farmers socks at maryland sheep & wool

The first full weekend in May is one that I look forward to every year because it's when the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival is held. This year's event was amazing as always, despite some rather unpredictable weather. I actually didn't mind the cooler temps and was able to comfortably wear my Stopover sweater and farmers socks. The socks were hidden inside my wellies since the ground was a muddy mess after a week of rain. That didn't stop me from visiting every single outside and inside vendor though! As you can see, I made out like a bandit:

Lots of pretty sock yarn. Bartlettyarns sport cone for a yet to be determined grey sweater. A gorgeous ombré from Jill Draper (who is super adorable & sweet in person). Cute little sock stitch markers from Jennie the Potter. A set of Signature Needle Arts dpn's for socks. A nostepinne for winding balls of yarn. Some funny buttons & a handy Folca notions container. I'm rather proud of myself for sticking to my pre-festival list this year. One of the many highlights of this year's festival (eating fried artichokes, petting unbelievably cute animals & spending time with the friendliest people just to name a few) was getting to meet sock knitting expert/teacher, Kate Atherley. She very graciously listened to my gushing praise over her gapless gusset technique :)

Here's a look at my farmers socks:

I absolutely loved knitting these. Yarn is from SpunRightRound who is one of my favorite indie dyers. The pattern is a great choice for showing off variegated yarns and was simple yet interesting to knit.