James and I spent a few hours this morning at the fiber festival at Soloman Farm. Here's a link to the 2012 brochure, if you're considering going. There are a few vendors, but what I really like about it is that there are several fun, free things for kids and it's not super busy. You can get a (free) parking spot quickly, you're not crushed while doing anything, and you can get on the hayride immediately. James enjoyed coloring a fabric square for a Linus Project quilt.
James loved the hayride most. I did not. Here's something to consider when you're 6 weeks away from giving birth.... DON'T GO ON A HAYRIDE. It's bouncy, it's rough, and it's so horribly uncomfortable and foolish that it makes you wonder what the heck you were even thinking. And I wasn't thinking.
But the rest of the festival was great for an hour or two of relaxing meandering and enjoying the alpacas and sheep. And ice cream.
There's enough interest in the Color Affection Shawl KAL that we're going ahead. The dates for it will be Thursday, May 31 and Thursday, June 14 from 6-8pm at the store. Again, if you are interested, e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll give you the details you'll need to participate in person- if you already e-mailed me, please do so again b/c I accidentally deleted two of them. This isn't a class, so there's no charge if you buy the yarn for the project from SSYC. It's simply a chance for those of us interested in knitting this shawl together to gather and support each other with questions, answers and motivation to finish in a timely manner. And if you want to post questions/answers and follow the photos I'll be taking of the in-person KAL, then follow the SSYC Ravelry group. I'm betting there will be several helpful knitters who can answer questions and share their projects as they grow. I'll likely post a few images here on the blog too.
We just got in a shipment of new Madelinetosh Merino Light and Tosh Sock (all the colors should be up by Monday- right now, most of the Merino Light colors are up), and I think I'm going with the above colors for my Color Affection Shawl- Graphite, Firewood and Hickory.
Oh Allison, you crack me up.
Posted by: Vickie | May 18, 2012 at 02:49 PM
I am always blown away by the generosity of people who donate entire farms to towns. Naperville has a farm that is a CSA (although it was given to the Nature Conservancy to make sure it remains a farm forever) & there & there is Ardenwood Farm in Fremont California which is also still a working farm. We went there a couple of times when my daughter lived in Palo A;to including one time for sheep shearing which was a ton of fun. There were volunteers showing people (mostly children) how to card the fleece & then spinning it into a short length (12-18") of yarn with either a spindle or wheel & turning the yarn into a little bracelet. There were other volunteers showing children how to make sheep using those giant pipe cleaners & fleece it a wee bit of brightly colored yarn tied around the neck like a ribbon. The kids loved it (& there wasn't even any ice cream!)
Posted by: Donna | May 18, 2012 at 05:20 PM
You are o right about the hay wagon rides at Salomon Farm. Two of the grandkids & I went on the ride yesterday afternoon and I couldn't wait for the end. The kids liked it though. And like James, we had to decorate quilt blocks for Project Linus. Fun stuff. The alpacas are so cute!
Posted by: Debby | May 19, 2012 at 07:10 PM
I dragged my husband to Salomon on Saturday. I enjoyed the silk worms and the LeGare(sp) sock machine that makesw a pair in 45 minutes. Talked to the alpacas and bought some Romney roving from my friend and teacher, Betty Barry.
Posted by: Jan | May 21, 2012 at 03:09 PM
Red is always awesome, so my favorite is Multi Irving Park
Posted by: Joyce | June 12, 2012 at 01:36 PM