This is Cindy and Steve. And Me. Steve is my best friend from college, and Cindy is his big sister. We attended the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival together on May 6, 2006, and had a blast! Steve and I attended last year and had so much fun, that we invited his sister, a relatively new knitter, to come all the way from Illinois for the experience. It was truly wonderful, but also overwhelming! The fabulous spring weather brought tens of thousands of people to the event. I don’t think I’ve ever been in crowds like that before. I think that’s why I don’t have pictures… too many people and too much activity. It was hard to even think about the camera.
We barely got inside the gates when I ran into someone from the KnitTalk List. This is Erin, who I’ve exchanged e-mails with and she is a regular reader of the group. It was fun to meet someone in real space! I’m a “monitor” of the group and it’s really a lot of fun! I had brought stickers for group members, should I happen to run into them. Unfortunately, the only sticker I parted with that day was Erin’s. The crowds were so big that I didn’t see too many other knit talkers; or maybe I did and I just didn’t know it. I did run into list member Shelley, but she already had a sticker of her own!! It was great to see Shelley again; it’s been far too long! Did I get a photo? No, drat! I’ve got to be a better correspondent.
We did eat yummy lamb kabobs for lunch while listening to part of a seminar on “Fleece Development” in the dining hall. Cindy snuck off to the bathroom during lunch and was gone a long time, and came back excited about some yarns she had seen on the way to the bathroom. Cindy had been looking for an easy tank top or shell pattern, and she was sure she found the perfect yarn for one. The booth was by Tess’ Yarns, and I can’t even begin to describe the absolute rainbow of colors and fibers. I guess they must do mostly shows for now, as the website isn’t quite fully set up for e-commerce. The photo at the right shows some superwash merino in a purpley-blue with a splash of yellow. There were also silks and cashmere and vibrant ribbon yarns and wow. I don’t think I’ve seen as much variety of fiber and color from one vendor ever before. I hope they come back next year!
I have to admit I was restrained and maybe a little boring with my purchases this year. I also bought four skeins of Lamb’s Pride Worsted yarn to make another felted hat with. I purchased another copy of my favorite Fiber Trends AC-01 pattern, and also I got the lighter weight version, which I’ve never tried before. I also got the Ann Norling Basic Sock Pattern, which I think will be a good way to try socks. I guess we’ll see how that goes!
One of my favorite parts of the day was when Cindy and I sat for a few minutes to knit. Steve had given Cindy a set of Denise Interchangeable Needles for Christmas (at my suggestion!) because she had mentioned to him that she wanted to learn to make hats. She hadn’t yet, however, gotten the hang of knitting in the round. Cindy had been usnig the backward loop cast on method, which can be particularly hard to manage, so here I am showing her the knit on cast on method. She got the hang of it right away, of course, because it’s just like knitting, of course! Then we dove right into circular knitting. I started off right away teaching her how to knit in the round using one long circular needle, and we knit a round or two before heading off to The Melting Pot for a heavenly, relaxed dinner.
All in all it was a great day and I want to thank Steve for making it possible for me! Also, it was great to meet Cindy and I hope she’ll come back next year. Bye for now!
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