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.

a sheepish weekend

Happily exhausted and recovering from a weekend full of fiber, yarn, good friends and fried artichokes. And lots of adorable sheep:

Every year I go to Maryland Sheep and Wool with a wish list and every year I end up ignoring it. But that's half the fun! This year also came with the temptation of an indie pop-up store at the Knot House with irresistible vendors like YOTH Yarns, Duck Duck Wool, O-wool, and Magpie Fibers. Skeins of yarn were jumping off the shelves and into my shopping bag faster than you can say Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep. 

The weather was beautiful but warm, so I ended up wearing my sheep heid which drew some smiles. It was the perfect accessory for a sheepish weekend :)

Here are some details on the hat: the yarn is from my never-ending stash of knitpicks palette. I've been drawing lots of color inspiration recently from everyday objects such as interesting packaging, printed shirts from my closet and flowers from the backyard. This particular color combination for sheep heid came from one of my favorite flannel shirts.

Doesn't it look like the sheep are standing in a meadow of flowers?

May ♡

♡ Setting up a couple of raised garden beds in the backyard. One is for vegetables and the other will be for my herbs. This is our first attempt at raised-bed gardening so hoping that all goes well. The little guy is excited to have his own strawberry patch. That is if the bunnies don't get to it first.

♡ Enjoying all the pretty things that came home with me from Maryland Sheep and Wool. I can never resist cheerful Spring colors and handmade soaps & lotions.

The button selection at Jenny The Potter was dangerous. I could have easily spent my whole budget there.

The line of knitters buying yarn at Miss Babs was out the door but I managed to grab this gorgeous set in the Veronica colourway in order to make the Albers Cowl. This will be a great summertime beach knit.

♡ Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on two sweater projects. Vasa is finished except for weaving in the ends and blocking. And Siri is finally off the needles. Just have to decide on buttons. I might attempt to reinforce the button bands with grosgrain ribbon if I can find a good how-to on the internet and if my limited sewing skills are up to the task.

 

♡ Basking in the beautiful Spring sunshine. Perfect weather for picnics, real and pretend.

april on instagram

signs of spring: cherry blossoms & easter bunnies

knitting stuff: vasalong & retail therapy

April was kind of an odd month, full of contrasts. I was super busy with lots of things but the weeks seem to drag by so slowly. There was a bunch of knitting but not a lot to show for it. And only one blog post the entire month. But I did fall down the rabbit hole that is Instagram and am totally loving all of the visual inspiration and creativity to be found there.

So happy to bid April farewell and welcome in the month of May. The weather this weekend has been just perfect for attending Maryland Sheep and Wool. I will leave you with an Instagram picture of a couple of charmers I found hanging out there looking totally adorable. Can't wait to show you the goodies that came home with me this year!

maryland sheep & wool plus knit.where outfit #4

Maryland Sheep & Wool was fabulous, as usual! This year, I went with my eleven year old niece who took to fiber shopping with a vengeance. Boy, this girl's shopping stamina was amazing to behold! She insisted that we visit every.single.booth...some even twice...because, y'know, a smart shopper has to scope out the quality and price of the goods before committing. After a couple of hours, I was begging for a break. Luckily, there were some cute sheep to distract her for a few minutes.

Then I managed to catch my breath for five more minutes while the Shopping Demon watched an adorable dancing puppet show set to Celtic music.

Then it was back to work, with only an occasional break for ice cream or cotton candy. So please don't blame me for not sticking to the wish list. It was beyond my control ;)

Color was definitely the theme for this year's yarn haul. Although my original intent was to stick with neutrals, this idea was quickly shot down by my Personal Shopper as being too bor-ing!

dragonfly fibers traveller yarn, the bee folks handcream & lipbalm, lantern moon measuring tape

neighborhood fiber co. studio worsted & capital luxury lace yarns

I snuck in some basic wool roving when she wasn't looking. These will be for practicing on the spindle.

aker farms corriedale roving, peace fleece handpainted needles

Lastly, here is my knit.where outfit for today.

vodka gimlet cardigan, pajamas from Vietnam

My feet are in need of some rest, so I am just planning on sitting on the couch with some knitting & watching cooking shows all afternoon. Then getting take-out for dinner :)

Yarn Fumes

One of the best things about being a knitter in Maryland is having the opportunity to attend Maryland Sheep & Wool which is held annually on the first full weekend of May. This year's festival proved to be as fun and amazing as ever. It was especially wonderful to talk to and watch experienced spinners since I am trying to learn how to spin on a drop spindle. They were so patient while answering my beginner's questions as to the best fibers to start out with, drafting techniques and so forth. But all their wonderful fiber advice flew out the window the moment I stepped into the Loop booth. Fiber candy everywhere...it was impossible to resist!

bullseye bump in arctic spruce (merino/corriedale/nylon/angelina)

Another hard to resist purchase was at the popular Tess' Designer Yarns booth, where I walked away with 660 yards of cotton candy yarn.

I have several fun projects planned for this yarn, one of which is the Color Affection Shawl. Yes, I have caught the affliction/infection!

combined with neon rose and gossamer by Madelinetosh

And then there was the impulsive no plans but it must come home with me now buy of the day:

The yarn fumes and fried twinkies made me do it.



(Go to WIP Wednesday and join in the fun! I also want to say a huge thank you and shout of excitement for being one of the ten finalists in the 'Something A Bit Different' Creative Blogging Award. There are quite a few WIP Wednesday regulars on this list and I am thrilled to be among their company. Please check out the many creative posts for that day by typing 3KCBWDAY5 in your search engine.)