I've got to make some decisions here, people. Autumn is rapidly approaching, and there are so many fiber events on the calendar (yay!) that I need to make a decision about which one(s) I want to attend.
This list doesn't even include another knitting retreat that a local Stitch 'n Bitch group is having down at the beach, the same weekend as Stitches East. I'd already decided there were too many other fiber events going on to even consider that one.
Plus, there are some great classes being offered locally. Our local knitting guild is having a special workshop in early September on top-down Aran cardigans. Knitting Sisters in Williamsburg is having Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably workshops in late September. One LYS, The Knitting Basket is having a class on Thrummed Mittens, also in late September -- something that appeals to my always-cold-in-winter hands. And of course, our four otherareayarnshops all offer a host of good classes. A knitter could go wild (and broke), taking them all!
It's a fun problem to have so many options to choose from. Which shall I attend? Chances are, the closer the event is to home, the higher probability of my attending. But, ya never know -- I could easily be talked into something farther away, if I'm feeling adventurous.
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered." - G.K. Chesterton
This is the final chapter of myexcellentadventure, where I share "long-awaited" (ha!) pictures of my MS&W 2007 loot, for those who might be interested.
Without further ado, here we go:
MS&W merchandise (like I need another t-shirt or tote bag) *
Typewriter key earrings -- my initials (next year I'll buy a "K" - for my middle initial and nickname) *
yarn, needles and patterns (as usual - a predominance of blue-green yarns) *
More details on the yarns:
70/30% Merino/Angora handspun from Jamie Harmon, Jericho, VT incredibly soft, blooms gorgeously when knit *
Ellyn Cooper's Yarn Sonnets "Homespun" -- 50/50% Wool/Silk & "Fantasia" -- 75/25% Cotton/Nylon both in her new "Aquatide" colorway *
Also purchased at Ellyn Cooper's booth:
cute Umahlinda U.S. size 10 straight knitting needles (I hardly knit with straights anymore, so these will be for decor) *
[Edited to add: they also sell gorgeous buttons at the Ellyn Cooper booth. Last year I bought some, and didn't even work my way inside the booth to look at her yarns, silly me.]
The two patterns I purchased are Vermont Fiber Designs Cable & Garter Stitch Turtleneck from The Mannings' booth, and a cabled scarf and fingerless mitts pattern called "Creme Freche", from Uncommon Threads. That pattern calls for Snuggle, (an alpaca/wool/acrylic blend), but I've got some Misti Alpaca chunky in the stash that I think will substitute nicely.
And that is all!
As I walked around the fairgrounds this weekend, I had plenty of time to contemplate my yarn-buying habits versus what I actually end up knitting. As you can plainly see, I continue to be drawn to yarns in blue-green colorways, because I love those colors the absolute most. And yet I rarely seem to finish or even start projects for myself, before the ever-present Knitting Projects For Others, whether they be family or charity, jump to the front of the queue. And so, all the pretty yarns I buy for myself end up marinating in the stash. And that's perfectly fine, for now.
There are 25 people in my family -- including my parents, my siblings, their spouses, and a dozen nieces and nephews. I want to knit everyone at least one thing, so that no one feels slighted, and then after that, I'm promising myself that 2008 will be all about me. All. About. Me. Socks for me, a sweater for me, mitts for me, and perhaps finishing the dozen other UFOs I've already started for me.
There is, however, a plus-side to the knitting-for-others. I tend to pick small items and worsted or heavier yarns for those projects, and so they're finished relatively quickly and this slow knitter gets a fairly instantaneous feeling of accomplishment. Apparently, there's a good deal of product knitter within my process-knitting heart.
I've been a knitter for 20 months now, so I still consider myself new at this hobby. I'm evolving, my tastes are changing, my skills are (hopefully) improving, and I hope my knitting journey will continue for my entire (hopefully long) life.
So, I'm not going to fret (at least for now) about the contradiction between the stash I own (and love) versus the projects that are actually getting knit right now.
I do wish I had a yarn room, though, where I could easily view and be inspired by all the pretty skeins. Definitely in my next house....
***
Finally, I just had to report that I think these guys are going to fledge sometime this week:
Whew! What a wonderful, whirlwind weekend! The experiment was a success -- my adventure was definitely excellent!
If you've been following along, you've already read my accounts of Friday and Saturday. Sunday, I came back to the Howard County Fairgrounds for more fibery fun.
After the anticipation and rush and press of Saturday, I decided to take my sweet-old time Sunday morning. I didn't set an alarm, and fully expected to sleep in until 9:30 am or so, as tired as I was Saturday night. But I woke up at 7:30, thinking about how I'd forgotten to mention in Saturday's post that I'd also seen my friend Bess and her Spirit Trail buddies. So I hopped out of bed to edit that post, and lo and behold, Bess had already commented on it, no doubt noticing my unintentional omission. (Sorry 'bout that, Bess! It's fixed now!)
