Sunday, May 6, 2007

What can be better than a day full of wool and sheep and knitting friends?

Yes, I had all three yesterday, and it was wonderful! Three knitting friends from the Newark Knitters Group (YarnMama, reluctantMANGO, and RangerSarah), and I traveled together to the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD for the 34th annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It was my first time there, but reMANGO and RangerSarah were very able guides through the hub-bub.

We started at 6:30am, and were rewarded with a decent parking place not too far from the entrance. Close enough, at least, that we could return to the car halfway through the day, to get our lunches and drop off our purchases to that point.

It seemed there was no where on the premises that the sound of sheep bleating didn't reach your ears. And they were all so cute: big ones, little ones, shorn and fluffy ones. I also saw my first alpacas (they remind me of llamas, but more sheep-sized) and llamas, which I find adorable. We took a break in the middle of morning shopping to catch a sheep dog demonstration, which turned out to be truly amazing. The dogs know exactly what to do to keep the sheep where the herder/master wants them, and do it with finesse.

(baby sheep, alpacas, and llama, top to bottom)

We all made some great purchases, as you can see in our "stash photo" at the end of the day! I personally picked up several sock yarns (I WILL make socks!!! I simply must learn. The super-soft, pink/white handpainted sock yarn from Shelridge Farm will be a good enticement.), some uniquely-colored green/black yarn with sparkles to make a scarf, and some candy-cane striped yarn to make a sleeveless top.

2 comments:

reluctantMANGO said...

Yay! I'm so glad you were able to come with us :) I had a great time too, even though I haven't had time to even fondle my new yarns yet... I'll have to make up for lost time this weekend!!!

Sarah said...

I can't wait to see what you'll make with your pink and white yarn - I think it will look awesome. I hope things are going well with your socks, and that you haven't set them on fire yet!