Pure Pleasure

While I am a little late in reporting this, I can't go without giving you the rundown of a most fabulous weekend.

The weekend started with DH driving me to Ogdensburg, NY. He had his misgivings about leaving a car in the parking lot at Wal-Mart for a whole weekend. I understand this, but it did make things a little complicated, at the border, when he went into a long tirade explaining the situation, to the customs guy. Sure enough, Customs Guy needed to be enlightened about all things woolly happening in his own state.

Me: I'm going to Rhinebeck.

CG: blank stare

Me: The Duchess County Wool and Sheep Festival

CG: Where's that?

Me: Across the river from Kingston

CG: Are you here to catch the bus at the Wal-Mart parking lot?

It turns out that a carload of Canuck ladies went through before me and had explained the situation to another CG who then passed on his little understanding of this weekend.

In his own humorous way, as I got on the bus, DH told me not to socialize too much. Funny man! He knew exactly what would happen. A bus full of ladies (and one token husband) tends to socialize...a lot. Some of us had never been to Rhinebeck and we were eager with anticipation. Others were returnees and were excited because they knew what was in store for them. In my own little corner the conversation went from husbands to work, kids, quilting and pole dancing. You can't say the the topics of conversation on a bus trip aren't varied and interesting. LOL

As mentioned before, the phone in my room did not work so I couldn't get a hold of Mad Mad. Bummer!!! But hopefully I would be able to run into her at the Ravelry meet up on the Fair Grounds.

At the meet up I circled the group, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Mad Mad. No!!! I can't see her anywhere. I can't identify her from the vast crown of ravelers gathered. I was ready to yell, at the top of my lungs "Hey Mad Mad" because I'm not above embarrassing myself in public. But then I was distracted by a couple of ladies who came up to me and went gaga over the Noro sweater I was wearing. While it might be a little vain, I think that at one point I did start strutting around because of the many compliments I received about that sweater.

But wait....I have her cell number. I raced to the pay phones only to discover they didn't accept coins for long distant calls. I tried to get the call billed to my home phone but when DH answered he didn't hear the recording of my name so all I heard him say was "sorry I need some confirmation". Despite me yelling into the phone "Just say yes" (although I suspect he couldn't hear me at all) he hung up. So I called collect and told DH to call Mad Mad to tell her to meet me at the First Aid station. At that time I didn't realize there were more than one First Aid station. Confused yet? You should have been one of the ladies in the line up to the washroom housed next to the phones listening to my conversations. I am, if nothing else, amusing to total strangers.

I think that a trip to Boston (I think she lives somewhere around there) is in order. If I'm ever going to meet this elusive blogger.

Pictures????? Of course I took pictures......traveling sock mojo with Bob

a kangaroo

a lemur

sheep shearing

a sheep to shawl competition

a way to use up stash if I ever need a place to live

the spinning wheel of my dreams (it is so on my want list),

This is the Big Sock started at the Sock Summit and yes I did knit on it

If I weren't traveling on a bus I would have found a way (excuse) to bring these little guys

home with me...

.......or maybe this one

My favorite event???? Aside from the shopping????? The leaping Llamas competition. I'd go back next year just to see that again.

Speaking of shopping, yes, I did pick up a few things. Not as much as I'd like as I have a MAJOR trip planned in a few months...but that's a topic for another post.

Until next time

Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic

It never fails

It has been said that in life there are two things which are certain.....Death and Taxes!

I'd like to present two other certainties for your consideration.

1. If I pick the weekend to go camping, it will rain. DH has pulled down the tent and packed up our gear in "cats and dogs" type monsoon rain so many times that I am no longer allowed to pick camping weekends anymore.
2. If I make the hotel reservation, there will be a problem with the telephone. I wouldn't normally put this on the list but this is the third time I've had telephone issues.

Here I am in Kingston, NY, eagerly awaiting tomorrow for the bus to carry me off to Fibre mecca AKA Rhinebeck. I wanted to call DH to let him know that I arrived safe and sound. I really wanted to call Mad Mad so that we could arrange a meet up place. BUT.....the phone in my room does not work. I even walked down to the local wine and liquor store to see if she was there but Mad Mad was nowhere to be seen.

Hopefully I can find a pay phone and call her cell tomorrow or maybe she'll be at the Ravelry meet up in the afternoon.

Maybe someone is trying to tell me that I should break down and get a cell phone.....

Until next time

Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic

A Stitch in Time

Just to give you a bit of background, DH and I love garlic. We've even converted the kids...that is if you count putting garlic in everything so the kids just get used to the taste as conversion. So when a co-worker of DH recommended going to the Perth Garlic Festival this past summer, we packed up the kids and made a day of it.

Before arriving at the fairgrounds, I noticed signs for a quilt show. Yeah....two events for the price of one trip. The quilt show was a bonus as I had no idea that it was going on at the same time. After getting four kinds of garlic to plant this fall and seeing all there was to see at the garlic fest we headed to the Lanark County Quilt Guild show, being held at the local high school.

I can't begin to tell you how gorgeous the quilts were. They were true pieces of art. Even DH, who is an artist in his own right, was impressed. He used to think that my quilting was a useful and creative hobby but after seeing the first few quilts, at the show, he now has a different opinion.

Here is a picture of my favorite quilt.

I liked the next quilt and thought that it was the most original.

How about a closer look.....

It was made with the salvage edges from fabric. It is a work of true genius.....using what would normally be thrown away and creating a piece of usable art from it. I could easily gush over this quilt because I thought it was so amazing visually and the idea behind it is just plain brilliant.

I knew that I was going to be impressed with the show overall because of what was parked at the entrance of the school. I just had to show the sock.

The sock was feeling overwhelmed and very self conscious. I will admit I had to stretch the truth a bit when I told the sock that it was just as good and impressive as a quilted car cozy. What else could I do? I didn't want the rest of the day ruined by a sock sobbing because of feelings of inadequacy. Let's face it, no one wants to wear a depressed sock.

I probably didn't help the situation by rushing to my sewing machine the minute I got home instead of continuing to knit.

Until next time

Yours in Yarn,

The Fibreholic

A warm and giggly feeling

The other day a guy at work tried to sneak up on me.


"You'll have to be sneakier than that. Sorry to say, you're just not that stealthy."


He asked if I have kids and when I replied in the affirmative he tells me that motherhood has probably given me super sonic hearing. Eventually the conversation turned to the ages of my kids.


"My oldest will be 16 at the end of October."


His jaw dropped and I thought, for a moment, that he was going to rupture something. He tells me that he thought I was in my mid twenties. Now it was my turn to have an aneurysm or some kind of coronary. I have never been given such a compliment since.......well......I don't know when. Slightly stunned, I returned to my duties. A few minutes later he came over to me and said that he honestly thought that I was about 25. I get weepy with tears of joy just thinking about it. Just when I thought that I was about to reach the top of the hill, to go over it.....it looks like I slid back down by several years.

So out of all the people at work, who have asked for hand knits....he is at the top of the list!

Until next time
Yours in Yarn,
The Fibreholic