the 1st festival

You may have guessed it by now...ok, it was hard to keep under wraps, especially after this weekend. I said this about 200 times, as I made connections at the festival: "Hi, I'm Joanne Seiff, and I'm writing a book about..." (Luckily, my friends knew my name already, but whatever, I had a spiel! I was so nervous I just repeated it over and over again!)

In the photo, check out my big splurge to celebrate. One of these crumpler camera bags...and a moleskine reporter's notebook--now I look like a real writer, right?
Yes, I'm writing a book about fiber gatherings. I'm excited about the community, the excitement, the color, the artistry, and the friendship I see at these events, and I can't wait to tell y'all about it. I'll give you tastes--an amuse-bouche or two-- on the blog. For the whole thing? We'll all have to wait until it's published in Spring 2009.

Now, about Maryland Sheep& Wool Festival...it was cool and breezy Saturday, and so crowded that one's elbows had to be sharp to get the good stuff. The Socks That Rock merchandise at the Fold vendor stand sported a line about as long as any I've seen for a rock concert. It was that frenetic. About on par with the famous "T-shirt line" on the other side of the fairway, where the 2007 T-shirt design was making a splash.

I tried to restrain myself (what, I have only 12 more events to go to this year?) but it was hard. This superwash sock yarn from the Barefoot Spinner, from Romney, WVA, just hopped right into my bag. I couldn't help myself. The colors were screaming..."look at me! I mean, just look at me! I was made for you. Isn't it obvious?"

After many encounters of the sheep kind, (have you ever noticed that Karakul sheep are the most photogenic?) I broke down and got one fleece. Just a small one. One that I could put in my carry-on sized luggage....really, it was that small! It's a Finnish Landrace fleece, also known as Finn sheep. These are hard to find in the USA, and I've never had a raw Finn fleece before. (like I have time to wash fleece. Hello? I'm supposed to be writing a book now...!)

The professor's sweater is up to the first sleeve and it's languishing. It's just too big now to carry through airports. Instead, I'm halfway through a sock, the first of many, I'd guess. Harry and Sally are now home from the kennel and allowed me to borrow their toys for emphasis. The dude's got very big arms!Luckily, those arms are helping out by taking pictures for the book at each of the festivals. The professor is a talented guy.

Next week, it's New Hampshire...and soon: coming to a festival near you! Here are most of the public events I'll be covering. Please let me know if I'll get to see you at any of the following:

New Hampshire Sheep & Wool, Heart of America (in Missouri), Estes Park, Black Sheep, Michigan, Taos, Rhinebeck, SAFF, the Buffalo Knitter's Guild (TBA) and the TN state fair.