Adventures in Lace Knitting Part 1

I've been dabbling in lace knitting and decided to make something a little larger than a swatch or wash cloth and embarked on making a scarf. After looking around on Ravelry and securing some yarn I decided on the Foreign Correspondent pattern created by raveler Lexy Lu.

It was a fun pattern that I could quickly memorize and take with me, however if you're the kind of crafter who likes to watch a movie or tv show or listen to some podcasts while creating something, then be sure to pay extra attention to what you're doing. Although this is an easy pattern, there are couple of times I ended up repeating the wrong row, and after all the YO's (yarn over) and K2Tog's (knit two together), I really didn't want to go back and rip those rows out.

Although it's a wee bit on the short side (I ran out of yarn), I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out and plan on making another one.

NYS Sheep and Wool Festival 2012

Thanks to a large period of straight up unemployment after graduating college, I had a lot of time on my hands and decided to learn how to knit and eventually crochet. Now as a freelancer I still have down time from time to time and I love to create these new projects; challenging myself with new patterns and techniques.

Then I found out that one of the largest sheep and wool festivals happens just around the corner from where I live, this year was my second time going and it seems as though its grown in popularity, which is always a good thing. Despite being uber crowded at times where you could barely move through an aisle, the amount diversity in the yarns and other knitting goods was enormous. I had to restrain myself a bit after buying a few skeins of yarn for some pre-decided projects, because there's just so much and well yarn can be pretty damn expensive.

And of course the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck offers a wide range of activities and workshops from a frisbee dog competition, knitting courses, cooking demonstrations and an array of of baked goods there's something for everyone.

To learn more about the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival click HERE.

New York Comic Con 2012

I was back for my second year at the New York Comic Con, this time for two days, and I just can't wait until next year!

This year the con sold out of tickets weeks before the doors to the Javits Center opened and it was packed, no matter where you walked you either bumped into Batman, Bane or the admiring fan taking a photo of their favorite cosplayer. Usually something like this would just make me cranky, but not while at comic con, because although you're stuck in a people traffic jam you're stuck amongst fellow nerds who will have an impromtu discussion on the merits of The Walking Dead tv show versus the original comics (which I love!) or learn about new cons such a special My Little Pony con that is directed more towards men.

It's a unique experience where you get to meet new people who all share the same nerdy love that you have for comics, film and television alike. Next year though I plan on springing for a 4 day pass, with the New York Comic Con's growing popularity, nearly rivaling the famous San Diego Comic Con, it's going to be just that much harder to see everything you want to in only two days.

But for now, a highlight of photos from the two days I got to go: