SHEEP AND WOOL LETDOWN

We travelled north to Rhinebeck on a perfect autumn morning - my BFF Patty and me.  She was all wound up and I had to threaten her once or twice - calm down or you'll find yourself hitch-hiking!  To be honest, I was not in the mood.  Can you believe it?  Can you even begin to imagine not being psyched about S&W?   


I didn't take a single photo.  No livestock, no fiber, no wondrous booths.  Truth is - even though we arrived as the gates opened, within an hour the crowds were so dense that there was very little chance of enjoying the show.  I don't like being pressed and pushed in crowed aisles.  By noon it was impossible to get close to some of my favorite exhibitors.  I was disappointed.


As we were getting ready to leave the fairgrounds Patty and I decided to sit on a bench and rethink our strategies and purchases.  I hadn't even made a dent in my Wish List and Patty was being mysterious ...

She NEVER forgets my birthday.  Silk, Cashmere and Wool - 450 yards.  My color of choice.  Someone smack me!  How really beautiful this fiber is.  I was happy to see that she got a skein for herself too.  And there was something else for me - something that I'd admired the year before AND this year ... a rainy day knitting bag-

A huge gorgeous laminated bag that can defy the raindrops and the inevitable smooshing that sometimes occurs in the back seat of the CRV.  I won't have to worry about my leather bag getting worn too soon and this one is DEEP and pockety!  FANTASTIC!  (and I adore the poodle motif!)

Thank you, BFF.  You brightened my day, my weekend, my outlook.  What was that you say?  Oh, yes.  There was one purchase that you might wish to see . . . and it IS hiding in the new poodle bag -

I discovered Mountain View Farm last year and returned to them this year to find a scrumptious blend of merino and silk. I bought one skein to make darling daughter a scarf (I might need another) while Patty loaded up for an afghan - I believe that she bought 8 or 10 of these delicious skeins.  Vanilla knitting .. ahhh.  And yes, those are hot pink poodles in the background - but I cannot tell you about that little project just yet. The lucky recipient reads my blog and I need for that to be a surprise until mid week!