New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival

Yesterday I went to the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, along with Lucy and Hugh and two younger folk. This was my first time to this particular festival, and I was really excited. Not only would I get to see sheep and goats and alpacas, but I'd get to spend some time with folk I like a lot.

I paced myself, and didn't buy the first yarn I saw (you knew there would be some yarn carnage, right? I mean, I am a yarn whore), but judiciously checked out the merchandise at various vendors. The only thing I absolutely had to have was undyed black alpaca.

I got more than just undyed black alpaca, though. But I didn't spend all my money, and thought I did quite well.

A hand dyed wool from Jan Marek Raczkowski Studio. There were five of these (all from different dye lots) the first time I walked past, and only three left when I returned at the end of our day. I bought two of them. I am thinking a sweater or a vest.

A skein each of undyed black and silver alpaca yarn, from Big Red Acres. So soft, so sleek. I am thinking a hat or a scarf, with alternating stripes. The picture doesn't do justice to the silver yarn.

 

This gorgeous yarn from Decadent Fibers LLC, is 90% wool and 10% nylon, for making socks. Hugh has said that he will teach me how to make socks with this awesome blue yarn. I have long avoided learning how to make socks, since I know that I will suffer from second sock syndrome.

 



 

This is a terrific purple made of wool, from Zwool. It's a heavy wool, a bit scratchy, but so beautiful that I couldn't leave it behind.

 

 

This black and white twist is alpaca, about 300 yards, from A Touch of Twist. A scarf? A shawlette? It's so beautiful and soft, I couldn't resist.

 

These two skeins come from Sweet Maple Alpacas, the top a marled brown and cream that just called my name. The lower one of the skeins of undyed black alpaca. Interestingly, both this one and the other skein of undyed black are different shades, coming as they did from different animals on different farms. Still, both are really beautiful and lustrous.

 

This was the loot I brought back with me. I can't wait to knit it up.

 

While at the NHS&WF, Hugh and I met a delightful lesbian couple whilst in line to buy lunch. We sat together and exposed ourselves to some delightful conversation (one of them was at Simmons GSLIS when I was there, though we were in different tracks), and got to feel the raw wool that they had just bought. Soooo soft. Sooo sensuous. It makes me want to become much more serious about spinning.

 

I got home late in the afternoon, exhausted, happy, and weighted down with some very fine yarns. And brochures and cards from some of the vendors whose wares I wanted to buy, but didn't. I think I might be contacting them in the next few weeks to add some of their fine yarns to my stash.

 

 

 



 

 







And So It Goes

While not having internet at home makes it difficult to write a blog, being away for almost two months is not good. Bad blogger! No biscuit. Or worse, bad knitter, no yarn!

A lot has been on here. Windsor Button Shop, a favourite yarn store, closed after more than 75 years of business. Today is the last day of Mind's Eye Yarns, another favourite, closing after 16 years. Fortunately, someone has bought Mind's Eye, and it will reopen in June, though I'm not sure under what name. But it's still sad to be losing a local institution, so close after losing another local institution. Now where will I learn to use my spinning wheel?

I've been busy knitting, at least, if  not blogging. I've got a bunch of projects on the needles, a cowl for my god-daughter, in Milanese loop, using Madeleine Tosh DK. A sweater for myself, using Cascade 128 chunky. Several Noro striped scarves, in Silk Garden and in Kureyon. I've been working on finishing a sweater I started five years ago, using Rowan's British Breeds yarn (blueface Leicester). I've had some help with that, since I've never had to sew sleeves on before (all my other sweaters have knit the sleeves from the body of the sweater). That should done just in time for summer! Oh well, at least I'll have it for next year.

Tomorrow I'm going to the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival with some friends. I will try to bring home only pictures, but I have a sense that I'll be bringing home some yarn. At least I won't be bringing home a sheep or an alpaca.