My garden is too sunny for Bleeding Heart, these belong to my sister-in-law, Mary. I love the color and the delicateness of the blooms.

Have a terrific weekend!

After the meeting we had lunch at a very nice restaurant. Not only did I have a delicious prime rib salad but I also had a beer. At lunch. On a Wednesday. That was good thing #2.

I had another very brief meeting to attend after lunch and then I headed for home. I was a bit of a ways away and rather than taking the highway back I took the scenic route. I saw beautiful fields of wildflowers, a stream where someone was fly fishing, lots of farm equipment, and a pond or two or three. I thought about stopping and taking photos at all of those places but I didn't so you'll just have to use your imagination. Everything was green and lush and springlike. That was good thing #3.

When I got home I headed to the cell phone store to see about activating my replacement Palm Centro. You see, my brand new phone had been acting up but since it was still under warranty I was able to get a replacement at no cost. When I got home I synced it up and found that all my content transferred quickly and accurately. That was good thing #4.

Last night at "quilting" I spun up a whole basket of fiber. It was soft and pretty and I filled a bobbin. That was good thing #5.

It's important to stop and add up the good things now and again, don't you think?

Here we see Betsy, Vicki, Terry, Cheryl and Kelly each doing their part for the competition. Each team had 3 hours to start with a fleece and end with a shawl. They were required to have a theme and The Gogh Gogh's theme was "Starry Night" or something like that. They took their inspiration for the shawl from Van Gogh's painting and they ran with it.

They painted a gorgeous warp in advance of the competition.

They knitted sleeping caps and made pajamas to wear as costumes.

They won the blue ribbon!

And made a really gorgeous shawl to boot. It doesn't get any more exciting than that, Martha.

It was lots of fun to watch and I'm so proud of my friends. Next year, though, they'd better watch out. I think there will be a new team in town. Hee hee!

Dale and I headed north on Friday after work. It was so wonderful to have an entire weekend away. While the festival was our main goal in going away, we also relished our time together in the hotel. We had a beautiful room with a jacuzzi, room service and very nice amenities. It was the perfect respite each evening.

I'm sure you're happy to hear about our romantic getaway but I know why you're really here - to hear about the festival. I wouldn't dream of disappointing you. Allow me to present Saturday:

Like any good fiber festival, it's all about the people.

People who goof on you.

People who hug.

People who wear shawls.

And people who wear boots.

People who buy a fleece.

And people who exclaim over the fleece. Truly, this is the picture of the day. As always, more pictures are available on my flickr page.

The best part about Saturday was that I really got a chance to visit with everyone. Because there are no lines cough, Maryland, cough there is lots more time for catching up, hanging out, shopping and even knitting. It was relaxing and I honestly felt like there was time for everything and that's certainly something that doesn't happen often at a fiber festival. Hooray for the laidbackness that is NH!

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the excitement that was Sunday morning.

A co-worker remarked to me yesterday that she thinks the flowering trees are especially beautiful this year. After contemplating my flowering crab tree, I'd have to agree.

Have a fabulous weekend!

The green is a lovely shade of sage and the pattern is Artichoke Socks from Soxie. They are so very delicate and pretty.

Katie also included some heirloom petunia seeds from her mother-in-law's garden, a tube of Burt's Bee's Peppermint Foot Cream, and some dark chocolate covered cranberries. Mmmmm. Of course, I sure can use that foot cream this time of year!

Thanks for a beautiful pair of May Day socks, Katie! And thanks, Emily and Lynne, for organizing this sock swap!

Breaking News!

Okay, if you're going to New Hampshire Sheep & Wool this weekend this announcement is for YOU. We are gathering for a picnic potluck at Noon on Saturday in the picnic grove. Everyone is welcome - please pass the word along!

Be there or be square!

Hillary is an excellent hostess and tour guide. She arranged tickets for us on a Tourmobile that allowed us to hit all the hot spots in just one day.

The Capital. Apparently I am more patriotic than I ever realized because I got goosebumps when we pulled up in front. Either that or I'm just a dork. The senate was in session while we were there (you can tell because there's an American flag flying over the senate building) and we saw a cat on a leash - how funny is that?

We toured the Botanical Gardens. I took lots and lots of pictures there. Lots.

The Lincoln Memorial is truly impressive. The view of the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument is gorgeous. And the statue of Lincoln is truly awe inspiring. I actually had tears in my eyes when I looked up at him. I told you I was a dork.

We also saw:

The Vietnam Wall, the Korean War Memorial, and The White House. That was just Friday!

On Sunday we went back and visited the Jefferson Memorial.

While not as moving as the Lincoln Memorial it's still pretty impressive in its own right.

We also visited the FDR Memorial. This one wasn't on my list but Hillary kept telling me I'd love it and she was right. It really tells his story and it's very well done.

I took loads and loads of photos - I've got enough Eye Candy Friday content for a long time to come. If you're interested you can see them all on my flickr page.

All too soon it was time for me to head home. It was a whirlwind tour, it's true, but it was really beautiful and I'm so glad I went. Thanks again, Hillary and family for hosting me. In the words of The Terminator, I'll be back.

We arrived around 9 am after sitting in a long line of traffic. Honestly, that line of traffic set the tone for the day because this festival, while terrific and satisfying, is all about the lines! For instance, look at this line:

This is the line for festival swag. We stood in it for over an hour and a half. And yes, that's a long time. But, it was worth it. For one thing, the sale of festival merchandise is what supports the festival financially. It allows for free admission and free parking and I'm all for keeping that sentiment going. And for another thing, this may be the only time I ever get to attend Maryland Sheep & Wool and I wanted stuff to prove I was there. I loaded myself down with a t-shirt for me, a baseball cap for Dale, a bunch of note cards and some festival pins.

There were also lines for buying yarn and roving, lines for the restrooms, lines for the food. You get the idea, I'm sure. Thankfully, Hillary's friend Felicia had the wherewithal to suggest that we bring lunch. As much as I wanted a corn dog, I wasn't willing to wait in a long line to get one!

Now, don't think those lines stopped me from having a good time. Honestly, I love a fiber festival for one very special reason: the PEOPLE. I bumped into old friends and made a few new ones.

Here is Risa and Jessica. Risa was a huge enabler help when I was first learning to spin and Jessica and I have emailed so many times throughout Summer of Socks that it was great to meet each other in person.

And here is Dave. Like his new outfit? I think he's stylin'. He has promised to be sporting this same get up look at New Hampshire Sheep & Wool this coming weekend so many of you will actually get to witness this for yourself.

Then there was this guy, whose name I do not know but I just had to take a picture of him because of this shirt. I think I know what Dale is getting for his birthday. Hee.

Finally, I got to meet Lolly! She and I have corresponded through our blogs for a few years now and I was so happy to get to hug her and chat for a few minutes. Lolly, you need to come up here and visit one of our festivals!

I am proud of myself for not just wearing my camera around my neck but for actually remembering to take photos. I knew you'd want to see some yarn

And sheep.

And what I bought.


This is all that came home with me. The thought of packing fiber into a suitcase and lugging it on the plane kept my spending to a limit. Not to mention that most of my favorite vendors at this festival will also be in NH next weekend (potluck picnic plans are underway - stay tuned for details!) and then I'll have Dale with me to carry around all my stuff. Ahem.

We did not make it to the Ravelry meet up or the Ravelry party, which was definitely a bummer. But you can only fit so much into a day and we crammed in a lot!

So, Maryland in a nutshell: long lines, great people, good fun.

I love this single pink tulip that's blooming in my garden right now. So strong and yet so fragile. So pink and yet so . . . well, pink. Just for you, Cookie!

I'm off on my trip to Washington, DC and Maryland Sheep and Wool. I'm excited to meet Hillary and (hopefully) many other blogging friends. Wish me safe travels and blue skies, won't you? Thanks!

Look for a new post here on Tuesday and have a great weekend!

Twist

I wanted to cast on for this sweater the minute I tried on Caro's back at SPA. And I finally did a few weeks ago. The back is about 3/4 done at this point. The yarn is Peace Fleece and the pattern is very well written and easy to understand. I'm so glad I got over my fear of cables. You all were right, they really are fun! I've sort of lost my steam on this project since it's gotten too warm to wear it, but I'll plug away at it and be rewarded with a nice new sweater when the fall comes.

Daffodil Socks

Because there are always socks. The yarn is Carole's Eye Candy Friday in Daffodil in Mama E's -C*EYE*BER Fiber Coordinates, dyed for me and gifted to me by none other than Mama-E. I love it! I didn't expect it to stripe but I'm pleased that it's happening. These will be on the plane with me tomorrow.

Icarus Shawl

This shawl has been on my to-knit list forever and I'm so glad to have finally started it. The yarn is Judy's Arequipa from Ball and Skein and I was originally going to use it for Twinings. But the variegations and the pattern weren't a good match and I ditched that for Icarus and I'm glad I did. I'm almost finished with the last repeat of chart one and then it's one to the edging charts. Woot!

So that's what's knitting here. What are you knitting today?

Our set up on Friday was simple and fast. Even a 12X12 tent and fly goes up quickly when you have such cute help.

We had two new additions to our program this year - musicians and confederates. The musicians are part of a local folk music group called Rocky Run. They made such a difference to the event. Not only did they learn period appropriate music but they even made a concerted effort to dress for occasion.

The addition of Confederates allowed for a tiny skirmish to take place and spectators always love a good skirmish! Those Confederates held the Union soldiers off for a good long while but eventually the odds (20-2) caught up with them and they surrendered.

Dinner Saturday night was a wonderful meal of beef stew cooked over the campfire along with a chicken cooked on a spit, biscuits, and homemade pie for dessert. Eating outside always makes everything taste better!

Here's my favorite picture of the day, taken by Chris, a blogger I met for the first time on Saturday. See that smile on my face? It's two fold. First, I'm smiling because I'm waltzing with my husband. Second, I'm smiling because the event is winding down. It's a lot of fun but it's a lot of work and I'm happy to put it to rest for another year.

P.S. More pictures on flickr, if you're interested.

These are the finished Primavera Socks. They are for my May Day Sock Swap pal. The yarn is Trekking color 145. It's very bright orange but my sock pal indicated orange as one of her favorite colors so I think I chose well.

Teyani brought this pattern - a free Ravelry download - to my attention and I'm so glad she did! It's simple but entertaining and I found that it knit up very fast. I did substitute my usual heel and toe treatments rather than use the ones as written in the pattern.

On Thursday these socks will be winging their way to my sock swap partner. And I will be winging my way to Maryland Sheep & Wool. That's right. I'm going to stay with Hillary. We'll be touring DC on Friday and hitting the festival on Saturday. I'll be back home on Sunday night - a whirlwind trip, for sure! But you know it won't be so fast that I won't remember to capture every little detail for you guys. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it.

Two posts in one day! I couldn't resist showing you the mince pie I made this morning. Dale says it's a work of art and should be on the cover of a magazine. But I think we'll eat it instead.

This weekend is our 4th annual Frank Harlow Day - the living history that we put on here in our town. Keep your fingers crossed for blue skies for us. And I promise to save you a slice of pie!

I hope you aren't tired of daffodils because I can't seem to stop photographing them. They are everywhere I look right now, dotting the landscape with their sunny yellow petals and bright orange centers. Ahhhh.

Have a great weekend!