Whew.  THAT weekend flew right by.  I swear I blinked my eye and it was gone.

We got up early on Saturday and left the house by 7 to pick up Kate and head down to MDSW.  After a stop for breakfast (at McDonalds.  I have an unnatural love of their pancakes), we were on the road.  It's a straight shot down 95 until you get to the Beltway.  We take the roads that go around instead of through the major metropolitan area and were soon waiting in a rather long line to get to the fairgrounds.  I don't remember a long line last year but this year it was impressive.

I went to this thing with one thing in mind.  I didn't want to spend money on something I could get at home or very easily online.  I wanted something that was special/different/unique/unavailable.  Fiber festivals are not the places for cheap/low/bargain prices, at least not in my experience.

We pet sheep when they let us, we talked to sheep breeders.  I learned way more than I really wanted to know about artificial insemination of Gotland sheep.  The breeder was a nice lady and I'm a sucker for nice folks.  She had some gorgeous sheeps named Sophie and Mathilda.  They were shy and hid behind her but they had the most beautiful silver/grey coats.  They were just sheared in Feb and already had full fleeces again.  She said she'd shear them again this week and the fleece would weigh about 15 pounds or so.  Imagine having to gain and lose the same 15 pounds over and over?  Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

And look!  Sheeps in spandex!  These were the Feeder Lambs (and we all remember Feeder Lambs, right?).  Several cages of adorable lambs all wearing striped spandex.  They looked like they were either off to the beach or in search of an aerobic class circa 1980.

Kate, El, Pk and I spent lots of time admiring the animals and fondling the things for sale.  Eventually, Kate and I bought some Lincoln Locks.  I've never spun from locks before and the colors are autumnal, all browns and oranges and golds with a bit of blue.  I'm going to put it aside until the wool for the sweater is done.

And on that subject, I bought something to help make that easier.  I bougha a jumbo flyer for my wheel.  I didn't even know that they existed until Julie mentioned them last week and how everyone is out of stock.  I went into the Ashford booth and asked about them and he had one.  I snatched that baby right up.  Pk installed it on my wheel (I could have done it but he came in and voila, it was done) and I've already plied two full regular sized bobbins onto it.  I don't need jumbo bobbins right now since I can spin the singles onto the regular ones and then use the jumbo for plying.  It was so COOL!

The only other thing we bought was a handmade corn broom.  Pk admired them last year and so this year we bought one.  It's a broom.  It sweeps and makes a satisfying swishy noise while doing so.

I finished and gave El her March and April socks but I can't seem to load another photo so you'll have to take my word for it.  The blue/white/red ones came out much better than I expected.  The white stripe spiraled the same way down each sock amid the red and blue stripes.  El loves them.  I started May's socks and I'm making myself a pair of Fox Faces.

We were up early again yesterday and at the grocery store before 8 (on a Sunday!) and home with the groceries put away by 10.  I did 5 loads of laundry and took a nap and spun some more sweater yarn.  It was one of those satisfying days where you feel like you got a lot done but don't feel overwhelmed with it all.

No jury duty today but I have to call every night this week and next to see about the next day.  This is very weird.  Not knowing until after 5 what I'll be doing the next day is a bit disconcerting.  It will keep me just a bit off balance the next two weeks.

Our neighborhood flowering trees (the literal late bloomers) released their pollen yesterday/last night.  My car is a lovely shade of yellow this morning and my eyes itch and mys sinuses feel like someone rubbed them out with sand paper.  I hope these are the last ones.  Pk's reaction to the wisteria responded well to the steroids and he's almost rash free at this point.  We are investing in some cotton gloves for him (the only kind he'll wear) to finish up the back.

Well, off to work.  Have a good Monday!