Vermont Diary: Knit or Dye in Brattleboro

If my life companion hadn't been so famished, I would have spent more time at Knit or Dye, a lovely LYS in the heart of Brattleboro's Main St shopping district.

(Apologies for the oblique angle here, but even as I photographed, I was being dragged off to lunch at Amy's Bakery by Hungry Man.) As it so happened, we'd spent the previous day and night in Putney--

Downtown Putney

--where I did research for an upcoming article, and the folks at Green Mountain Spinnery directed me to Knit or Dye, an affable business colleague as well as purveyor of some of their yarns.

Though my visit was short, I was pleased to meet owner Rachel Stecker and her gorgeous son, Wesley.

You'll notice, at the top of the photo, a partial view of a red sock with a ruffled cuff. I found this so captivating that I bought the pattern from Rachel, one of her exclusive designs. (Some of Rachel's designs are available on the Knit or Dye website) Maybe I'll start the new year by knitting it, if I can only climb out from underneath some of my numerous WIPs.

Apart from Rachel's patterns, the shop offers a strong selection of local and/or hand-dyed yarns, including fiber products from The Spun Monkey. Starry Mountain Alpaca, and Frabjous Fibers (in addition to yarns from Green Mountain Spinnery). This is what distinguishes it, IMHO, from a run-of-the-mill (as it were) kind of LYS.

So, I was dragged away reluctantly, but am planning to return before too long, I hope, I hope.

Postcards

I've been bopping around New England, as always with knitting in tow.

This particular pair of socks has been a drag, in more ways than one.

This particular pair of socks has been a drag in more ways than one. Because I'm too lazy to use point protectors, and I've been carrying the sock everywhere in the hope of of finishing it quickly, it's always coming off the needles and I constantly have to frog and re-find my way. Oy. Why am I doing this to myself? Needless (indeed) to say, I can't wait till I'm done with these.

We stopped in Putney, Vermont at the Green Mountain Spinnery. While H listened to his audiobook in the parked car, I was having a great time touring this amazing mill, as director of Marketing Margaret Atkinson led me through the process from raw fleece to finished skeins.

I highly recommend the tour if you happen to be in the area, and if you aren't, it's worth a detour or a destination trip. Besides, at the end you can buy some of the Spinnery's beautiful yarn, or their patterns, including The Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book, and 99 Yarns and Counting.

Fast forward a few days, and it's my annual journey into the time-warp of baroque music at the Amherst Early Music workshop. This means my other life goes on hold while I spend my days on the beautiful Connecticut College campus in New London, in Harpsichord Masterclass (works of Italian composers, although bending the rules, I also played a Couperin two-harpsichord piece with another devotée of the French baroque) and Baroque Ensemble (Vivaldi trio sonata for bassoon, recorder, oboe, and harpsichord). But wait...there's more: I was invited by Neuroknitter to a weekly gathering of the Camel Knitters of Conn College. (The camel is the mascot of this college.  Don't ask.) Meeting in the Oasis Snack Bar (where else?) every Wednesday at noon, the group is comprised of creative spirits dedicated to elegant knitting, high quality materials, and droll conversation. Needles flew, discussion flowed, time flew. This was indeed a pleasant interlude.

hand-knitted, felted fair isle bag

lace shawl in progress, lace cardigan completed and modeled