at last. The last week before a show can be frantic with all the packing going on the same time as work for the next show continues. I must be sure there is enough dyed yarn to keep Adrianna busy while we are gone and most importantly, things have to be “in order” when I walk out the door to get in the truck.

Despite all the work, we found time for a belated birthday celebration dinner for Crystal while at the same time being surprised by Alissa with a newly completed sweater.  Persephone, designed by Alissa and knit by Merry Moore just barely made it to the sample container for Stitches Midwest. We had a nice dinner and a few toasts to the birthday girl AND got a new sweater to show off at Stitches. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Amid the packing and continuing construction on the new yarn studio and shop, we also had scheduled some concrete resurfacing to the old decks around the swimming pool. The company had been advised that the work  had to be finished by the 16^th or started after our return from Stitches. Well, in true construction fashion, they didn’t show up until Thursday afternoon. Preparation for the work was tedious and when they left that first day, everything was shrouded in plastic and tape for the next days work. What we really needed at this time was for it to rain. Not only did it rain on Thursday night but also lasted until noon on Friday.

No concrete workers on Friday but Dena and I still had a big day of dyeing to get done. Seventy pounds of Acero later, the small grassy area beside the dye deck was covered with wet yarn. All of our drying racks had to be moved to accommodate the concrete work that was yet to be done. For two days now, the chairs, tables, umbrellas, potted plants and yarn racks had been moved to new temporary locations.

No problem. I can handle a lack of order as long as it is for short periods of time. The disorder of the backyard being the icing on the cake when added to the stacks of packed containers in the house, the ironing yet to be done and my desk looking as if all the files have been emptied of their contents between the computer and the printer. Did I forget to mention the yarn from the previous 2 days needing to be packed into containers and labeled for Adrianna to reskein and label. I did mention that I HATE DISORDER. Friday came and went and Saturday found us checking the drive frequently for our concrete crew. Nada by 9 am….10:30 am…but finally by 1045 we have men! I was determined to not hover by the windows to watch the progress. Not that I don’t find it entertaining, watching men work, but laundry awaits.

is no longer an option. I have tried to put out of my mind the scorching heat, the endless supply of white yarn waiting to be transformed and the non-stop watering needed to keep my yard and garden alive. This is a mid day high experienced over the last 2 weeks.

We have had actual high temps of 107 with a heat index of 114 degrees. I keep telling myself that once “hot” ……. I can’t get any hotter, but…….that is a big fat lie.  I turn on the fan, light up the propane burners and just get it done. The late afternoon swim and a beer with Randall and Abby is an afternoon reprieve that keeps me moving when the desire to escape to the house is its strongest.

Around here, the people aren’t the only ones looking for ways to stay cool. Three month old Great Pyrenees pup, Chica, has found her own way to define the “dog days of summer”………

We have had our annual trip to Crystal Lake, IL for the Midwest Folk and Fiber Arts Festival and enjoyed everything but the heat…. mosquitoes….and high fuel prices. Geez, that sounds like home!

And get home we did. Back to the routine of working and planning. Amid the daily routine of gathering dried yarn to make room for new batches, Randall found this critter happily nestled in a skein of yarn.

After a few pictures and some good natured kidding, we hustled him out of harm’s way (hopefully, a distance from future yarn) and vowed to take a good look before looping our arms through the hanging yarn next time.

Knitting these days has taken a back seat to almost everything. Not able to sleep late in the morning (630 am is late for me) , I can be found out on the patio with a cup of coffee and working on one of several UFOs. My most favorite mindless project of late is the Spanish Dancer Shawl  pattern from Knitty.com. Made from BFY, Acero on size 7 needles, this “400 stitch cast on” project will take a while to finish but I think it is going to be beautiful.

Abby doesn’t much appreciate me knitting during our ball throw/fetch time of day but her sulking is of shorter duration than mine when deprived of something I really enjoy.

Sometimes I have to wonder if a few days away from the farm and business, family, responsibilities are worth the time it takes to get ready to go. Trying to unpack from Estes, achieve some level of progress on the dyeing front for the week and complete the post show inventory is a bit of a challenge when not tired and needing to prepare for a lace knitting retreat.There is always a way to do what is important and I consider the need to further my knitting skills way on up there on that list of things to do. My 3 inches of the Optic Waves Shawl requires that I get cracking on the lace knitting.

Friday rolls around before I know it and Dena and I make short order of the inventory and proceed to rush around and complete household chores and pack. By 3:30pm, we are on our way to Lakeview Conference Center in Maypearl, TX. The trip is short enough that if we forget something vital, we can run home and be back in an hour. But, sometimes distance isn’t the measure of worth when spending time away from home.

We arrive at the center and quickly find the “Comal Room” where we are met by Alissa and Annise with rows of tables and all of our places marked with cheerful metal buckets with goodies.

How fun…. Those of us early in the arrival time slot get to choose our colors of buckets and yarn. Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have told those who arrived late!

No rest for the weary at this retreat. Alissa quickly has us knitting a swatch and playing with stitch combinations right before she has us purposely omitting stiches and repairing them. Good thing this was all done with worsted weight yarn. This is much easier for the  newbies to see what was going on in this peek at the “lace” knitting world.

Saturday morning finds us all quickly settling into our projects, a beautiful lace scarf designed by Alissa. Chart reading became the object of Dena’s focus while I struggled with the written pattern. Slowly, some of the fog and mystery surrounding lace begins to lift and we see that it is merely the systematic execution of stitches that we already know how to do. Sounds so simple. Surely after lunch I will be focused and sated and ready to knit.

A nice long break in the afternoon allowed some of us to take a quick trip to Heritage Arts in Grandview, TX. We find Sue minding the store and Lorelei tending the monthly spinners meeting.

This sunny and hot day at the Beaumont Ranch is the perfect backdrop for retreat excursion and we manage to do a little shopping before returning to the conference center.The rest of the day is filled with class work, dinner, more class work and a return to the classroom for more relaxed knitting, chatting and laughing. Actually, a lot of that went on all weekend.

Evening finds us getting a first hand experience with the use of blocking wires.  Melissa has a newly finished shawl that needed Alissa’s guidance into shape.

I do believe I came away fro this experience with my brain knowing how to knit lace but my fingers must learn to take orders from the brain and not be influence by the laughter and talk of my classmates. I think all I need to perfectly execute my knitted lace scarf is my yarn, needles, pattern and a 6’ x 6’ soundproof room with a comfortable chair and good lighting. If anything diverts my attention….. even the sound of a bottle of water being opened or the drop of a pen from the table…. sends my brain leaping forward to the third repeat of the K4, YO…. or adding another K1 before the YO instead of after it. The mind is a dangerous thing, capable of sending a beautiful pattern into an unintelligible mess with lightning speed.

Saturday night, Dena and I call it quits about 11:30 while most of the attendees are still going strong. I know they did go to bed since the classroom was  locked  and quiet at 8:45 on Sunday morning. Once all convened, there is a little time left and it is well spent fixing last minute mistakes, admiring Melissa’s newly blocked shawl, snapping pictures and receiving some end of lesson reminders.

The best of all is the people you meet at events such as this….. the time to spend exchanging ideas and experiences and planning for the “next time”. For some of us the next time will be in Lindale, TX come September when our very own KnittingFairy tackles those of us who have yet to complete a sock…. (and those who say they do it because they love socks).

Until then, I will return to dyeing yarn and getting ready for MidWest Folk and Fiber Arts Festival in Crystal Lake, IL. I know, I forgot to mention that I will be working on several UFOs, including the retreat scarf, my vest and the solana afghan!  I must sleep less and knit more.

Things and time have been getting away from me lately. I left for Estes Park with the intention of writing a post while on the way. As you can easily see, that didn’t happen. We left home feeling prepared and ready but as time would tell, we managed to forget one of the most important components of our show inventory…… the container of our knitted samples! It would be easy to point the finger but what needs to be is a resolution on both our parts to …..never, ever trust the other one to remember everything or anything when it comes to packing for a trip. A call home to Dena proved that we were just negligent. There the container sat on the edge of the concrete pad of the annex, looking sad and forgotten, just waiting to be put in the back of the trailer.

All of our Estes customers will have to wait another year to see the new goodies ( Triple S Shawl and the Lunch Bag done in Solo, Baby’s First Sweater and Natalie’s Hat and Scarf in Solana, the Swinging Summer Shell in Mas Acero, and the Ellie Shawl done in the thick and thin bliss of the Ellie yarn). As usual, The KnittingFairy rocks!

Once all the work was done and we await the customers on Friday afternoon, Randall and I pick up some sandwiches and drinks and head to the Rocky Mtn. National Park for a picnic. A little breather before the official opening of the festival is needed. One, we needed to eat, two, it is always a marvelous place to sit and contemplate the beauty of nature, and thirdly, Randall wants to pull out his “senior pass” to all National Parks. Regardless of all the reasons, it was a good way to spend a couple of hours. I managed to snap a not so great picture of this.

I hope to identify him/her when I have my bird book in hand but if anyone knows what it is, please feel free to educate me.

I do believe that I would not have this picture unless some well meaning visitors violated the rules and fed him. He was much too close and patiently waiting a dropped morsel. Unfortunately, the only thing dropped was a crumb of bread and the ground squirrel was much faster and less cautious.

Before you can say “spin me some wool sweet spinster” the whole weekend was over and done. Nothing left to do but pack it all up and head out of the mountains. Packing this time included loading up a 7 month old maremma guard dog to bring back to Texas to friends/family, Vernon and Sara Bewley. This sounds to be a fairly straight forward and simple task. Previous owner only casually mentions the fact that he is sweet and protective but does not walk on a leash. I don’t remember him saying that this sweet faced, strange eyed pup actually sits when leashed and refuses to move. I can use all sorts of adjectives to describe this dog because in his 7 months, no one has ever given him a name. I am sure all of the goat people had  amultitude of names for him as he was housed in the goat tent for the weekend and somehow got the impression he was to guard ALL the goats in the tent from ALL the people in the tent. After a bit, he was temporarily banished to a trailer until we could get to him. All was well once we learned that if we wanted to get home before Wednesday, we would need to carry him to the truck. We did and he did fine. After 3 hours we arrive at the hotel, take him out for a walk….pull….. tug…run after him, offer some water and food and again tuck him in. I slept with the hotel window open in case he caused a ruckus in the parking lot! None was heard…. guess that means I didn’t hear if he pitched a fit or two.

After a morning conversation with Randall, Mr. Noname slowly got the hang of walking to and from the truck and only required a lift up.

Progress continues with me frequently fretting about the so far, non functional plumbing on this dog. On rest stop number 2 along the way I thought some real exercise might help. Sure enough, nothing like a brisk jog around a park perimeter (on leash) to assure me ( I am sure the dog knew) that all worked as it was intended. I know the dog felt better and I was enormously relieved . I am happy to report that Mr. Noname was met at the appointed spot on I20 and in short order was on his way home. A new home with a herd of angora goats and sheep awaiting him. A home that will soon erase the memories of miles and miles of travel from CA to Texas with hoards of strange people, sights, smells and sounds. Finally peace and tranquility in Stephenville, TX., where I am sure he will find a noble and fitting name.

Rediscovery is what happens when you know something, put it on the back burner long enough to have it be a distant memory and then one day, jerk it back to the front of the line. Case in point, I am spinning again. No, not just spinning in circles but sitting down with a little foot action and spinning yarn. There is something magical about the whole thing, taking something very organic and tactile (soft downy wool) and making something very useful. The whole experience is so quixotic but yet practical at the same time.

I have plans for the yarn, unlike my previous encounters with the wheel. I want to knit socks from my own handspun. Guess I should first learn to knit socks although Alissa tells me that she just “has” her handspun yarn. No need to plan for its use, having it is satisfaction enough. That is part of the magic I presume….. just having it. Forget justification, forget the need to explain.

I contemplated a new wheel last fall and bought 2 or 3 fleeces with the objective that once spun, I could say that I am back in the game and viable.

 At that time, the purchase of a new spinning wheel would be in the realm of good judgment and a sound investment. I held off on the purchase until last Saturday. At that time, Susan (Sassy Spinster) says “hey Sherry, that new Louet Julia is here. Want to give it a try?” Try it I did and buy it I did. I have even purchased 8 oz of dyed wool and done a fair bit of spinning. Did I rush home and dye up the 20-30 lbs of fine wool roving stashed in the storeroom? Absolutely not, says I. This woman is determined to win the contest…… you know, she who dies with the most….. dies with the most! 

So, here I am, neglecting my work by spinning yarn. I have yet to do the books on MSWF, get more than 30# of yarn dyed or knit on any of the 4 projects still on the needles, but, I have spun at least 8 oz of wool in the last 5 days. I hold my head high and offer no apologies. I am woman….. hear me defend.

Now I can go to Second Saturday and do something other than pull out my knitting needles, engage in conversation and then frog the knitting. It is such a good time that it really doesn’t matter much if I feel productive at the end of the day because I get to talk fiber, play with fiber and have a nice lunch all in the same day. Come join our little group sometime. I will be the one sporting a brand new Louet.  

PS to Clara….. Gray haired fiber woman can learn a new word now and again!

is all that I could say when we arrived in West Friendship, Maryland. The months of planning, dyeing, reskeining, and labeling had prepared us for the big push into 2008. Since there are fiber festivals and then there are “Fiber Festivals, nothing can quite prepare you for the shear number of vendors, customers, animals and opportunities as the MSWF. And, where else in the country will people stand in line for hours for Tshirts? No where that I have seen.

The 2008 festival finds us with Dena, Crystal, Randall and Mama Duck (the dyer) accompanied by a new face in the crowd. Alissa Barton, The KnittingFairy, arrived armed with her comfortable shoes and a head full of knitting knowledge. How did we get so lucky, I asked myself? If you needed to know…. how much will it take or how do I adapt this pattern, Alissa had the answer. Thank you Alissa for all your help hanging yarn, writing tickets and answering all those questions. I am sure our customers appreciated you as much as we did.

Years ago, Dena raised the question concerning the number of people we take to the show to help and how it relates to the amount of yarn that Randall hangs when getting set up. Since that time we have all noticed that when there are 2, 3, or 4 of us performing that particular task, Randall will find other ways of passing the time…. doing what Randall does best…… visiting, advising, or entertaining our neighboring booths.

 In all fairness, he does get us there….. driving a large truck and pulling an 18’ trailer 12-14 hour a day, set up the tent mostly by himself and good naturedly puts up with the whims of 2-4 women on a daily basis. Randall’s unspoken duty is being responsible for iced down beer at the end of a hard day. We can count on him for this about…hmm ……… about 75% of the time. I must admit that this chore would be easier if he didn’t have to remember who likes what kind of beer!

Aside from ”mule”  duty, Randall is also in charge of finding comfortable and interesting eating opportunities while on the road. Recently, while at home and discussing our road trips with another long time Lancaster resident, I was asked if we ever went to Maryland and did we like crab cakes. My answer was yes to both and at the same time we both jumped on the words….. G&M! G&M is to crab cakes what Campisi’s was to Dallas pizza for years; an institution,  the place to go…. the place to wait in line no matter how long (not for T shirts!), the place to eat when in town. This trip was no exception. G&M does not disappoint in crab cake department.

Our other interesting dining experience was to a place that shall remain “nameless” so as not to offend any locals. Don’t get me wrong, the food is fine and we always have the best of wait staff to take care of us for the evening. What is interesting is the décor/atmosphere of the place…. Sort of reminds us of a very sedate, proper, quiet………..funeral home. This time we took a few pictures…. All the way down to the very “pink” ladies room.

 If you are put off by the “funeral home” aspect of the description, it could also be called “very 70’s country club” in style. Not nearly as funny in retrospect but appropriate as well. Judge for yourself….

Nothing is more calming and tranquil than PINK, right?

The BFY table was slightly less sedate than the rest of the diners. After a little wine, we struck up a conversation with a couple seated nearby. By the time that dinner was over, we were laughing like old friends with a gentleman called “Spoon” and his wife, who admitted to renewing their wedding vows at this establishment. If they minded our comparison of the restaurant to a funeral home, they didn’t show it. This was truly an enjoyable evening after a long hard day.

With a couple of exceptions (please see previous post!), this trip was loads of fun and certainly a memorable one.  We  look forward to 2009 when we will most assuredly have some new and interesting things in the booth….. you see, Randall and Alissa are already planning!

is not my usual mode of operation. It has always been my opinion (instilled by Mom) that if there is something you don’t want to do…… do it first! Somehow, that philosophy has failed me in the last week. I left for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival full of hope for no rain, customers who had not forgotten us and no mishaps or truck failures while in route. I got it all, just as requested. We arrived unscathed, customers remembered and visited us once again and despite all the long range forecasts, no rain dampened our enthusiasm.What was not expected, hoped for or wanted was to encounter a person (one and only one person) who would cause more disappointment, sadness and utter outrage than I ever thought possible at a fiber festival. It appears that someone felt the beautiful orange shawl displayed across from the Primero yarn was destined to be their own. It did not matter that it did not belong to them. In fact, it did not belong to me. This work of art was graciously lent to me by Clara Parkes, of Knitters Review. We proudly displayed it, albeit briefly, and were excited to be able to share it with our customers. In a matter of minutes on Saturday morning, the shawl was whisked away. My urge to cry was only overcome by the urgent need “to do something”. Unfortunately, announcements over the loud speaker system and reports to security and the Howard County Sheriff’s Department were not enough. The shawl is gone and I personally will never be entirely secure in my thought that “fiber people would not do such a thing”.

Every new year brings me a new resolve in many areas of my life. Please note that I do not use the term “resolutions”.  This year was no exception. Most of the things I want to change or improve remain a silent visitor to my head and never escape my lips. This way I never have to admit to defeat or procrastination. I also don’t get bragging rights either. Here I go, getting off track early in the post.

One of my areas of resolve this year includes reconnecting with old friends and making time for myself away from the farm. You know, social kind of things. Dena would swear this will never happen but occasionally I like to surprise her. We started the year with Roc Day at Heritage Arts. I know, this was months ago but I’ve been busy! It was fun to spend the day with fiber minded folks and feed my recent inclinations to go  back to the spinning wheel. I think I may be in love with the idea of buying a new spinning wheel and am trying make it sound reasonable …..rationale  needed!  Again I digress. It was a fun day, good food, nice people and a lot of excitement for the new year. No new wheel  for me but I have scoured 3 fleeces purchased from Barbara Burrows-Renfro at Kid n Ewe.

Another step in this re-socialization of Sherry was last week at Second Saturday on the Square in Lancaster, Texas. This is the time and place for the monthly meeting of the long standing Over The Wheel Gang. What started out as a group of spinners has developed into a large group of spinners, knitters, crocheters, weavers or just lovers of all crafts, who meet once a month and share their recent purchases, new techniques or ideas, prize fleeces or finished objects.

This last Saturday was no exception. Bright sunshine helped warm us in the brisk breeze as we sat, talked, knitted and enjoyed some of the music being performed on the Square.

The very best thing about the whole event is that it is now held in front of Lancaster’s very own fiber shop, The Sassy Spinster, owned and operated by Susan Filgo.

 We are so lucky to have her and look forward to the exciting things to come from Susan and her shop. Stop by and say hi to Susan and Bobbin, the shop guard dog. Watch your step, he may appear to be a soft bundle of fiber at the foot of the spinning wheel just waiting to spun into something glorious.

Susan is living her dream on the north side of the Towne Square, Tuesday through Saturday at the Sassy Spinster . Follow the signs or come by on a Second Saturday and join in on the fun.

In fact, this coming Saturday, there will be an impromptu meeting of the OTWG and a benefit event for Autism on the Square.  Come and  meet “the gang”,   Bobbin and Susan.  You can browse the  art work, shop for antiques, check out the new “Sassy Spinster”  and hear Janie Fricke sing some cuts from her new CD.  The weather should be beautiful.  Hope to see you there.

is what we had over this last weekend.  Dena and I took a “short” road trip and had a great time at the DFW Fiber Festival in Addison. 

Things got off to an ominous start on Thursday afternoon.  I somehow forgot to jot down the address to the conference center and had to call for directions while Randall showed a wee bit of impatience.  Great directions and a little trailer backing magic and we were unloaded and ready to get to work. I think we did the set up in record time and had a well deserved  dinner by 9 pm.  No hitches and nary an argument between the dyer and the mule (Randall’s self proclaimed title)!  Truly a red letter day in my book.

Armed with lots of yarn and even more enthusiasm, we had a good time visiting with some old customers and making the acquaintance of new ones. It was even more fun to put faces with Ravelry name tags. It feels like one very large family reunion where everyone is touching base with long lost cousins! This enormous community of knitters and crocheters are being brought together in ways never before thought possible and we all are benefiting. How fortunate we are to live in this day and age of instant communication.

Since yarn is such an important part of any knitters life, we saw it in every color, texture, weight and  content.  This was expected at a fiber festival, right?  What came as a big surprise was seeing yarn in this form.

or, this form…… 

or even this……. 

Any ideas?  Would you ever guess this ?

I am not sure whether this guy had “way” too much yarn in his stash or just “way” too much time on his hands.  Should any of you be wondering what happens when it rains, never fear….. acrylic yarn and velcro are a perfect match.  Mud, on the other hand is a different story altogether. No quick trips to the carwash for this fellow.

Aside from all the yarn, tools, accessories, classes and the opportunity to get to know other vendors and customers, the next most memorable thing for me were the hard working and gracious board members who went out of their way to make  vendors and customers alike feel welcome.  My hat is off to this group.  You all did a great job and we hope to see you again next year.

The BFY gang!

since we last talked.  My how things change in such a short period of time. Since the snow and ice, we have had some of this…..

and wind high enough to threaten my honeysuckle tower.  Thankfully, Randall came up with a “substantial” anchor until we can find a more aesthetically pleasing solution. 

Let’s just say that we are in good shape until the 50 mph winds decide to blow from the north.  Oh my gosh, we will need two more of these lovlies.

Spring has been very busy around the farm. Lots of yarn to dye and pack while construction continues to demand attention.  We evidently won a contest of who can hire the most inattentive and incompetent of people to erect steel buildings.  Here we are pushing into April and still we do not have completed buildings.  We are most grateful that the studio is far enough along that Randall can begin the framing for the walls.  Yea! Progress at long last.

Dena and I also discovered the covered breezeway of the new shop area is great for things like laying out a booth space and doing inventory of yarns. Last weekend, we marked off our booth for the DFW Fiber Festival and went through what seemed like hundreds of containers before loading the trailer for DFW.  How nice to have a covered area and concrete under our feet.  At times, skeins of yarn  seem to jump from racks to the ground.  Can’t imagine how many times we have had to rescue yarn from the elements. 

 Here is the yarn not packed for the upcoming festival…… all of this is left for Maryland Sheep and Wool next month.

Tomorrow is shearing day for the goats and Thursday we are off to Addison for the DFW Festival.  It will be good to see some old friends and make the aquaintance of new ones during the 3 day event.  I hope some of you out there will be close enough to come by and say “Hi”.  If you are reading this before the show and post a comment by 10pm on Thursday, I will hold one of our discount coupons for you. Let us know who you are!