalette.com/store/pc/home.asp

Below you can see an inside the door shot.

On Sunday afternoon there was a group of about 7 women knitting and chatting as I shopped. The store has a warm cozy feel to it.

They sell a wide variety of specialty yarns and also hand died wool. Also, you can purchase a spinning wheel.

They have Open Knitting times and also Open Spin-Knit night or SP-IT for short.

I felt very overwhelmed as I am so new to buying yarn. There were a lot of nice yarns and colors.

Over the weekend I also decided the Lopi yarn I found at Herrschnerr's is going to become 4 hats for my four lovely daughters. It is just too heavy for a scarf.

Also, I have begun to graph out my pattern for the scarf on graph paper:)

The plan for the wool scarf

Yes, I am ready to commit to making the wool scarf.

I will use the purple Lopi yarn from Herrschners...

In order to create a little more contrast I will need to shop for a white or cream skein.

At first I was imagining cables with this scarf. Now I am thinking of creating a diamond or triangle type pattern running down the scarf.

Time to get out the graph paper and colored pencils to see how the pattern will look....

My Prize Questions are answered!

This morning I received a reply to my email from Friday. I was inquiring about the $'s awarded as well as the ribbons given out by the committee. Also, a few of the local yarn shops are awarding a rosette.

An unnamed person from the committee office responded as follows:

Thank you for your inquiries. The dollar amounts are what is given with each of those placing along with a ribbon. A rosette is a more elaborate "fancy" ribbon, I hope that this helps you. Please feel free to call us at 651-288-4417 for further questions or just email us again! Have a great week!

It is nice to know I have a connection if I have more questions.

How the Prizes are awarded

Today is the day to find out what a rosette really is. Also, as the prizes are listed there dollar amounts and one ribbon. I am wondering if there is just one ribbon, or many. Like when I was in Elementary School and we had Track and Field day there were many levels of ribbons. This is pretty stiff competition if there is only one ribbon. And...I wonder if the prize money winners get a ribbon?

I just put in a call to the Competition Office to find my answers and the recorded message said they are in and to call back again because all of their lines are busy.

There is an email listed, if I don't get an answer soon I will do two things. One, wonder just how many people have questions and are calling on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Two, I will send my questions via email and see how that goes.

I just sent off my email full of questions, let's try the Competition Office one more time...no luck, same nice ladies voice telling me they are in but all their lines are busy! Really???

Sorry for the weekend cliff hanger. I'll update you as I await an answer to my email.

My Treasures from Herrschners

Here are a few of my treasures from my Herrschners experience over the weekend.

This green wool is a nice soft yarn, but as I knit I decided it was not soft enough. My image for my scarf project is something REALLY soft for my mother in law who is always looking for ways to keep warm. So, this will be a nice scarf for someone, but I will use it as practice and not for my fair exhibit.

Also, in the picture you will see my newest knitting needles. They are a wonderful smooth wood and were only $3.50 in the bargain room!

On the knitting needles is my official 4"x4" swatch. Only recently have I decided that knitting the swatch before starting a project is wise! This yarn needs needles a few sizes bigger. Who would have guessed!

Next is my purple Lopi yarn, again from the bargain room. Only $2.00 per skein. I am imagining a child's scarf with the lighter purple and using the darker purple to create some type of interesting design along the length of the scarf. We'll see how this develops.

And last, a new set of prints for my sister who's specialty is embroidering flour cloth dish towels. She doesn't' know I got them yet! My first younger sister, if you are reading this...happy day to you! And yes, also bargain priced at .25.

I'ts a scarf!

I have been mulling the scarf ideas over and over in my head. Two themes keep coming to mind so I have decided to make both types and then decide which one to enter. One is a winter wool scarf with some cool cables going down the length of the scarf. The other idea is a decorative scarf to wear with sweaters.

Here you can see one I made this spring. I chose two different yarns to knit together to get the texture I was looking for.

I started on size 9 needles. It was way too tight. I then went to size 11, still not what I was imagining. The final answer for this scarf was to use size 19.

I'm still not sure why I have size 19 needles in my collection, but they satisfied my creativity for this scarf.

Browsing at a few yarn shops is definately on my radar for this weekend!

Narrowing down the perfect Exhibit Item

After traveling all the way through the NEEDLECRAFT Rules and Premiums to page 19, I can see my choices.

There are over 40 categories for HAND KNITTED ARTICLES. Also, at the top of the section is a list of items you may not enter. These entries include toys, dolls, aprons, hot pads, handkerchiefs, tree skirts, and tube socks. Good to know!

I have made a few scarves lately and I think this would be a great item to knit. It is pretty simple so I can concentrate on the beauty and character piece. I will have to think about the design. Maybe some cables, or include some interesting decorative yarn for the Structural and Decorative design piece.

All the categories have columns of numbers following them. I believe these are the prize monies you can win. For the scarves it is 8.00, 6.00, 4.00, 2.00, and ribbon.

There are 3 different categories of scarves depending on the weight of yarn selected. OK, there is my next step.

I have decided on a scarf, next is to select the yarn.

The Score Card

This is the most important find so far.

Before I can pick a pattern or go shopping for the yarn I really want to know all I can about how my creation will be judged.

For those of you following along, look at the top of Page 13 in the Minnesota State Fair Creative Activities rules and premiums for NEEDLECRAFT. http://www.mnstatefair.org/2009_pdf/Creative_Activities/CA09Needlework.pdf

The score card has 100 possible points, the breakdown is as follows...
General appearance - Beauty and Character 10
Color 10
Design -Structural and Decorative 20
Condition of Article 10
Materials used 10
Workmanship 40

Some of these seem rather obvious, like condition of article. That seems controlable. I can submit something fresh and new, easy 10 there, I think.
Color is throwing me! Does that mean if the judge likes the color you submit you get more points? Does it mean don't use white as it technically is not a color? I'm going to have to think about this one.
Now, I"m thinking about Beauty and Character... this seems a bit subjective to me. However, it does relate back to General Rule 1.16 on page 6 Acceptance of gift, no bribes the judges!! I will trust that the judges will see the beauty and character in my work.

Next will be selecting an item from the Hand Knitted Articles list starting on page 19.

State Fair or Bust!!

Well, here I go...



My first blog entry with a purpose. I have decided to enter something into the State Fair Needlecraft knitting exhibit to see if I have what it takes to earn a ribbon.



I have been knitting since I was six, stuck with it for about 2 years with my mothers persistance and a fun knitting class at the yarn shop in town. Now that I am 40 something I have returned to the knitting world slowly over the past few years, maybe knitting one project a year. This year my interest is picking up and I am truly enjoying the craft.



Perhaps I have put more time and energy into the knitting because all 5 of my fabulous children are now in school and I have just a bit of quiet time each day.



Below is a picture of a sweater and hat I knitted for kid #5. Yes, my reentry into knitting after a 30 year hiatus needed to be big! Well, the sweater is a size 2, but notice the stars and stripes etc.




All of this has been done with frequent phone calls to my mother who can knit anything without a pattern and it looks awesome.



So, back to the State Fair Adventure...I am going to print out the rules tonight and will share them tomorrow.