forgot to mention

I guess in my little blogging absence I forgot to mention that I was going to Cummington, to the Mass. S&W festival. This only became apparent to me when two good friends walked up to me on Saturday and said, "What are you doing here?!" Kind of embarassing, really - I hadn't realized that I didn't mention it to anyone.

There really is no way to begin to describe it, I'm afraid. After I read Mamacate's post, I more or less thought that I shouldn't even try. But, having for once taken out my camera and used it, I'll have to give it a go. Just remember that Mamacate has the important part of it covered.

The weather? Perfect - hot and sunny (I could do without the hot but after the rains of NHSW there's no way I'd consider complaining). There is always the question of how well warm spring weather and wool go together, but if it was okay for drop spindling and touching the wool, it was good.

I bought a bit, of course. I'm sure no one is surprised. Cate got me into a fleece sale that wasn't claustrophobic - I wimped out at Rhinebeck - and worked her magic (she's really good at it - scary good). I walked away with a beautiful Icelandic fleece. Small (1.75 pounds), almost-black brown, and once the tog is removed, so incredibly soft that it could convert anyone to Icelandic wool. Not that I need converting.

Marcy Blogless worked her magic too. Marcy and I have a tradition-in-the-making; she's always somewhat miraculously the first person I see at any festival that we're both attending. Then she takes me by the arm (twisting just a teeny bit, I'm pretty easy) and I buy whatever spindle she waves in front of me. I haven't been sorry yet, she knows her stuff. I got a gorgeous Forrester spindle in yellow-something (I need to find the tag) and walnut.

Saturday consisted of much walking around, incredible amounts of talking (sheep, wood, wheels, wool - all the important stuff) with friends, and meeting some absolutely fabulous vendors that are local to the festival. The atmosphere was such (and certain of my friends seem to know everyone) that I got to spend quite a bit of time talking to the wool... people. I want to say wool-dealers, but really they're shepherds and just enthusiastic about their sheep and their art. There really was little opportunity for anything like this contact with the vendors at MDSW - the crowds and the crush worked against it.

I bought some fiber, but not an insane amount. Just a couple of small bags of stuff, after I went to the fleece sale. There's some cashmere/silk from Foxfire, some very small balls of hand-dyed roving from Diane at Sojourner Sheep that I bought to spindle my way through the festival with, and ..... well, then I kind of bought more fleece. Not a lot, and not a big one. A luscious Polworth in a beautiful gray-brown. About a pound and a half, just part of a fleece. There was something about Cummington that made the fleece more attractive than yarn - it opened up possibilities and made me dream big. I've also been controlled in the fleece department for a long time, so it was great to find a few small things to play with, to get my woolcombs back into gear.

Oh, right. I said something about pictures. Realistically, I'm going to have to post more than once about this festival. I stayed in Mass. for 3 nights, spend most of four days with friends, and then the whole "look what I bought" thing seems like a bit of an afterthought.

Instead, let's go for a photo essay of all the important stuff:

beauty in motion

a baby - 12 week old Jacob lamb

a very happy Kellee with Merlin Tree Dave

.... and a teaser - more soon.

Comments

[margene]

Sigh...sounds and looks marvelous.

[Kim]

Looks wonderful! Hmmm......is that a Schacht I see peeking out...?:-))

[JessaLu]

I thought I saw you - but since I haven't commented here in a while I didn't want to be all 'stalker-ish' and freak you out ;o)

[Rachel H]

Interesting that the talk of wood came right after sheep and before wool. I like that. My current bedtime reading is a rather large book called Understanding Wood.

Merlin Tree Dave makes me smile too. Looks like Juno's baby got taken in for the fix. This is good. Wish I'd been there. Sigh.

[Carole]

Excellent. Thanks for teaching me to spindle and letting me use your new spindle to boot.

[Kathy]

Sounds like a fabulous weekend. Look forward to hearing more about it.

[Cordelia]

I misread the sentence about talking; I thought you had been talking *to* the sheep, wood, wheels & wool.

But I guess talking *about* them is just as fun also.

[mamacate]

Wonderful. Thanks for the photos. I'm so glad you came.

[Marcy, Blogless]

Always a pleasure to enable you, TMW. :D May we continue the tradition for many years to come.

[Beth S.]

If I had known you were going to Cummington, I might have made a more concerted effort to talk my spouse out of the weekend remodeling plans. Sigh...

[claudia]

Did Kellee buy that wheel?

[Martha]

It was great to see you, Cassie! Glad you could make it up.

[elisa]

It was really lovely to spend some time with you this weekend, Cassie.

I hope to see you again soon!

[Dorothy B]

Looks like fun was had!

[Juno]

I'm crabby about being home. And the correct word is wool-pusher, not wool dealer.
No matter how nice they are, they are still dealing drugs. Says she with four new fleeces lined up on the kitchen sill.....

[Alex]

Oh, the lamb picture is making me smile on a bad day. Thank you! And I love the color of the pink handspun!

[Kristen]

I do hope that is the matchless...I'm just sorry I didn't say anything on Saturday because it'd have been lovely to see you using it!

[DebbieB]

Glad you got to get away and play for the weekend. :-)

[Diane E.]

Nice to meet you on Saturday! I just bought a couple small things but it may have have been a heavier load if I'd had a wool pusher in tow. Love your finished and unf.projects, especially Celtic Dreams which is in que here at IndigoDi.
Diane E.

[Laurie]

Stealth TMW, indeed. Glad I could help in the enabling department. I finally returned the favor.

[Kellee]

Photos! Hooray! Thank you! Can we go back now? I wasn't done with the hanging out and the having fun parts.

[Chris]

Sounds like great fun!