3rd Annual Carolina FiberFest

I went to the FiberFest on Sunday morning with my mother-in-law. Our men-folk were also at the NC State Fairgrounds, but they wandered about the rest of the "Got to be NC Festival" of which the FiberFest was a part. This year's Carolina FiberFest was quite a bit bigger than last year's, and just as fun. I didn't take any classes, but I did have a great time wandering through the demos and vendor booths. So much alpaca (and angoras and buffalo and cotton and wool), so little time!

Since my workshop is now nearly complete (blog post and photos coming soon), I took the precaution of going through all of my yarn before going to the FiberFest. I had to organize it anyhow, so I thought checking to see what I owned before going to buy more was essential. MM was very happy with me for at least trying to put the brakes on. I only bought one ball of lace weight yarn, Schoppel Wolle Zauberball (lace ball), in shades of blue. I couldn't resist it, but found out that the free pattern it came with really won't work with the yarn. Oh well, I'll find another.

My mother-in-law, however, found more that she couldn't resist. She bought some lovely pure Angora yarn from the Cozy Rabbit Farm that she'll use to knit a headband/ear warmers with. She travels a lot and needs something she can take along. She also found that she needs to have a lace shawl for her travels, but when she said she didn't think she's up to knitting lace, I volunteered to help her out. I'm so generous! lol She found the pattern and yard she wanted at The Unique Sheep.
The ladies there were very helpful, and helped her to find just the right colorway for her. She had to order the yarn I'll use to knit the shawl because they were out of the colorway she liked in the fiber that doesn't irritate her skin. Since she sensitive to wool, she tested a merino superwash/Tencel mix and it turns out she's fine with this fiber. Unfortunately, they were out of the colorway she liked best (Carribbean) in this fiber, so we'll have to wait a couple of weeks for it to come in.

I also finished up a sweater this weekend for my friend's daughter who turned 4 over the weekend. I will get it back and take some photos to post here. Yes, I should have remembered to take photos before wrapping.

Carolina FiberFest 2010

The second annual Carolina FiberFest was last weekend (May 21-23) and it was great! I took some time on Friday morning and went over to the NC State Fairgrounds. The whole festival was put on in conjunction with an annual AgFest, so there was a lot of bustle on the fairgrounds in general. I went on Friday to beat the crowds, and I'm glad I did. I met up with a few friends, picked out some new yarns, met some new friends and signed up to take a spinning class next month!

I've been toying with the idea of learning how to use a drop spindle for a long time, mostly to copy WK. :) just joking A few months ago, I picked up a book called "Spin to Knit" by Shannon Okey. I intended to review the book here, but never got around to it. I did actually read the book, though, and think it's very informative and helpful. I just didn't have any fiber or tools, so I didn't dive right in. There were a lot of people spinning in the vendor booths, at exhibit tables and so forth at the FiberFest, so I started thinking of buying a drop spindle. I even interrupted someone who was spinning in her booth with some questions I had from reading. She gave me a nice little demo and some advice (which I think I can remember until I get a spindle).

One of the ladies from the Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild was at the FiberFest, and we started chatting when I sat down at their table to knit for a while. Anyhow, she let me know she's teaching a drop spindle spinning class at my favorite LYS on June 6, so I ran over and signed up. The fee includes fiber and a drop spindle, so I decided it would be best to strengthen what I'd learned from the book with hands-on practice.

Hopefully, the next time I post, I'll have a photo or two of something I've accomplished!