State Fair Success!!

I live in Minnesota.
I love living in Minnesota. 
One of my favorite things about Minnesota is the State Fair.
One of the best places at the state fair is the creative activities building. That is where they display the crafted goods of Minnesota residents.
This year I submitted items to be judged and (fingers crossed) displayed at the fair.

 

I'm really proud of these mittens. A tubular cast on, jogless stripes, and two-tone thumb treatment. Plus I took the time to weave n ends neatly. Handsome Mittens, originally from Interweave Knits Fall 2008. Thumb design is mine- altered from pattern.

First Place Mittens!!

The pink ribbon is fourth place

 Wonderful winter sweater. The pattern is Freyja Sweater from Interweave Knits fall 2009, but available as part of a free e-book in the Knitting Daily community. I knit this almost three years ago, so this was the last chance I had to submit it to the fair, and I'm glad I did.

First item I identified after entering the building!

 My first cookiea socks! Sunshine from her first book Sock Innovation (Amazon link). I'm now a cookiea fan. No ribbon, but because of the bright color, they were easily spotted from just inside the entrance!

traveling woman shawl (Rav link). Lovely pattern, My yarn choice may not have been the best for the pattern, but I enjoyed making it and seeing it displayed!

Tucked in a corner of the main knitting display case

Blog Hop!

Over at the "The Blog Hub" forum at Ravelry someone suggested a blog hop and I decided to join in.

The theme for this hop is WIPS. Yup that's right finishing works in progress.  I can do this. I might even pull out a buried UFO and re designate it as a WIP in order to finish it. Or at least attempt to finish it.

The first project is the eggplant from a counted cross stitch kit. I started it in January and have just been putzing along, but I'm almost done, only a couple of square inches of the bottom left.

I've got a pair of socks and a shawl on the needles that will be finished at the end of the hop. (fingers crossed)

Projects that I hope to bring out of 'deep freeze' are a knitted blanket that I'm extending with the leftover yarn. The Corrie Fair Isle Vest kit from Knit Picks. A wedding quilt that is two years overdue, or at least the top of the quilt.