Monday, April 30, 2007

Adventures in Fiber II: Monday Memories

*Edit* The pictures aren't coming up so you should go over to my other blog to see them, if you wish.

While I realize that it's not much of a "memory" having happened over the weekend, I'm going to "reminisce" about the Fiber Festival over the weekend. Generally, I think we had a good time. I know I did, as evidenced by the goofy pictures of me that Friend Gina took. The Festival itself was smaller than I thought it might be but I thought it was a good size to not have so much to do that you're overwhelmed. We also found a sort of local yarn shop that looks like it has good prices, so might be worth the hike out there. And we learned an awful lot about alpacas. Much alpaca knowledge was garnered. And I learned how to needle felt, which isn't quite the idiotic thing that I thought it was. In fact, given that you're repeatedly stabbing something that won't be hurt by your stabbing, I saw it as therapeutic. (Yes, I am a strange person with strange ideas about therapeutic techniques.)

So anyway, the first slideshow is pictures of the many many animals outside the venue. They were very cute. It was a tempting thing to think of carrying one home in Gina's Honda. Sadly, we came home alpaca-less. Aren't they as cute as they can be?

Ok, the next set of pictures were inside the Festival itself and also outside. But they're specifically Fesitival related. My favorite part was walking around and touching everything. I love fiber arts because they're so tactile! I can't walk into a fabric shop without petting the fabric and apparently I can't walk through fiber displays without touching all the samples and yarns. I got to touch mohair for the first time and it was just magnificent. We also saw some absolutely gorgeous yarn that I had to rub on my cheek as well. It was the beautiful blue and purple skein that Gina photographed with my charming mug next to it (not!). Too bad it was something like four times as much as I've ever spent for a skein of yarn.

We were on a mission to find sock yarn. We looked at skein after skein after wonderful skein of sock yarn. I almost bought some black yarn to make Friend Husband some socks until I found out that it was some kind of exotic mix...something like alpaca and mohair or something. I decided that that would be a bad choice of fibers for a first sock experience. Plus there is the chance that Friend Husband would refuse to wear exotically-fibered socks even if they were a plain black. But we did look and take pictures. Friend Gina almost bought a skein of the pretty sock yarn we saw outside (pictures below) but ended up not. And how glad she was that she didn't!

At some point in the afternoon, we decided we'd seen enough and we packed up to head home. As we were driving and talking, Gina mentioned a yarn store that she'd Googled in Franklin, which was on our way home. Hey, I'm up for almost any shopping excursion when I'm with a friend, so we decided to stop in on our way home. After a few turnarounds, we managed to find Yarn & Needles on the River. Lovely lovely store in a 150 year-old house. Gorgeous! We walked in and Gina turned around to say, "This is my new favorite place!" Then we noticed the signs that said "30% off yarn, 50% off patterns and books. All sales final."

Uh oh. Gina guessed correctly that they were going out of business. As a matter of fact, we were there for their last hour of business at that location. In that hour, I managed to enhance my stash greatly with Cascade 220 yarn (for which there is a master plan), and sock yarn. Gina only enhanced her stash one bag's worth but in the meantime, she attempted to coerce one of the store employees to open a store in Lebanon, OH, nearer to where we live. So, sadly Yarn & Needles on the River is no more but we have some bee-youtiful yarn (and fun pictures) by which to remember our fun excursion.

I have had very few girlfriends in my life. In my earlier years, I hung out more with boys than girls because we were more alike. In graduate school, I discovered a little bit more about sisterhood but then we moved and it became just me and the (little) girls again. In Gina, I can have that sweet friendship that I have missed all these years. It's just too much fun to go out yarn shopping with someone who understands. Now, if I could just convince her to quilt...

2 comments:

Gina said...

I admire those who quilt but I'll never be one. It requires math and a sewing machine. Two things I don't do!

Julie in Texas said...

Lori,

Hold out...Gina may change her mind! I had absolutely NO interest in sewing, sitting at the machine would have a knot build up in my shoulder blade. Sewing was my mohter's passion and she never could understand my loathing. She finally became convinced it was because I had never sewn on a "good" machine. She researched machines and purchased one for me. I completed my first quilt before she passed away and it made her so happy. Now I have not only my machine, but all hers and I am finding it quite fun to sew!

Your weekend adventure sounds fabulous! I would love to go to a fiber festival. What kind of yarn did you end up getting for your first pair of socks?