Or, Day 1 Wintergrass Knitting Report
Thursday night at Wintergrass is always sort of low-key. The “real” Wintergrass doesn’t start until Friday night, and the crowd is always a bit sparse, with only one performance venue instead of the four or five that they have the other days. The “real” bluegrass fans show up on Thursday, though, and park their butts in a chair and never leave.
I didn’t take the camera, for a number of reasons. First is that it’s dark in there, and my pictures never turn out. Second, I’d have to put the knitting down to take pictures. Last, a few years back I lost* my binoculars at Wintergrass when I went to the bathroom and left my bag by my chair. Since then I don’t take the camera so as to not lose it.
The highlight of last night was the group Bluegrass, Etc. They’ve been around forever, but for some reason I’d never heard or seen them before. Byron Berline was playing fiddle with them, and boy can he play. They all are top-notch seasoned musicians, but their guitarist, John Moore, is just spectacular.
Here’s the knitting progress. I did work on the two-color sock a bit, until we decided to move closer to the stage and I didn’t have enough light to see what I was doing. I’ve finished the gusset decreases (again!), and am speeding towards the toe.
After I put those aside, I worked on the new socks for the rest of the evening. I cast on for these a week or so back, in anticipation of needing a mindless round-and-round project for the festival. Here’s what I accomplished last night.
This is one of the Opal Rainforest colors, in Ladybug. I have a bunch of Opal in the stash, but have never actually used it before. It’s lovely yarn, I must say. It’s also lovely having a plain round-and-round project after all that two-color, cable, and lace stuff that I’ve got going.
I have had a couple of questions in the comments about my needles on the two-color sock. They are Lantern Moon ebony dp’s. They are a dream to knit with; smooth, perfect points, short enough to not be in the way. The needles in the Opal sock are bamboo needles from S. R. Kertzer, purchased here. I love these; I also have a bunch of the circulars and a few of the straights. They are lightweight, flexible, and have perfect points. They are also a lot more economical than the Lantern Moons, which are a bit spendy. If I snapped one of those, I’d probably cry; if I snapped one of the Kertzers, I would say a bad word, then go buy another set.
Someone is making me bacon and eggs and grits (cheese grits, Kris, but not the instant kind!) for breakfast, so I’m off till the next post!
*”Lost” is of course a euphemism for “some sorry-ass person who can’t possibly be a true bluegrass fan swiped them right out of my bag”.
oh how I love grits, in fact I think I’ll ask Nick to make those for breakfast tomorrow. I may live in the MIdwest, but my mother was a southern gal, and taught her children to love grits.
I loveeeeeeeeeeee Blue Grass!! I bet you are having a blast right now 🙂
Have fun, Lorette!!
The festival sound like fun! Have a good time.
Great socks. I have a pair of Latern Moon straights which I love, but are size 13s, which I rarely use. I keep looking at the dpns each time I’m at my LYS.
When I was a child and livled in New York, my Southern mother would fix us grits, which I hated. Now, I’m all grown up, live in the South, and love shrimp and grits,which are served in some of the best places here in Charleston. I still think it’s funny.
Hmmmm…. real grits…. and bacon…. yum.
The socks look great.
…the nerve of people!!!!
…gosh you should have hunted them down with a knitting needle (the one you would only say a bad word if broken) and stab them until you get your binos back! opps…then you would have to SAVE them…I forgot LOL! ;]