Midwest Fiber Fair Fun!

Wow! I just got back from a very fun weekend at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair in Crystal Lake, Illinois. I drove over Friday (the drive took FOREVER it seemed, but was well worth it!!) Met Sheri in the afternoon and we spent the evening knitting. It was great to knit and visit and catch up on life! She refreshed my memory on how to do a short row heel, so I was able to continue on my Vikings socks. Just a few more pattern repeats and some rib and they will be done and ready for football season! I also worked on my Monkey socks which I'll show you when they are totally done!








Sheri brought me my birthday present (EARLY might I add which means extra points!) and I just LOVE it! To begin with, she knit me a PAIR of socks!! They are beautiful and I love the pattern and yarn she chose. Also in the cute bag was one of the handmade darning eggs she carries at The Loopy Ewe made out of a gorgeous wood and a little notebook to take to the fair to jot down notes; ideas etc... There are a few other goodies in the bag as well, but they are top secret Loopy items and I can't show them until they have been revealed on Sheri's blog.









Saturday morning we headed to the fair! It was in a different location then last year, which worked out well as most of it was inside this year and it was raining off and on. I wasn't quite as intimidated this year as I was last year, mostly because I was there with friends who know so much more than I do about the whole fiber world. I know enough to know that we were surrounded by fibery goodness!!











One of the first booths we went into was this one. I fell in love with their yarn and bought several skeins! It is so soft and the colorways are wonderful. I don't think they have a website, but I may have to be prepared to buy more of their yarn next year when we go! (Or maybe Sheri can carry it at The Loopy Ewe.. that would be sweet!!)












We met up with Adrienne and Kris ( fellow Ravelers and Adrienne was a Spring Flinger!) and had a great time browsing the vendors; eating lunch and enjoying the fair.









They had some Alpacas at the fair as well (and a few Angora bunnies that wanted to go home with Sheri!) By the looks of this picture I am betting that Sheri got a few good close ups!








We found one guy who was knitting socks with a sock knitting machine. He spent quite a bit of time with us explaining how it worked. It's very ingenious. He can knit a pair of socks in less than 3 hours! (I can barely cast on and get the top ribbing done of 1 sock in 3 hours!) I'll have to try not and think too hard about it as I slowly plug away on my sock knitting!












Purchases? I thought I did pretty well with as much temptation as was all around me! I bought 6 skeins of yarn; 1 scarf pattern and a bag. The top skein is from Briar Rose and reminded me of Team in Training colors. The left two bottom skeins are from Miss Babs and the other 3 are from Plain and Fancy.





And I also received this skein of Wollmeise from Claudia (via Sheri) of the special colorway that she dyed in honor of Sheri's daughter. It is called Barista and is gorgeous. Thanks Claudia!!















After spending about 5 hours at the fair, we headed back to the hotel for an afternoon of spinning and knitting. Adrienne and Kris joined us. Professor Adrienne spent so much time helping me with my spinning and I was so excited to be working on it again. She is a marvelous teacher and so very patient. Thanks Adrienne for all of your help and encouragement!



I finished spinning and plying the roving I was working on and I have it here on my niddy noddy. It's kind of hard to see the yarn, but I will show it in a future post after I have washed it and set the twist and have it in an official skein!







I started on a new roving this morning. I really do enjoy spinning and just need to take 15 -20 minutes each day to sit down and do some. I was told that I am suppose to name my wheel, so I decided to name it 'Crystal' after this weekend in Crystal Lake. Seemed fitting.







Sumo was happy to have me home and is showing off the bag I purchased at the fair. It's a great size bag with a large opening at the top and can be worn around the waist or like a purse over the shoulder. It's a sturdy tapestry fabric and very well made. I think I will really enjoy it.






Off to do a little spinning before bed. Have a great Monday!


Until Next Time.....