Day Three: Taking a break

After coming home so exhausted that I had to get a ride home, I thought over what my options were for today. I told Lisa the volunteer coordinator last night that I wasn't going to be up to covering the Marketplace Info booth for the 4 hours I was signed up. I looked at what I had for working on and decided to take my spinning wheel instead. I chose to drive to the venue instead of taking the train. I opted to stay in the quiet of the lobby, away from the noise and temptations of the marketplace. These decisions made today pleasant and I came home not so exhausted.

Yesterday I fell to the sirens of the marketplace. It began with a visit to Jenkins Woodworking where I found a Turkish Delight spindle that managed to find its way into my pack. The wood is atzelia, an African wood that Ed Jenkins wasn't sure he'd be able to to get again. I could have been wise with the budget but I couldn't walk away from that.

For yesterday's world record attempt, I needed yarn and needles. I have lots of yarn and needles at home but did I bring any? Noooooo. But my search ended up at the booth of Laurel Hill, maker of wonderful fiber tools out of different woods. They had lots of straight needles. I picked up a set of palmwood 4's as those were ones that were very nice for making lace stoles.

In the fiber department, I came away with yarn and spinning fiber. In my search for yarn for the world record attempt I was having a hard time finding yarn to go with the #4's I had picked up. I didn't want to work on fine yarn because my hands were wanting something a little larger. But what were the yarns there? Sock weights! At last I reached Briar Rose Fibers and amidst their treasures I found a beautiful wool/bamboo sport weight that was perfect for what I wanted. They also had some Blue Faced Leicester roving I couldn't walk away from.

Last fall Bobbie had found some beautiful merino silk from Lisa Souza in a subtle colorway Mother of Pearl at OFFF. The laceweight she made from it had color gradations that at first glance were not easy to see but overall gave the yarn a delicate pearl-like appearance. In my perambulations about the marketplace I found Lisa Souza's booth and to my delight she had bumps of that colorway. That found its way into my goodie bag.

The last item in the party was something that I couldn't resist. I saw as a future project a tam with matching mittens for the winter. I could see it in my mind as a stained glass type pattern before I went to sleep last night and I knew exactly what yarn I would use for the color. Mini Mochi from Crystal Palace. Combined with Louet Gems in black the tam will be glorious.

I didn't commit as much damage as some folks at Sock Summit, but I'm happy to have assisted in supporting the fiber economy.

There was more to my day on Day Three. Bobbie came by asking if I would be willing to be wheel nanny for the spinners in Judith McCuin's class at lunch time. "Sure!" I said. "When do you want me?" "Be there by noon." So wheel and I toddled off to the classroom and parked ourselves in the back where Bobbie and I sat and span, she on dyed sheep locks, I on the remainder of the Earth Angel top. Bobbie told me of some of the things she'd learned during her stint as Judith's assistant during classes as well as some of the tips and stories. Amongst the things Judith brought in with her were two stockings that had been knitted in the 1840's. During the break I was able to photograph them. Bobbie's hand can give you a scale of the stitch size. One of the heels had a different construction, a kind of simultaneous four-point decrease similar to that of a triangular shawl.

There was plenty of fiber for the students to practice on. With the amounts she was giving out Judith needed it all. And per Bobbie this is only part of what she brought in.

I can't wait for SOAR.