Maryland Sheep and Wool: Strip and Do Me!

Let's just say that all the hyperbole surrounding 'Maryland Sheep and Wool' is appropriate and commensurate with the utter kick-assness of the event. The hype is not missplaced...Where to begin?

Because a long and demanding semester has taken a bitter toll on my fragile nerves , the last thing I wanted to deal with was the mayhem and feeding frenzy (unless of course we're talking about funnel cakes) of a Saturday at MDS & W, so Little Peeper (Tween thing's knitting younger sister) and I decided that a Sunday visit was in order. Highlights included:


-watching a woman spin angora yarn from a rabbit sitting in her lap!? Peeper loved this and had many questions, including 'why doesn't he run away?'

-meeting up with other knitbloggers, including Frecklegirl Jess, who was in the midst of her exciting Ravelry whirlwind promotional tour. She and her posse were gleefully handing out buttons and promoting Ravelry, which is basically my new reason for living. She patiently explained that it will soon be ready for any and all to use but that at the moment she and her husband are working as fast as they can to get it ready for such a huge volume of users. She is such a friendly person and what she has created is so deeply impressive. Right on Frecklegirl!


-meeting the folks from Green Mountain Spinnery who introduced Peeper to an old fashioned device. No, not a ye olde spinning wheel; rather a 1980's sliding credit card machine! She was very intrigued...


-watching Peeper be interviewed for the LetsKnit2gether video podcast about knitting! Her killer line: "I prefer to knit only with corn....".

But please don't think that MDS&W is all fun and games. There were lowlights which included hearing people play hammered dulcimers (At a fiber festival? Do we have to?), seeing several creative anachronism people walking around in clothing made out of leather hides, experiencing craven fishwife types actually pushing and grabbing Socks that Rock at the Fold booth (?), and my personal favorite gaffe, celebrity stalking Eunny Jang in the IK booth:

Eunny: "Hello"

Me: (nervous, weird voice) "Umm...hi...congratulations...I love the Anemoi pattern, really....(dry mouth prevents swallowing).

Eunny: "Thank you."

Me: "Umm...ok...Endpaper Mitts were a ....really great project.....seriously, congratulations....bye...." (Awkwardly lingering around the booth to the point that confused daughter was giving me a puzzled 'what's your damage' type of glare.) No, not my finest moment. But those funnel cakes sure were the perfect antidote to my embarrassment!

I suppose you're wondering about purchases... Well rest assured, I did manage to acquire some yarn and other various and sundry items. But seeing as I'd like to wake up in the morning with my marriage intact, I'll leave most of it to your imagination, except these:



OK, I dropped some serious coin at the Crippenworks both. I have up until now convinced myself that I didn't really need needle cases. Then I saw the work of Katharyn Crippen Shapiro and quickly revised that notion. She is such a gifted artist with an eye for sharp, vintage-y fabrics. Score one for me!! DRMC: You know I love you baby, but sometimes a girl just has to get her knitting retail groove on, k?


This was my first MDS & W, so please excuse a newbie's unbridled enthusiasm. I am sure that you'll read many different accounts of the event, but I am here to tell you that these two chicks with sticks had an amazing day.