MD S&W

Well, here it is - the haul from the Sheep & Wool festival :

Sock yarn

When I saw this funky Merino roving, I thought it would be a great sweater for a little girl. The fleece is very soft and if I spin it as a single, the colors should stay distinct and make a cool stripey sweater.
This is silk and merino, very soft and luxurious in feel. This is what I want to make out of it for myself.

The first pair of socks from the above stash , knit for Mr. RFD in record time. The colors are all somewhat strange, because we haven't had any sunshine at all since Saturday and have to make do with artificial light for taking pictures. And there's no end in sight - the forecast is rain, rain, rain for the next 6 or 7 days.

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

It's the first weekend in May and time for the annual Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, the mecca for all shepherds and fiber enthusiasts .

Despite the rain, which came down on and off all day long, the true devotees were not deterred and enjoyed themselves as if the sun were shining.

Displays like this helped keep the enthusiasm high - how could you resist all that fiber and yarn ? ( I didn't ! )

Lovely junk food helped keep the energy levels up, to haul away all the purchases that were made.

And when the rain started again in earnest

you could always find refuge in one of the many barns admiring the sheep. I love the expression on this guy's face - clearly, it is his first encounter with a lamb and both are loving the experience !

So despite the less than perfect weather, I would say that a grand time was had by all .
What did I get, you ask ? Stay tuned ...

The Haul from the Sheep and Wool Festival

I'm coming clean - here it is - my guilty pleasure : fiber gluttony !

From left to right - brown, white and green cotton roving, buttery soft pink yarns for a sweater, blue/purple silk/merino blend for a summer shawl, a raspberry red/brown, etc. mix yarn for a Clapotis shawl, lots of superwash merino roving for socks and in front a bag of mohair/wool roving for a vest for Mr. RFD. Oh yea, and in the back are 3 skeins of sock yarn.

Weekend Update

It was the first Saturday in May and that means the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival !

There were lots of fiber enthusiasts everywhere - knitting, spinning, looking at all the yarns and fleeces,
and getting inspiration for the next project

There were men in kilts ( surprisingly sexy )

and some men who were surprising, but definitely not sexy,
but I digress.
There were mountains of irresistible yarns -

and did I mention there were lots of sheep ?
And at the end of the day the baby was displaced from the carriage by all the wonderful purchases and everyone was totally exhausted , but happy.

Sadly, the Deep-Fried Twinkies people were not there this year - possibly in the hospital with a coronary ?

What did I get ? I am working up my courage to display my haul - it's embarrassingly large....