I have been waiting and planning for nearly a year to enter some knitting in this year’s county fair.  As mentioned previously, this is a first for me.  Today is the big day to bring in our entries, and Thursday evening will be an open house for participants to get a sneak peek and go in and check out all of the entries, and to find out the results of the judging. 

With juggling work and home-life, I’m frustrated to say that this long anticipated weekend met me with exhaustion, and the preparation and finishing of my projects hasn’t really been fun.  I never had enough time to finish the improved version of the Chivalry Mitts that I had planned to enter, so I will have to enter the already finished pair and see how it goes. 

I planned poorly for final blocking preparations of my items.  It has been insanely hot and humid here for some time now, and I was worried that if I blocked my lace scarf and the sweater too soon, they would not be as crisp as I want them when I actually bring them to the fair.  What I failed to recognize was that my sweater would take DAYS to dry after blocking, despite the fact that it was spun out and rolled in dry towels prior to being pinned out.

After 48 hours of blocking, it was still wet as of last night, so I set up an old dehumidifier that came with my house and had it running next to the blocking boards all night.  As of this morning, the day that entries are due, the sweater is still wet.

I hadn’t even reblocked my lace scarf until 10:30 last night, and I was complaining of my knitting woes to my Mom on the phone when she suggested a fan.  What a great idea.  I set up a fan, on high, to run over the blocking scarf, and that thing was dry in less than 12 hours!  Mom:  you’re my hero!!!

Needless to say, the fan has now been moved to a place of honor next to the dehumidifier that is desperately trying to dry the sweater that just won’t dry. 

Good times!

Camp Loopy knitting for the final project of the summer has begun today as well.  I haven’t even had time to wind my yarn, let alone make a final decision about the pattern I will knit.

I really need some sleep after the week I have had, so I have no idea when I will begin that project.  Our NW IN knitting group will be meeting again tomorrow morning for some coffee and happiness, so there is something to look forward to.  It will be fun to hear about what others entered into the fair, and how their prepping went.

~Happy (grumpy) knitting 

Advertisements