Leaping Lizards!

We get an extra day today! Make the most of it, I say.

Here’s the wrap up on Wintergrass. It was a terrific festival. The theme this year was international bluegrass, and there were groups from the Czech Republic, Italy, Sweden, Japan, and Switzerland. We saw all of the non-US groups except for the Swiss group, and they were all good. Väsen, the group from Sweden, has been to Wintergrass a couple of times before, and they are always a hit. Despite the fierce competition from many other fine bands, they were also my favorite group of the weekend. Here are their photos.

That instrument is a nyckelharpa. They play Swedish folk music, sort of. You really have to listen to it. Here you go!

There were lots of other great things going on. Here are just some photos…

Ok, I have to comment on that one. That’s a young lady we met in the restaurant at breakfast one morning. The instrument is a stumpf fiddle, made at home with a variety of pots, pans, a toilet plunger, and a wooden car horn. She even played it for us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIuDWA1t1fc&feature=youtu.be

That’s not her in the video, obviously.

There was some spinning! I didn’t spin during the performances, since I think it’s a bit distracting, but did during the breaks. I also did some knitting during the music.

And those are done done done!

Project Details:

Yarn: Pink Carrot Creations, color is Carrot Top. I bought this in Ketchikan when we were on our Alaskan cruise.

Pattern: same damn pattern as always

Needles: size 1, sterling silver needles from Celtic Swan.

Started: Oh who knows. Probably in November, since that’s when I finished the last pair.

Finished: Today!

For: Me

There you go! I really need to kick it into gear and finish more socks. My sock collection is starting to show its age, so I need some new ones. Bluegrass festivals are terrific for sock knitting!

And here are the new socks:

The yarn is Tinsel Toes, from Unique Sheep, in Primary Ink. For the record, I’m using Ivore needles in 2.00. I snapped one of them this morning while doing the picot hem, which irritates me to no end. These are my favorite needles, a little hard to come by. I can’t find them in the US anymore, though I have a website in Australia that still sells them, albeit with exorbitant shipping costs. I have a couple extra from another set, so I’m good to go for now, and there might be a spare set or two on the way just for insurance. I’ve had these a long time, and this is the first time I’ve ever broken one. Most people hate these because they are very long, and very flexible, but I adore them.

Last but not least, we’re on our way out of town again. It’s about time for some warm and sun, since we’ve put up with months of cold, damp, rainy, windy, dark, gloomy, and tree-killing weather. We’re headed for Puerto Vallarta tomorrow! We’ll have internet access there, hopefully, so I should be able to update!

I’m off to pack!