Did you love this movie? Yes! Did you love the Fox Sweater? Yes! Do you want to make the Fox Sweater? NO!
I love him, love the movie, love the sweater…but I have no interest in knitting it. BUT, check out these adorable mitts that are quick and have the same foxy vibe:
I made two pair, one in the original size as a gift and then an adapted pair that is larger. The larger size details are shown on my Ravelry project page. The great thing about these mitts is no dpns, no in the round, no stranded knitting. You knit a small rectangle and then duplicate stitch the fox. Easy and fun! Sew up two small seams and you’re done. I wish I had used softer yarn, so I may reknit mine.
Kathy commented on my last post and asked a number of questions about the Minnesota State Fair and the judging that takes place. I don’t have a lot of answers! I have recapped my response here — check out her original comment to see it in its entirety.
“Do the judges scorn on worsted weight yarn?”
I don’t think it’s scorn or bias, but fingering weight projects take more knitting time and effort to complete.
“Could you please share other biases you’ve figured out or at least suspect?”
If you a member of the Minnesota Knitters Guild there is a wealth of information on their website. Last year they posted a letter from the state fair judges that goes into far more detail than I can offer. It is chockful of information, but too long to include here (plus, I am not sure I would be allowed!).
“The first time I entered I thought I would get a more robust critique to really help me become a better knitter. Wrong on that one, but I do realize the judges need to move quickly. Honestly, I think the process is more subjective than I would have believed before entering. Are the judges accomplished knitters? I think the evaluation sheet is too vague and or allows for subjective responses.”
I don’t know who the judges are or their backgrounds, but I do believe they are knitters. I think there has to be some subjectivity on their part. I have yet to crack the code! I have worked really, really hard on projects that get nothing. Like my Endicott Scarf this year and Jul last year (though Jul did get a blue ribbon in seniors this year which felt like vindication!). I really don’t have a clue. I don’t think only skill is involved, there is also a lot of luck. I have received a bit of helpful criticism over the years and have learned from it. This year I did receive specific positive comments.
In a nutshell, I don’t know as much as I should after entering for over 40 years!
Yes, it’s the 2026 State Fair post! Surly came to visit so she could accompany us to the fair. We’ve been having a great visit.
I have been suffering with some tendinitis in my hips and was worried I wouldn’t be able to walk very well. And I was unfortunately correct. It did put a damper on things!! Because of my ambulatory issues, our sightseeing was greatly limited. My local brother and husband also joined us.
My main goal was to get a blue ribbon for my Rambling Rose Slipover. This was a true labor of love. I took the colorwork chart from Alice Starmore’s Rambling Rose Cardigan and then created my own design for a tabard-like, open at the sides vest. It had six steeks: each side, each armhole, the v-neck, and a baby steek at the back neck. I bound off the entire outside edge in one fell swoop! Because I didn’t have an actual pattern to follow, every step required a decision, a choice, some kind of direction. That means infinite possibilities. Exhausting!
Because I had put my heart and soul into this project, the blue ribbon meant a lot to me. I usually go in hoping for the best, but bracing for the worst. This year, I had Surly go in ahead of time to see how it did. She came out with the good news, so I wasn’t afraid to go in and look for myself!!
The large rosette is for my Thursday knitting group’s Penelope Knitting Award. Each year we choose a category to honor. This year was sleeveless sweater or vest. I am the one who sends out the $20 Panera gift card to the winner, which seems a bit self serving, so I won’t have to do it this year!!
Last year I entered Jul and got nothing. I decided to re-enter it in the senior division. It took first place there!
I got second place in seniors for my recently finished Anemoia Shawl (Andrea Mowry). They only have three knitting lots: sweater, scarf, not a sweater or a scarf. Whoopie! I entered it as a scarf.
I entered my Comfort Fade Cardigan because my peeps kept telling me to. I didn’t expect a ribbon, but it did get 4th place! Of course, it was turned inside out. I should have expected this. They can’t seem to fathom that reverse stockinette is a thing. I think it was probably judged correctly but switched by the people who put the displays together. We spotted another Comfort Fade that was inside out as well.
A fun surprise was the second place ribbon won by my friend Christine for her 2026 Winter Games Hat! We were both surprised it got anything because it is knit in worsted weight yarn.
Several entries did not get ribbons, which is to be expected. There were a record number of entries this year!! Last year’s record of 600 was smashed: 1,000 entries in knitting alone! Baked goods saw a 30% increase over last year. Our fair is so competitive, it is increasingly difficult to win a ribbon. I feel pretty lucky! I think they need to add more categories, or somehow limit the number of entries. They display all entries so knitting was piled up in cases all over the building. I never did find one of my items!
ETA: I also entered a Melt the Ice Hat, just so it would be displayed. Apparently, a bunch of knitters felt the same! They put together a resistance hat montage!
PS to Anne: You can only resubmit if it did not previously win a blue ribbon anywhere at the fair. So, if I got a blue ribbon last year in a regular knitting category, I couldn’t resubmit it in seniors even though it’s different judges.
I don’t know how common it is, but I’ve done it many times. I resubmitted my Oregon Vest after it took 2nd place. Upon resubmission it won the blue and a special award. Another time, years ago, a sweater went from 2nd place to winning the sweepstakes!
items must be completed within 3 years if I remember correctly.
I hope you are surviving the heat of this ridiculous summer. It is so hot in Minnesota (“How hot is it?”) that they evacuated and closed down the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. There are multiple fires going on as well as extreme heat.
