A Fair Amount of Knitting

It is not boasting to say we have the best county fair in Indiana; we won Grand Champion fair so many years in a row that we were taken out of the competition for a while.

My favorite part of the fair is looking through all the buildings and admiring the quilts, zinnias displayed in coke bottles, photographs, jams and jellies, watermelons, gigantic pigs and antique tractors. I was always so proud to see my mom's work at the fair; she took quilts, cross stitching and one year, she won for the champion pie, and had her picture in the paper holding the big purple rosette (the pie was Raisin Exquisite, my very least favorite pie on the earth, but apparently a big hit with the judges)

But after 4-H, I was afraid that taking my things to the fair would be showing off, until a few years ago, when my friend Karla told me not to be shy about exhibiting; if we didn't take projects to the fair, what would people have to look at? So I have taken a few quilts, some sewing, some baking, and a lot of knitting. Here are the items I took in this year:

The little lamb is really my favorite, because it is made from the yarn spun by my friend, Judy, from her Jacob's Sheep. I entered him in "stuffed barnyard animals", which surprised Maggie and Sarah, as they thought he was a monkey -- maybe that explains why he didn't win a ribbon.

I received blue ribbons for my three other entries: the sweater, beret and bootie set, the Year of the Pig Bag and the scrapbook of our trip to New York.

The bag is a pattern by Noni, knit in pink Cascade 220 and felted. I lined the bag with a silky pink Chinese print; the pink bamboo handles, 2-way zipper and metal feet were from Angelika's Yarn in Oregon, the fastest shipper in the West (I ordered on a Saturday afternoon, and my order was delivered in the US mail on Monday).

The sweater set is knit in Caron Simply Soft.

The sweater pattern is from Vogue Knitting, Spring/Summer 2007, modified a bit. The booties are Saartje's Booties, and the beret is another pattern I found on the Internet, but can't seem to locate. This set is a gift for my friend Maribel, who recently had a baby girl.

The fair is over for another year, but I am already thinking about what I could make for next year. Unlike my mom (and all three of my children), I have never won a big purple champion rosette. Of course, I know that's not what it's all about . . .

Peace.