A Wool Gathering

I needed an excuse to get out of town for a day or two, so Saturday my SO and I headed off to A Wool Gathering. Previous fiber fests that we have attended have been at county fair grounds, and inside buildings, but this was tent city. Fortunately, the weather was fine, sunny and in the 80's. And fortunately, they had power; the area had been hard hit by high winds a week before, and the locals were still cleaning up the fallen limbs and trees.

My goal was roving, and I quickly discovered that undyed roving is the economical way to go. Since I am still learning to spin, I did not want to spend a small fortune on "training yarn" but at the same time, I wanted something easy to spin. On the recommendation of qutecowgirl, I bought BFL (Blue Face Leicester, not Body For Life) and Corriedale, and also a bit of shetland, just for comparison purposes.

I also picked up a couple of different drop spindles. Now, I know some people collect these, but OMG, how can they afford to? My selections were reasonably priced, at least for my budget.



The one on the right is better balanced, and has a hole at each end so you can reverse the spindle. The ceramic disk on the lefthand one provides more heft. I am curious about what differences they may exhibit. I'm currently distracted by the renovation, but once that is completed (this week - please!), I plan to contact a local spinner for a tutorial.

While in Ohio, we stayed overnight with friends. L had expressed interest in the Pinwheel sweater, so I took it with and presented it to her, as a long overdue thank-you for all she does. It fit her perfectly and looked great on her, so it must have been her sweater all along. As I have said before, we always knit for someone; we just don't always know who.