Maryland Sheep and Wool - The Loot (Pic Heavy)

Looking back, I think I bought more this year, than I have previously.  I certainly bought more yarn!  All About Yarn had discounted yarns for $2 and $5 a skein!

13 Skeins Berocco Inca Gold - 80% percent Merino/20% Silk:

7 Skeins Boreale by St. Denis - 100% Wool

4 Skiens Lana Grossa Baby Kid - 60% Superkid Mohair/40% Microfiber

2 Skeins Nordique by St. Denis - 100% Wool

3 Skeins Creative Focus Linen by Nashua - 50% Cotton/50% Linen

6 Skeins Creative Focus Linen by Nashua - 50% Cotton/50% Linen

I also bought 6 skeins for gifts.  And since they're gifts they don't count as stash!

From Avalon Springs Farm - Gwenivere yarn, 100% Alpaca in the Nuts and Berries Colorway:

These were marked down to $5 per video tape.  Yes, I still have a VCR in my sewing room!

Elizabeth Zimmerman - Knitting Workshop and Knitting Around
Deb Mentz - Spinning Cotton, Silk and Flax; Immersion Dyeing; and Blending Colors on the Drum Carder

New Needles - Siganture and ChiaoGoo.  The ChiaoGoo are already in use.

Lots of Fiber including some creamy merino to blend with some silk:

I didn't realize Baltimore County (where I live!) has a Wool Growers' Association:
Blackberry Fields Farm - 100% Leicester Longwool Roving

From Little "Barn:  Wool, Alpaca, Mohair, Silk blend

From Wool of Wales - 100% English Leicester.  The shawls and things she had were absolutely gorgeous.  The plan is to spin laceweight yarn to make the Pax Tunisian Lace Shawl.

The only purchase I'm questioning are the dyes I bought.  They were on sale, so I can't return them.
I thought I was buying dye for wool, but these are for silk, cotton, linen and rayon.  I know I had the wool dyes in my hand, so I must have put those down and picked up these.  I'll probably sell them on Rav.

So that's it for MDSW 2012.  At the end of the day on Sunday, I told Harold, I was tired and shopped out, but I wasn't ready to go home.  It was a perfect weekend and I'm glad I had DH to share it with. Or maybe it was perfect because he was there.  Either way I'm a winner!

TTYL,

Melodye

Maryland Sheep and Wool - Part 2

While I'm still getting my act together to post my purchases, here's the festival through Harold's eyes:

A Quick Post!

This past weekend was the Maryland Sheep and Wool Show! What a blast, I'm so glad I went.  saw several frends and met some new ones.  I shoppped and shopped and shopped.  I DID NOT buy a fleece.  I was so tempted, but sanity prevailed.  I have at least 5 unwashed in my small shed.  Plus the ones I washed last year.  What I don't have is a drum carder.  I have hand cards which are great for class and small batches, but they are hard on my wrists.  But back to the festival.  I don't think it was as crowded in years past, but that could be because of the new layout that provided fewer vendors in any one area.  The Fire Marshall had concerns about the space, so the festival has expanded its use of its outdoor spaces.  DH went also and took pics, I'll post either later this afternoon or tomorrow. 
TTYL,

Melodye

Wow!

Thanks so much for your comments on my outfit in the last post.  Sexy and foxy - those kind of comments could go to a girls' head!

And speaking of head, yes, I did cut my hair.  At my last hair appointment I calculated the approximate number of hours I'd spent in the hairdressers in my lifetime.  2 - 4 hours every two weeks for let's say 40 years?  I decided no more.  It took forever for the perm to grow out, so I did braids in the interim and in February (March?) removed the braids, wacked off the remainder of the perm and have been natural ever since and I love it!   Since summer is coming I'm going to get it trimmed, but that will be my first visit in over a year and I'm considering going to my mothers' barber!

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is this weekend.  I know that Araignee is going, anyone else?  I keept telling myself that I don't need anything and I don't, but I still want to go.  I was able to pick up a mohair and an alpaca fleece in February, that I added to those already in my small shed.  Those increased the number of unwashed fleece to 4 I think.  I washed all of last years' bounty but one, and even though I only bought two fleece, I think she added an extra one. 

Surprisingly enough,  skirting and washing weren't as big a hassle as I thought they would be.  What's killing me is the carding.  I only have have hand cards but I'm in the market for a drum carder.  I'm really thinking about a motorized one.  I've been looking at the Brother, but they're revamping the design and have no idea when they will be available.  In the meantime there's a Louet for sale on Ravelry that I'm considering.  If I get it, I'll resell it to finance the purchase of the Brother.  Sound like a plan?  Of course if anyone has one they're getting rid of, I'll be more than happy to take it off your hands!!  If you have one, which one?  What do you like or dislike about it?

But back to the festival.  I have no needs, but lots of wants.  A pair of Signature needles, a pair of ChiaGoo Lace needles, dye, bobbins for the Lendrum, some yarn for a couple of swaps I'm in and some merino.  I said merino.  Just some to play with, maybe blend with some silk I already have.  Oh,  I also want to visit the Yarn Barn and get some more prepared fiber to spin.  See why I don't need to go!!! 

To cure myself, I should go back into the sewing room, which houses a lot of my stuff.  I went into the closet Sunday and a bunch of stuff fell out.  Maybe if I spend some time cleaning up in there, it will cure me!  What do you think??

Thanks again for the comments.  I've reread them several times and they never fail to make me grin! 

TTYL,

Melodye

Kamikaze Sewing!

     Or better yet, do or die sewing!

     Saturday night DH and I went to a retirement party.  I've known about it for over a month and when I put it on the calendar, my first thought was, "I don't have anything to wear!"

      It's not that I completely forgot it, but I've been battling a nasty sinus infection for weeks.  I've done two different antibiotics, a prednisone taper and several other drugs.  I think we've almost beat it into submission.

      Friday afternoon, I finally went shopping.  I went to one store and tried on several things.  The only thing I liked and would have bought was a sleeveless black jumpsuit.  Overall the fit was fine, but it was too short.  The plan was to go home, fix dinner and run to JoAnns.  That didn't pan out as the sinus headache came roaring back.

      I finally made it to JoAnns at noon on Saturday.  I was back home by 1:30 had a quick snack and was in the sewing room by 2:00.  I bought McCall's 6083 and 3 yards of black matte jersey.  I made view C without the sash.  The only alterations I made were to add 4 inches to the bodice and 3 inches to the length of the leg.  With the exception of the casings for the elastic, it was constructed completely on the serger.

      For reasons known only to the sewing gods, I had trouble threading the serger.  It just came back from its whenever I remember to take it in cleaning so it was operating fine.  It's about 28 years old and serves my needs perfectly, so I really haven't thought about buying a new one.  Normally I just tie the threads on and pull them through.  !@#$%^& No luck.  Finally I took a deep breath and rethreaded it from scratch. No problem, it sewed (or serged) like a champ!  Other than the serger the most time consuming part was threading the elastic through and getting it tight enough to ensure there would be no garment malfunctions.

      By 4:30 I was heading for the shower!  It was a quick, fun sew.   I think I'll make it again with one of the cocoon tops to wear to the shop and outings with DH. I'll shorten the pants by about an inch and maybe the bodice.  I haven't sewn like this, since I went to college the first time.  We'd go out buy fabric, rush back to the dorm, sew like crazy and wear our new creations that night.  We didn't worry about fit (of course we were 18!) but just sewed to have something new to wear.  Of course this was simple, but it was fun!  I added a jacket DD gave me a couple of years ago, some silver jewelry and my new platform heels.  I absolutely love these heels.  They are so comfortable.  Without further ado: