Maryland Sheep & Wool

Well, I have survived my first Sheep & Wool. I went yesterday, and although it was a long and somewhat tiring day, it was also a great time.

First off, it's HUGE. And somehow, even though there were tons of people there, there were only a couple of times when I felt uncomfortably crowded. I loved that some of the vendors had animals with them -- sheep, goats, rabbits, alpacas, even llamas. There was so much yarn to pet and look at, and so much food to eat (I was close to getting a fried twinkie, but I just couldn't do it)...

Some aimless wandering at first, but I came to a stop at the Wool in the Woods stall. I poked around and got this:



2 skeins of Double Kiss in what I think is "Raspberry Fizz". It's a rayon mini-boucle that I've used before, and it drapes really nicely. Most of the WITW yarns that I've seen in the yarn stores are variegated, so when I saw this particular color, I had to buy it.

Next up at The Fold, I found an obnoxious pink and turquoise bundle of roving that made me laugh... And then I decided that I loved it and had to bring it home with me, even though I have never spun in my life:

4.6 oz of merino roving from Gypsy Girl Creations, appropriately named "Cotton Candy".

I also found this drop spindle at Millpoint Emporium to go along with my new roving:


All of their drop spindles were nice, but I liked this one the best. The whorl is Brazilian cherry. Without knowing the first thing about spinning, I think it has a nice weight to it, and feels balanced. Now I just have to learn how to use it. :)

I thought I was done for the day, but then I saw the sock yarns at Ellen's Half Pint Farm:


I absolutely loved the colors. It's 50% merino/50% silk, so I may or may not use it for socks -- I'm not sure how well the yarn would hold up with that much wear.