If knitting had a holiday, it would be a sheep & wool festival. Full of community, excitement, sheep, and the tools of our trade. For me, it’s the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival–which just so happens to be this weekend. I’ve had a fantastic weekend so far, some me time, some time with the kids, and some major yarn time.

Thursday night I got to thinking that I might have some line-standing time, and it would be nice to have a little sock tube on some 9″ circs for knitting-while-standing ease. I went ahead and cast on my May rainbow socks and knit a whole repeat for the cuff. I usually run out of patience to do that, but I’m pleased with the result.

Things finally kicked off Friday after work. I headed straight to Needles Up, a pop-up shop in Columbia. It was a really lovely event. Never packed, the crowd control made it a nice experience. The event was very nicely curated with yarn, fiber, bags, sock soap, and charms. I sampled a bit of it all.

Well, everything except the fiber. I’m so excited about this bag, it’s from Fat Squirrel Fibers and is sweater sized. I thought it was high time my sweaters got their own bag, usually they just have a cubby at my desk.

Though it was over ninety degrees out, it was chilly inside, so I was able to rock my Half Moon Oracle for the first time. I even got to meet several podcasters and makers that I’ve been following for a long time. Everyone was so sweet! All in all, Needles Up was a blast.

From there, I headed straight to Frederick for a pop-up shop at The Knot House. I had a nice time walking around Frederick before I got in line–I was second!

It was a bit of a madhouse in the Knot House. It was just choc full of gorgeous yarn and knitters ogling it. I got the chance to show Carol, of Swift Yarns, my Half Moon Oracle that I knit out of her yarn. She snapped a fun picture of me putting it on.

After that, things became a bit of a blur. I had lovely chats with Sandra, of Duck Duck Wool, and Claire, of Autumn and Indigo, and with several knitters while we waited in line. Luckily, the line wasn’t a quarter as long as last year.

All in all, it was a great day. I made it home just in time for Kevin’s amazing burgers and a quiet night of planning our day over at Maryland Sheep & Wool. Stay tuned for a recap of all the fun we had over there, and happy wooly holiday!

I’ll talk about the yarn as I use it, but if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or get in touch with the contact form. I am always happy to chat!