Thursday, May 11, 2006

Llama's, Alpacas and sheep ... oh my!



I can't think of a better way to kick-start my knitting blog than with a summary of my adventure at Maryland Sheep and Wool, a pilgrimage site for those obsessed with all things fiber and sheep! I'll admit, it's been hard getting up the courage to maintain and put out all that my small knitting world has to offer, and well, that's because I'm just beginning! But I've been busy, and I've been knitting as much as time has allowed, and now I think I might actually be able to "maintain" some sort of momentum with this blog thing.

So ... back to MS&W. From reading all of my regular daily blog sites that I love to visit, I knew that this whole festival thing was going to be amazing, and I can't believe that such a legendary event is only 10 minutes away from our house! I was so excited, and I decided that my best plan of attack was going to be in the form of a little organized list of projects and yarn requirements (especially since I get overwhelmed easily and MS&W seems to be notoriously overwhelming with all the yarn choices and cute animals to distract). All in all, I think I did pretty well and shopped conservatively, although the only yarn that I actually purchased as part of my "list" was some sock yarn that I will use on my first sock adventure this summer.

My wonderful husband graciously agreed to accompany me to the festival (he's the best!) and was such a good sport about how dorky and excited I was the whole day. We both thought that one of the highlights of the day was getting up-close and personal to some beautiful animals. The llamas were probably my favorite ... so beautiful and so statuesque! We also spent a lot of time watching a group of alpacas that were just humming away like nobody's business. Here are some of the cuties we saw around the fairgrounds:






And now for the main event ... the yarn! I really was overwhelmed at all the beautiful yarn that was for sale, and normally when that happens I just throw up my hands and walk away without buying a thing! But after I stopped at the Brooks Farms Tent, there was no way I was walking away empty handed. Their colors are amazing, and the touch and feel of their yarns is down right exquisite. I ended up buying two hanks of their Duet yarn.





I also purchased a shawl/wrap kit from Morehouse Farms in a really pretty colorway. And one of my last purchases was the previously mentioned sock yarn, from Spirit Trails.




And I can't forget this picture .... Jeremy taking a breather from all the craziness in the exhibit halls. He's such a good sport!


Tuesday, February 21, 2006

First blog post EVER!

Crazy! I can't believe I've never posted on a blog before, and I also can't believe that I just recently started paying attention to whatever the heck a blog is anyways. It's so nice to have a space of your own though, so I can see what the attraction is.

So, of all the things I could have a blog about in this great, wide world, why a KNITTING blog?!?! Well recently I've become very motivated and interested in knitting and all things yarn, and that led me to the whole "underground" world of knitting blogs. Yes, they are out there and in full force, and some of these women (and men) are crazy creative with both their crafts and web expertise. I'm totally inspired and impressed. And this isn't your grandma's knitting anymore ... it's spawned to new generations and ages of people from all backgrounds and interests. Never before surfing through online knitting blogs have I seen so many knitted skulls and crossbones .. I kid you not! These girls are tough! They are knitting rock stars out there to prove that there is still a sense of coolness to taking a pile of yarn and turning out a one-of-a-kind sweater/hat/scarf that you couldn't buy in a store!

But ... I digress. I am not that cool yet ... but someday, SOMEDAY I will be! Right now I'm sticking with the simple projects. After completing my first scarves ever, which were gifts given to my mom and mother-in-law this Christmas, I quickly moved onto dog sweaters, because I just don't think Manny and Olivia have quite enough. Thanks to Katrina and the awesome dog sweater knitting book she gave me for Christmas! Here are two pics of the sweater's I completed for my pups.