Anyway, after puttering around the hotel room, checking email, reading a few blogs, packing, eating breakfast and showering, (still taking my sweet time), I checked out and was on my way to the fairgrounds around 10 am. This time, I didn't care what time I arrived or if my parking place was farther away. I felt refreshed, renewed, invigorated, and was up for a longer walk to and from the car.
Sunday dawned cool and breezy and absolutely gorgeous. I could not have ordered better weather. Some folks might have thought it a bit too chilly, and/or a bit too windy. I thought it was absolutely perfect -- even better than Saturday's cool, overcast but slightly humid weather. Of course, it all depends on how warmly one is dressed.
As soon as I stepped out my car, I knew it was time for a wardrobe change. I had worn my green tencel jumper, but had walked no more than ten yards from the car when I knew the cool breeze was going to make dress-wearing uncomfortable. So I very carefully shimmied on some sweatpants and a sweatjacket, took off the jumper, pulled my hair into a ponytail and threw on last year's MS&W hat, and was on my way. Not that anyone cares what I was wearing -- I'm writing this more for my own benefit -- to remember next year what I did this year. [Note to self: Crocs (my Sunday footwear) with socks are more comfortable than my current pair of tennis shoes (my Saturday footwear).] [Another note to self: wearing sunscreen is a great idea after last year's sunburn, but remember to reapply after a few hours -- I still got a little pink on my nose and neck and chest.]
Just like last year, the crowds were MUCH more tolerable on Sunday than Saturday -- it was like an entirely different event, and I felt happy and inspired (rather than pushed and exhausted) all day long. You could actually get into booths, and people weren't bumping into you right and left. I find the constant bumping-into exhausting. I always try to apologize to people if I bump into them, yet it amazes me how few other people are as polite in large crowds. One woman walked by me and actually knocked items out of my hand, but didn't even stop or slow down. The other exhausting element of a large crowd is the slow-moving-ness of it. I'd much rather walk faster, with longer strides, but when caught in the main building or a barn behind tons of people who move randomly and stop constantly, you're forced to walk at a slow shuffle, which, on hard concrete, quickly takes a toll on one's joints. (Or at least mine.) Ibuprofen take me away!
Here's a glimpse at the crowds:
On Sunday, I was actually able to get inside The Fold's booth, and lo and behold, they still had some Socks That Rock left. They had a few hanks of their heavyweight merino sock yarn in a handful of colorways, also some of the merino/tencel blend, and some of their dyed roving. Definitely better than last year, when it was all gone in an hour. I didn't buy any this year -- I can buy it from the BMFA website, if the mood strikes, but right now I've got a ton of sock yarn and I'm not knitting socks! I would have liked to have seen their cotton sock yarn which they call "Sock Candy", but I didn't see any.
Anyway, enough whining about the crowds or gushing about the weather. I mentioned being inspired on Sunday. One of the best parts of the event, in my opinion, is getting to see the entries in the Skein & Garment Competition. Here's one item from it that I just really loved:
I am a sucker for color *
I took a ton of pictures of that competition, plus a ton more of various inspiring items in vendors' booths, and of course, lots of fibery-animal pictures. Too many pictures for this here blog post, but for those of you who would like to see more, I invite you to view my MS&W 2007 Flickr photoset. (May I suggest viewing them via "Detail view", if you want to see photo titles and descriptions, or via "Slideshow", if you'd rather just flip through them quickly -- be sure to set the speed to your preference.)
Speaking of animals, here's a lovely lady on her way to being judged:
...right next to the Pit Lamb barbecue:
Yum! *
I had a pit lamb sandwich for lunch, and enjoyed every bite, without a twinge of guilt. I have no problem with lamb being sold as food at the same event where they're shown as livestock. I love lamb, whether cuddly, warm & cute on my lap, or warm on my plate. I suppose I'd make a good farmer's wife.
After my lamb lunch, I walked over to the Sheep-to-Shawl competition area. The actual competition was already over, but they hadn't yet awarded prizes or auctioned them off. I had a feeling I'd run into friends there, and sure enough, there was Nancy & Patsy enjoying the sunshine:
I sat with them for a bit and then the prizes were awarded. The auctioneer is wearing a blanket which has a wonderful story surrounding it:
Here are the shawls woven in this year's Sheep-to-Shawl competion -- all completed, from sheap-shearing to spinning to loom-weaving, in three hours time:
Left: Second place winner Right: First place winner *
The second place shawl was my favorite, because I just love those colors:
I didn't stay to see how much they auctioned off for, but if it was anything like last year, they probably went for about $500 a piece.
Down in the main building, I ran into Indigo Muse's Tanya, shopping with her fellow Roanoke-area friends. It was nice to chat with her for a bit. I missed Jane's phone call earlier in the day, but spoke to her just as she was leaving -- it just wasn't in the cards for us to hang out, I guess, and that's okay. I had a lovely time all-by-myself. (Don't I sound like a little kid? Look mommy -- I tied my shoes. All. By. Myself!)
