2012 MD Sheep and Wool Fest: The Stuff

At 9 am, I sprinted to the main hall for fleece along with what seemed like a million other people. I managed to find a lovely Jacob and an interesting Romney X. I bought 4.5 pounds of each. I was very pleased to find these smallish bags because washing 12 pounds of the same thing last year was a bit much.

The Romney X had this little fact sheet inside. I managed to use it to find the farm display over in the barns.

 Harvard wasn't there but it was fun to meet some of his relatives. The Mister made friends with some of his cousins. They were very sweet. Last night I got a message from heyjoan over on Ravelry that let me know that my Jacob fleece comes from a sheep named Scotty. Apparently she won first place in the Jacob Class.  I certainly know how to pick a good fleece!

After hauling the fleece back to the car, I stopped in at Misty Mountain Farm and bought some Polwarth in the Summer Breeze colorway to spin into next year's shawl which WILL BE Summer Flies. I saw two on Sunday that took my breath away. I must have one.

 I then had a nervous breakdown in the Loop trying to decide on a colorway. It was awful. I wanted them all. I totally went against type and put back all the rainbow ones that I had been hoarding and decided on this dark and ominous November Night colorway. Even The Mister questioned my choice but something in me wanted to spin this-so I will.

Then I picked up this braid of Vegetable Medley Polwarth at Into the Whirled. I can't get enough Polwarth. It is one of the only animal fibers I can wear on my head or neck. I love it and some years it is hard to find. Last year I came home empty handed after walking my legs off looking for some. This year I hit the jackpot. I saw someone in a spectacular rectangular shawl that looked like it was knit from a colorway like this-so of course now I want one of those too. My lace spindles are going to be busy this summer.

At Heirlooms I found this brushed Kid Mohair and Silk. This is so totally not like me. I hate Mohair. It's itchy but for some reason I want some. I am actually strangely obsessed with having some. I want to crochet a flower motif shawl and I am too lazy to change colors so I plan on using these 3 skeins in place of lots of single color skeins. I think. I have to swatch it to see if my plan will work. If it doesn't I am sure I will find a use for them-or not.

 Daughter always buys me a bag of Merino from Pucker Brush Farms for Mother's Day but this year they didn't have anything that struck my fancy. I was very disappointed but I remembered I had seen these other Polwarth (of course) braids at Misty Mountain Farm so she bought them for me instead. The red is Mahogany and the green is Walk in the Woods.

 The one thing on my list that I really needed was dye. I needed orange. I needed navy blue. Bingo. Mission accomplished. I think there will be some orange and navy Romney X and Jacob in my future.

Another thing crossed off my list was soap. Goat soap. I wanted some that smelled good and some that didn't smell like anything for my face. I should have bought more. A year is a long time.

 After Daughter had departed, The Mister and I were taking our final stroll around the fairgrounds when I spied this Party in a Bag at Pucker Brush Farms. My feet are here for scale. It is an enormous bag of mixed odds and ends. It's full of sparkle. Just perfect for princesses like me who wear wool. See my post on Day 1 if that sounds crazy.

I can spin it as is and still have enough to blend with other wool in the carder. It made me happy enough that I was able to leave on Saturday but all the way home my brain was thinking about what I needed to get on Sunday. I barely slept Saturday night.

Sock yarn. I needed sock yarn. I have zillions of balls already but I needed more. Irrational, I know, but I never argue with myself at the Sheep and Wool Fest. I bought this Zino by Plymouth. Never heard of it, but I liked the color and so did my sisters. I had to let them help me decide because by Sunday I had lost the ability to make choices about color. I was worn out.

Mercifully my very last purchase was a yarn bowl and there was no question of colors. I had seen it earlier in the day and rushed down to the main hall just before we left to get it. I found it at the Woolstock Yarn Shop and they did a magnificent job of wrapping it for me. Daddio came close to breaking it several times but I am happy to report that the pretty thing is home safe and sound.
Whew....now where on earth am I going to put all this?