I finished my Spintentional Spinalong cowl just in the nick of time. I literally wove in the ends (ugh!) and blocked the finished object (FO) the day before my stated goal of Maryland Sheep and Wool. In fact, the cowl was still damp from blocking when we climbed into the car Saturday morning for the drive to the festival.

The weather Saturday was gorgeous, so the only time I actually wore the cowl was on the drive! The cowl ended up being WAY longer than I actually needed, but I didn’t want to miss any of the color gradation.

Unfortunately, I also found a loose stitch during the drive. Despite all my tips and tricks to help keep my knitting progress on track, a SSK ended up just … loose. I somehow missed it until after the cowl was completely finished. Thankfully it didn’t cause a run. It looks like blocking felted it in place. I have still have the first braid, used for sampling, from which I can spin a short length of yarn in a matching color to secure this errant stitch. A safety pin is keeping it safe until then.

The Spanish Peacock hasn’t vended at Sheep and Wool in almost a decade, and since then we’ve only been back as shoppers a handful of times. The nice thing about being a shopper? You can opt out if bad weather threatens!

Plus, if the crowds and shopping and food options become overwhelming, there are more escape options as a customer than a vendor!

And. It. Was. So. Crowded.

A number of factors may have contributed to the crushing mass of attendees. First and foremost, this was the 50th anniversary of the festival. Second, many people likely feel more comfortable traveling in the current post-COVID world we find ourselves in. Last, but certainly not least—as I mentioned previously, the weather was perfect for a fiber show.

We also hosted a Spanish Peacock fan meet-up at two o’clock. It was great putting names to faces, and demonstrating supported spinning techniques.

My haul from this show was actually moderately small. Featuring:

• Some monochromatic fiber for Spanish Peacock spindle glamour shots
• An angora-merino blend to try, since we plan to raise angoras at the Cedar Springs Fiber Arts Center
• Some new detergent for washing hand knits and setting fiber twist
• A tahkli-like supported spindle from HipStrings
• And a lap spinning bowl yoke from Dan Tracy Designs.

I had not realized Dan Tracy would be at the show, and was delighted when I discovered his booth in one of the barns. I’ve wanted one of his lap yokes since at least 2021, but didn’t want to go through the trouble of ordering online and shipping.

Dan had gestured to a chair in the booth. “Do you want to try it out?” he asked.

“Nope!” I replied and purchased the yoke immediately. (Review to follow in a week or so. Dan also offers a single-leg variety, but I already had my heart set on this one.)

I also may-or-may-not have bought my first fleece! OK, I totally did. It was a wee little Gulf Coast Native fleece from Rock Mills Farm, only two pounds from a ewe named Dixie. A small fleece represented a modest investment, given the fact that I have NO idea what to do with it now that I have it.

But it seems like the kind of thing I should figure out, given that this sort of knowledge is among the things we hope to someday teach at Cedar Springs. Brace yourselves for “Wow, what have I gotten myself into?” blog posts in the near future!

All in all, it was a great day, and I loved seeing friends and fiber arts colleagues at the festival.

… and I certainly prefer attending as a customer!