A close friend of ours has a daughter who just had a baby girl. This is their second girl, so I already used my go-to Entrechat for the first baby! I had to come up with something else.
An ad kept popping up on Facebook showing a really cute baby sweater. I’m leery about buying patterns off FB because many have been stolen. I found it on Ravelry under a different name. The same photos were used. Sure enough, the FB pattern was stolen and the Ravelry was the official one called Crossandra:
The original pattern has a cute, scalloped hem done with short rows. My scallops were not cute! I opted for a crocheted scalloped edge. I also added a bow at the neck because mine looked so plain.
I used yarn I had in stash, which I felt pretty darn good about! Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, color #222 Stone. Here is some sleeve detail:
It’s that time of year again — my big sister’s birthday. You all know the drill — wish her Happy Birthday in the comments. Susan is not just my sister — she’s my best friend. This is a favorite photo of her with my daughter Nora.
Well, they did it again! Completely changed the blog set up. It is even harder to post than before, but I will try!
Thank you to everyone who commented after my last post. It really means a lot to us!!
Some of you may go way back. If you do, you may remember the Sock Monkey Dress I posted during the 2006 Minnesota State Fair. I did say way back! It went viral and put The Rainey Sisters on the map. Because of that post, I have been associated with sock monkeys ever since.
This ad hit my email a few months ago. You may have also seen it. It triggered my “sock monkey” response!
I used Cascade 220. I started out with Joji Locatelli’s Basic Raglan, but it just didn’t work at the neck. I ended up needing to do major surgery to correct it. The neckline just didn’t drop enough in the front. I think that is a major problem with most top-down sweaters that rely on short rows to raise the back neck. It just isn’t adequate. The blue lines show where I machine stitched and then cut out fabric. I picked up the live center front sts.
I wish I had used a marled yarn instead of the color I chose. Also, I used a bluer red than the picture in the ad. I tried lipstick red, but this looked better to me. I do wear it because it’s kind of a workhorse sweater. And, just to let you know how I really feel:
PS to Samina: There’s not much of a story regarding the sock monkey dress. It was on display at the fair as an art installation, not an entry. The artist, whose name escapes me, used sock monkeys often in her work. Very fun and creative!
It seems our blog is petering out! No one posts. No one comments. So, I will send out this little post and see what happens. It does cost us hundreds of dollars a year to maintain this blog. I know. Surprising!
This is one of my recent FOs. It is my second Comfort Fade Cardigan, designed by Andrea Mowry. My first, more subdued rendition, can be found here. This color choice was actually not my own. I was inspired by a project I saw on Instagram. I ran to BeWoolen to get the same colors of Rios!! When I saw the actual colors, they looked different than the picture, so I substituted a couple of colors. Frank Ochre yellow just didn’t translate in the photos, but I wanted that acidy color in my cardi. I really like the results.
I converted the bandana into a cowl by working in the round after I got to a certain point. I am now knitting a regular bandana in a wool/cotton blend that will tie in the back.
I am still protesting. Still angry about what is happening to our country, but damn. It is absolutely exhausting. Every day they do something worse than the day before. It is impossible to keep up, and that is what they are counting on! So, I try to remain optimistic that we can weather this storm.
PS: Thank you for all the supportive comments! It means a lot. Don’t be shy about commenting as it is appreciated!
PS2: To Anne C. Anne asked about tips to fading sleeves to match the body. My advice is to count rows. Comfort Fade said just knit til they match, but I took notes on row counts and my sleeves match. Be sure you leave enough yarn of each color for the sleeves. Each sleeve row at its widest takes about a third of the yarn length of the body, then less as you decrease.
Yes, the day after Valentine’s Day. A much more important day. It’s Happy Surly Day!! Yep, Surly’s birthday has arrived again like clockwork.
if you have followed us at all, you know that Sally and I are besties, knitting peeps, sisties, and whatever else such a sisterhood implies. She is the smart one in the family, which landed her the dubious honor of being the executor of our dad’s estate. She has handled that thankless job tirelessly. We really appreciate her taking that on and doing so well with it. She also puts up with a lot from me on a daily basis.
Her birthday present this year wasn’t much. I sent her a Melt the Ice Hat because I knew she wasn’t going to have time to knit one herself. She looks so cute in it!!
Happy Birthday, Little Sister! Hope to see you in person soon!
I have been obsessing a bit about the Melt the Ice Hat phenomenon, but I think with good reason. I have also fallen off the deep end into the Mini Melt craze. These little cuties (2×2 inch) are used as pins that show you are pro-democracy, anti-ICE, and anti-this administration. Lots less knitting and great for indoor or sunny climate use.
I describe how I knit mine up on my project page. Even if you can’t knit the big hat, maybe a mini hat!
Hi, my supportive knitting friends! I wanted to provide an update on the Melt the Ice Hat phenomenon. It had indeed gone viral and is being reported on all over the country. Nearly 70,000 patterns have been sold! I think I know most of the knitters! 😉
There has been some backlash to the color red in the hats. “It looks like we’re wearing MAGA hats!” I disagree, but if you have a problem with that, there is the new Minnesota Strong Hat. The pattern will be free for a short time. The designer is encouraging donations to local charities, etc. This hat was designed in a bit of defiance to the red hats. It is still a strong statement of support for Minnesota as it represents the new Minnesota flag. I will probably knit this as well, because I really need another hat!
And unless you’ve been in hiding, you are aware that Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about the battle of Minneapolis: Streets of Minneapolis.
