Life has been a little crazy here in the house of Knitcrit. Immediately after returning from Rhinebeck, I became engrossed in volunteering at my son’s school; specifically, in charge of a silent auction fundraiser. It is over now, funds were raised and the space put back to order. Now it's time to finally post about my trip to the New York Sheep and Woof Festival. I’ll do that in a Q & A format:
Did I finish my Aztec Mazes sweater?
Yes! It was completed on the Thursday afternoon, the day before we left. I wore it on Saturday.
What was different about this year’s event?
There were several new vendors that brought lovely product. Miss Babs, Into the Whirled, and Feederbrook Farms were my favorites. From Miss Babs, I bought DK yarn for another Honey Cowl, and Into the Whirled received my cash in exchange for my purchasing two packages of roving and yarn to knit my group KAL, the Zylphia Cowl.
The 100% Shetland from Feederbrook will be the perfect match for my future Candice Strick's Shawl from Vogue Fall 2011.
Because of the recent rains, the fields were a mess and therefore, the sheepdog trials and punkin chunkin were cancelled.
Also, there did not seem to be as many spinning wheel and loom vendors as in previous years.
What events did we attend at the festival?
On Saturday, we went to the Anne Hanson meetup, which was highlighted by two photos – one of me with Sharon, wearing my Boxleaf Triangle shawl, and Anne; the other with Cathy, in her Aztec Mazes and Mary in her Henley With a Twist, knit in the same yarn as my Aztec Mazes.
Sunday morning, we watched the Leaping Llama (and alpaca) contest, which was a hoot. The smaller 4H kids really had a hold on those llamas and alpacas.
Twice, we went to the book signing. My only purchase was a cookbook for Bruce, Goat, by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough. Author and knitter Bruce Weinstein also wrote Knits Men Want, which has become a favorite for finding good, basic men’s knitting patterns.
Did I eat anything exciting there?
The picnic lunch at the Anne Hanson meet-up included some really good veggie wraps and homemade bread, while the competition among the chocolate bakers there resulted in some delicious desserts.
Sunday, we ate lunch at the 4H area, where I ordered hot dog with lamb chili. The chili was divine. Then, later in the day, I ate homemade apple pie, with ice cream, of course. Yum!
Were there any disappointments?
Only one, that the autumn colors, while at their peak, were not very thrilling. The late summer rains had deterred the leaves from turning, so where I had seen brilliant reds, oranges and yellows in years past, there was only green.
What did I buy?
My recent foray into hand spinning created the need to buy some fiber. Prior to attending the festival, I did some research into recommended fibers for beginners. Fortunately, those were not hard to find, dyed in some scrumptious colors.
I had a list of projects for which I wanted to find yarn, and I believe that I very carefully searched the booths for the right yarn at the right price for all of them. I did not purchase any sweater’s worth amounts, but rather all my yarn buys are for shawls, cowls and socks.
My most favorite part of this year’s Rhinebeck trip was introducing this marvelous festival to four newbies. Although the drive up was horrendous – 11 hours – every minute driven was worth it to see the looks on their faces and feel the excitement in their experiences. Will I go next year? Only time will tell, and I am thinking of going to SAFF instead in 2012. Until then, I sure have a plethora of new projects to knit and spin.
Festivals
October 24, 2011
October 06, 2011
Return to FFF
It has been several years since I last attended the Fall Fiber Festival on the grounds of Montpelier, the home of James Madison, located just outside of Orange, Virginia. The festival had become sort of boring, with the same old yarns that had been there year after year; yarns that I could easily get at other festivals, if I even cared to purchase them at all. This year, I wanted to shop for fiber, particularly Blue Faced Leicester (BFL). I have caught the spinning bug and hoped to purchase several ounces of the fiber that is the fiber of choice for so many beginning spinners. Also, a favorite indie dyer, Knitting Notions, was to be a vendor.
Early Sunday, I met up with my four local fiber friends and off we went. It is about a three hour drive and we were a little concerned when it began to sprinkle as we approached Richmond. But, when we arrived, there was not any rain, although it was very chilly, especially when the wind blew across the open field. BKFF Barbara arrived soon after.
As I browsed through the first few tents, I began to sense trouble. I had not seen the fiber that I was seeking, and yet so many of the yarns were lovely and unique, with interesting blends and a beautiful combination of colors. Finally, at the Misty Mountain Fiber booth, I found my BFL, and selected this Emerald Isle Colorway:
This vendor is also a distributor for Kromski spinning wheels. My Kromski Symphony wheel was supposed to make the trip, but we couldn’t fit it in the car with me, my friends, our chairs and other festival necessities.
The next stop was Tent I, where I pointed out the beautiful Knitting Notions yarns to my friends, as well as their fabulous supply of Anne Hanson’s patterns. It is her meet-up that we’ll be attending at Rhinebeck, so this was a good opportunity to show them her patterns in person. I had intended to purchase some yarn here, and I walked away with two skeins of the Classic Merino Bamboo in the color Dark Rose, and a plan to knit Anne’s Potager wrap.
My next yarn fall-down came when we entered the Wolle’s Yarn Creations booth, where she displayed the Threebagsfulled Mystery KAL shawl. The yarn is a 3 ply cotton that changes colors, between a light shade of one color and a darker shade of another. I purchased the yarn and the pattern for the shawl.
Finally, at the next tent, I found Wild Hare Fibers, a dyer who is very popular these days, and there she had a wide variety of shades of variegated BFL top. Her “buy three and get 10% off” was too tempting and I walked away with these three lovelies – Raccoon, Blue Spruce and Sugar Maple:
I was thrilled. All that I had wanted to come for the festival for, and more, were mine!
Everyone decided to go their own way for a few minutes toward the end, and I dragged Barbara back to the Misty Mountain booth so I could discuss, with her, a thought that I had. Remember that we couldn’t fit my wheel in the car? Remember how much I want to spin with the spinners and weavers guild? The solution to my issues was right there – a Kromski Sonata wheel – portable, with the same bobbins as my Symphony. I could have walked away, but then I was offered a festival discount – you know, one of those from which you are not able to walk away?