Also on Sunday, I finally managed to get into the MS&W merchandise barn:
...and bought some swag, which, will be revealed along with all my purchases, in tomorrow's final post about the weekend. I hate to drag this out any more than necessary, but I've already spent enough time and energy writing today's post and organizing the pictures and the videos.
Videos, you say? Why yes, there are videos! This is a multi-media report!
Another nice thing about Sunday -- because of the smaller crowds, one is actually able to get up close to the various musicians playing. And so I thought that those who were not able to attend would enjoy getting just a tiny taste of the sights and sounds of the weekend. So, here are three short (12 seconds or less) videos for your viewing and listening pleasure:
(Feedblitz subscribers go here to view embedded videos.)
After I'd seen and bought everything I wanted to see and buy, I left around 3 pm on Sunday, and as I stood at my car and looked back towards the tents at the fairgrounds, this was the lovely Sunday sky that greeted me:
And as I pulled out of the parking lot, I was greeted by yet another pastoral scene:
And made my way to I-95 South, which was backed up, as usual, around Fairfax. But armed with my trusty GPS receiver, I took the next exit and drove around the backup, down Route 1, for the next 20 miles. After I'd had enough stop-and-go, 35 mph traffic, I hopped back on I-95 and headed home, armed with my trusty fuzzbuster, at a considerably faster rate of speed. I made it home in three hours, and passed miles and miles of back-up on I-95 North, most likely race traffic. And I thanked God for my love of fiber rather than Nascar!
I did not stand in either idiotic line, thankyouverymuch. The only line worth standing in is for the bathroom, in my opinion.
Lines noticeably absent this year included the Koigu free-for-all, (they were apparently a no-show), and the vendor selling Deep Fried Twinkies. Cardiologists all across the mid-Atlantic wept.
But there was still plenty of Fabulous Fair Food to be had:
And more importantly, there was a feast for the eyes, everywhere you looked:
I ran into several people I know, including queen Bess working hard in the Spirit Trail booth, Patsy & Nancy from my knitting group, as well as Robin H., and the trio of Jane, Donna and Patty. Back at the hotel tonight, I met Liz, (a Maryland knit-blogger who recognized me before I recognized her, shame on me!), along with two of her friends, one of whom was hefting a brand new beautiful spinning wheel. (Hi Liz! Nice to finally meet you!) Oh, and in one very crowded barn, I ran into Jean and Brittany from Knitting Addiction. Again, even though I've only been to that Outer Banks yarn shop a handful of times, they recognized me before I recognized them. (Sometimes I feel like I'm a complete dolt!)
Today I bought several pretties, and despite my aching feet, am going back tomorrow for more.
I can't wait!
(Monday -- Part 3! And I'll most likely post the "big reveal" sometime on MondayTuesday.)
Because of the ambiguous nature of my line of work, lately, for any extracurricular activity in my life, I tend to waffle until the very last minute, not making definite plans, not knowing if work is going to interfere with life. And this time was no different -- I made no hard and fast plans to attend this weekend's Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I did, however, have the foresight to reserve a hotel room, just in case.
Earlier in the week, as it became more apparent that work would not, in fact, be interfering, I made tentative plans with a fellow Richmond knitter to drive up together. Understandably, however, she later found out that she couldn't get away from family responsibilities for an entire weekend.
I'm a big girl, and did not fret. Instead, I decided right then and there to try a little experiment. A little adventure, as it were, and see how I'd like going to Mecca all by myself. I'm actually really looking forward to coming and going as I please. After all, it's how I spend much of my single life. Why does this need to be any different?
Yesterday, despite the fact that Cuzzin Liz was in town, I opted to avoid the downtown crowds, and went to a plant sale instead. Today I puttered around the house all day, doing laundry, cleaning this and that, and packing, and didn't leave until 5:30 or so. It is now about 10 pm and I'm safely and comfortably nestled in my Columbia, MD hotel room, typing this blog post, only slightly worse for wear after battling the Beltway traffic.
I did make one pit-stop along the way:
That's the Knitter's Cottage in Fredericksburg, VA. It's just two miles off of I-95, and therefore only a slight, but worthwhile detour.
It's in a wonderful old house, with lilacs fragrantly blooming on either side of the porch steps. The inside is sunny and bright and makes you feel welcome as soon as you walk in the door. Shop owner Nancy greeted me warmly and gave me a little tour of the place, and then allowed me to browse on my own. Since I had arrived at the dinner hour, I had the place to myself. I ended up leaving emtpy-handed, but knowing that I'd happily make that detour again, next time I'm toodling up the interstate.
And now I must lay me down to sleep, to wake up early for wool and sheep!
