Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014

Ah, the sea of humanity that is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. 

Yes, in case you didn't know, it was this past weekend! I packed up husband and baby and dragged them allllllllllll 25 minutes over to the Howard County Fairgrounds.

Yep, it's that close. There are many reasons I prefer Rhinebeck over MDSW, but proximity is not one of them.

We spent Saturday morning there, enjoying some uncharacteristically nice weather--for Sheep and Wool it's usually either 90 degrees or raining--and we saw a lot of sheep.

The Romney Sisters! I love Romneys. They have the cutest faces.

 

And baby sheep!

JJ was a pretty good sport, but some of those sheep are LOUD and the baa-ing kept startling him.

After we finished visiting all the sheep and lambs, I hit the barns and exhibition hall for shopping while CP and JJ walked the fairgrounds--no need to crowd the vendors even more with a giant stroller. Eventually they stumbled upon a parking lot, which was JJ's favorite part--apparently he thought this was an event about touching truck tires.

I failed miserably on my "must buy" list. I wanted something from Jennie the Potter, but alas, the lines were far too crazy for a tired pregnant lady. I wanted to visit Into the Whirled, but I couldn't even find it. I wanted some cormo to spin (a fiber I really enjoyed working with at my spinning class), but the only cormo I found was really poorly dyed. And I wanted 1,000 yards of Aran weight yarn for an Artichoke French, and no one was selling it.

Here's what I did get:

Two nice skeins from Brooks Farm, some lovely merino fiber at a very reasonable price ($10 for 4oz; most places were charging double that), and oil for my wheel.

So, another Sheep and Wool has come and gone. And by the time the fall fiber festivals arrive, I'll be overwhelmed with a newborn, so I'm betting this will be my only event this year. I'm thankful it was a fun one! I'm already planning a mommy break next May: I go to Sheep and Wool alone and shop ALL day while CP stays home with the kids!

Did you visit MDSW this weekend? What did you buy?

On festivities

My intention was to post my video tutorial on Judy's Magic Cast-on today, but after rewatching it, I've determined that my voice is not meant to be shared with the Internet. Also, I need to redo it with larger yarn and needles--small needles and fingering weight yarn are usually used for socks, but for tutorial purposes, they're just too small to provide a good visual.

So while I try to come to terms with my somewhat nasal Baltimore accent, I'll share with you some photos from Maryland Sheep and Wool!

Growing up in Baltimore, you can imagine I didn't have a lot of contact with barnyard animals, so I love going to these festivals and getting to interact with them.

Though I'm still highly disturbed by all the lamb cooking taking place just steps from the barns. Uck.

"That guy is WAY too tall!"

Last but not least, pygmy goats!

When I grow up, I want to own a sheep farm!

And now here's the good stuff: my haul.
 

I was happy to find the Verdant Gryphon booth relatively peaceful, I managed to pick up 2 skeins: one Bugga! and another Traveller. I also grabbed 2 skeins from Bijou Basin Ranch, which sells yak and yak-blend yarn. The red is a yak/cormo blend, and the other a yak/bamboo. Both quite soft.

The last two items are from local businesses--always nice to try something you really can't get anywhere else. The bright stripey skein is a fingering weight from Flying Goat Farms that caught my eye, and the fiber is a silk/BFL blend from Delly's Delights Farm.

We arrived at the festival around 10:30am, and were shopped out by 1--well, I was shopped out. CP was just bored. I missed the sheepdog show, sadly, but clearly spent plenty of time socializing with the other animals. 

Quite a few spinners were there, spinning on what I assume are portable wheels. CP kept asking me lots of questions about spinning wheels--which one is the best, how can you tell a good one from a bad one, what are the different features you should look at, etc.--which leads me to believe he has taken my dabbling in spindle spinning as a sign he should buy me a wheel. Very thoughtful, though perhaps a little premature!

We finished our day, as predicted, at Victoria Gastro Pub, then came home to watch the Orioles miraculously win a 17-inning game against Boston.

And as an aside, the new house is about 20 minutes from MDSW. I think maybe we'll rent out rooms next year . . .

Saturday Sampler: 'round the virtual neighborhood

As I plug away at projects that should've been done yesterday, I thought I'd take a lazy Saturday to share with you some fun things I've spied around the ol' Internet as of late.

Harry Potter Cocktails

(they all sound amazing)

Any Game of Thrones fans? (Shhhh, I'm only halfway through book 2, so we're not watching this season yet)

I think a bench like this might be perfect for my yarn room--with some baskets, of course.
From Bed, Bath & Beyond.

 Make your own sourdough starter!

WEBS posted this great tip for tight knitters, when knitting in the round.

As an aspiring freelancer, I found the posts over at Clients From Hell both hilarious and terrifying.

How did people ever kill time before the Internet?

In other news, you may or may not be aware that MARYLAND SHEEP AND WOOL is this weekend! I'll be there tomorrow (Sunday), hopefully from around 10:30a until 1:30 or 2p. If you spot me, please say hi. I've heard tell that Miss Babs and the Verdant Gryphon will be peddling their wares, I hope the Saturday shoppers will have left me some. I'm also determined to come home with a niddy noddy.

And I highly recommend Victoria's Gastro Pub for anyone looking for a non-lamb lunch. It's about 20 minutes from the fairgrounds, and the asparagus fries are delicious (though the portion is a little skimpy). That's no doubt where we'll be eating.

Other weekend plans include lots of packing, and attempting my first tutorial--possibly video! I'm going to cast on for a pair of toe-up socks, and thought this would be a great time to put together a tutorial on Judy's Magic Cast On. Wish me luck!