Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

I thought about not going to MSWF this year. "I'm planning a wedding!" I argued. "I have things to do that weekend!" I contended. "I don't need any more yarn, holy crapamoley have you looked at my hideously messy extremely creative craft room!" I exclaimed.

Yeah, of course I went to Sheep and Wool. I didn't even stick to my budget (although I stayed fairly close to the budget I would have set myself, had I really bothered to set a budget). I took some terrible photos of my new acquisitions, which my photographer in residence has nixed. Apparently my practice of tossing yarn on the floor with reckless abandon worked better when the carpeting was beige. Now that I live in home with green carpets in the living room, apparently I should care about this and do something to improve my yarn photography. A pale sheet, for example, would be effective.

Obviously, I was far too excited about WINDING a ball of gorgeous yarn and CASTING ON for a (third) Clapotis to bother with finding a light-colored sheet. But I have been knitting with some Brooks Farm yarn since the Amazing Race last night, and I am in heaven.

The heavenly feeling is largely related to this Clapotis not being an enormous and annoying and why-isn't-it-completed baby blanket. I am at 10.5 repeats out of the suggested 14. It's pretty enormous. I'm thinking 12 repeats may just be the end of it, for me. I did knit the whole way to and from the festival- thanks to my wonderful friend offering to drive.

MSWF is a lot more entertaining to attend with another fiber addict who has totally different coloring from me, but similar tastes in knitting projects. We never had to fight about yarn, since we always were going for different colors. Except for the gorgeous handpainted lace weight, for which I gave in and became a total copycat. I hope we at least pick different scarf patterns for it!

In the end, I walked away with another bunch of Tess Yarn- worsted purple, destined to become a February Lady Sweater. Tess's new Baby Bunny, in Hot Pink!, which I think would be cute for a baby sweater, or maybe even socks. The aforementioned vari-colored lace yarn for a decorative scarf. Two skeins of a mottled green from Brooks Farm for my Clapotis (to replace the hot pink one I made in grad school- it's time to move on). And I found four skeins of a beautiful red laceweight, because I can never have enough laceweight. Or red.

Not a bad haul. And I enjoyed seeing the different breeds of sheep. Definitely a good weekend! Now... back to the increase rows of that Clapotis, before I give in and work on the baby blanket of doom.

Maryland Sheep and Wool, and a detour

Believe it or not, it's not all fabric and quilting ideas and abc's around here. There's still plenty of yarn to go around.

Maryland Sheep and Wool this year was... different. I live just enough farther away that it was a HAUL to get there. And once I was there... it was just crazytown. So many people. I did manage to purchase exactly what I was looking for, but I'm not sure I would go on Saturday next year. Sunday is just much more relaxed. Exhibit A of the crowds:


And another crowd shot, near the outdoor tents


Last year at Sheep and Wool I regretted only one thing: not buying cashmere yarn from Hunt Valley Cashmere for a shawl. This year (after much debate), I did buy enough for a lovely scarf. Knitting with it? Fantastically luscious. As you can tell, since I'm nearly one full repeat in already!


I can't stop touching it.


I also fell disastrously in love with Tess yarns last year- I knit my Hanami out of the laceweight merino and had to buy more for another shawl.


I also picked up three (enormous) skeins of their Merino Petite, a DK weight yarn for a simple sweater (pattern as yet to be determined).


After Sheep and Wool I needed to relax a bit from the crowds. I drove down towards Jamie's by way of 15, which was a beautiful and peaceful way to journey. And I saw a sign for a winery... and had to stop in.



It wasn't Oliver, but the wine was tasty and I enjoyed it enough to join their wine club. Unfortunately, after a day in the sun at the festival I was a bit dehydrated and not the nicest company that evening. I think I hate chardonnay for a reason. At any rate, their reds are delicious!


And cashmere makes everything better.