Back on April 30, I finished my second spinning project! I did not have time to post about it before I left for Maryland Sheep and Wool, so I am getting to it now. I finished spinning 8 ounces of the pin-drafted roving I got from Ohio Valley Fibers at The Fiber Event in Greencastle. I started spinning this fiber while I was at The Florida Sheep, Wool, and Herding Dog Festival, and in my post about that event, I included a progress photo.
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, May 3 & 4, 2014
Back in February, I turned 40. My parents wanted to do something extra-special for my birthday present. They came up with the perfect idea: all travel expenses to Maryland Sheep and Wool for me and my friends Stacy and Beth! We had an awesome time!
Birch Leaf Shawl
I chose to knit the Birch Leaf Shawl (Ravelry pattern link) because I was looking for a travel project. My sister is in her final year of medical school. My parents and I were flying from Florida to Baltimore to attend Match Day, which is when fourth year medical students find out where they will be doing their residency. I needed a knitting project to take on the trip. My personal criteria for travel knitting are:
- The pattern should be easy to memorize so I don’t have to look at it all the time.
- The project should be easy to pick up and put down, even if I am in the middle of a row.
- The project should take long enough to knit that I will not finish it before I get home.
- The project should require only one or two skeins of yarn.
In addition, I was looking for a project that would fit into one of the HPKCHC prompts for March. The Ancient Runes prompt was about Celtic runes and their connection to trees. One possibility was to craft a a project that represented one of the trees connected to the Celtic runes. Birch trees were on the list.
First Ever Granny Square
I’ve known how to knit for more than 20 years, but I only learned to crochet last year. I tried to teach myself crochet at the same time I taught myself to knit, but never quite got it right. So last year, my friend Stacy taught me how to crochet. In that year, I’ve crocheted dishcloths. That’s all. I wanted to expand my crochet skills, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Then I discovered that the Ravenclaws are planning a Blanket Square Term for the Harry Potter Knitting / Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC). I decided to jump on the bandwagon.
The Florida Sheep, Wool, and Herding Dog Festival, April 25-27, 2014
Week 2 of Fiber Event Goodness! I knew the Florida Sheep, Wool, and Herding Dog Festival would be a very different event than the others I am attending or have attended. The other events were all organized by fiber-crafting people for fiber-crafting people. The Florida Sheep, Wool, and Herding Dog Festival is organized by the Meat Sheep Alliance of Florida. I knew fiber was definitely part of the event — the Festival’s website included a list of workshops and identified a “Fiber and Creative Arts Pavilion” — but I wasn’t sure how big of a part. The website did not include a list of fiber vendors, so I assumed none would be there. I assumed the event would be mostly about the sheep, and that was great! Since I was going to big fiber-shopping events on the weekends before and after, just seeing sheep sounded awesome.