Last Saturday a chartered bus left Yarn Cravin' at 6:30 am for the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI. Bad Amy organized the whole thing and we owe her many thanks because we had a lot of fun!
It was about a three hour drive, which of course means three hours to chatter and knit. I am not used to getting up at 5 on a Saturday (or ever!) so I must admit I also snoozed a little. We made it to the fair before 10 and hit the ground shopping!
There were four or five big buildings packed full of vendors as well as a dozen outside booths, so I didn't make any purchases before I had made one circuit and had seen everything. I didn't go to the festival with a real plan, just waited to see what would catch my eye.
I didn't buy any yarn, but I got some beautiful fiber.
This is 8oz of Romney wool and Mohair, colorway Autumn Leaves. I bought it from White Creek Wool of Deford, MI. It feels fabulous and I am excited to see how it will spin. I also bought some undyed silk hankies to try to dye myself.
My big purchase came from Hillcreek Fiber Studio of Columbus, Missouri. They make wooden looms for continuous strand weaving. Their looms range from 6" squares to 7' triangle looms. They also make beautiful tripod stands to hold the looms.
I have been drooling over big triangle looms online for awhile, so being faced with them in person was sorely tempting. I bet I made five visits to that booth before I finally made up my mind. I could have easily put the unassembled 7' triangle loom in the cargo space under the bus, but I wasn't so sure I could get it into Kermit to take it home. It also seemed like a lot of money to spend not knowing if I would even like continuous strand weaving. In the end, I elected to get an 18" square loom instead. It makes good sized squares you can seam into blankets, and it is small enough to be portable. I also bought 2 skeins of Lanaloft, knowing I would not survive the three hour trip home without a chance to play with my new toy.
Turns out the weaving is easy and the potential plaid effects are pretty cool. I wove diligently and had my first square done before we crossed into Ohio. (It's a little crumpled because I stuffed it into a bag.)
I have plenty of yarn for a second square, which I have already started. I'm using the same plaid pattern, just reversing the colors.
Now I have a whole Lanaloft blanket planned. I bought more solid/variegated combos at Yarn Cravin' on Tuesday night.
I think 9 squares will make a nice baby blanket and heaven knows there is no shortage of new babies right now. My goal is to get square #2 done this weekend. More is possible, but I am working this weekend and I have also started a cool new sweater for M, so I am trying to be realistic.
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