Well, I've Had a Very Fun Weekend, Indeed.

Yesterday was "Last Saturday Knitting" and it was one of those times when there were laughs from beginning to end, Money quote: "Somehow our conversations always come round to dog poop." Well, maybe you had to be there.

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Today I got brave and drove up to the Great Midwest Alpaca Show. I say "brave" because getting to the Coliseum involves driving on the Beltline, and my two guiding principals of driving are "avoid left turns" and "stay off the Beltline". But on Sunday morning the traffic is light, and it really wasn't bad at all.

I spent the first 40 minutes or so just wandering around the animal pens.

Definitely cute overload. On the other hand, freshly shorn alpacas look a bit as if they had been drawn by Dr. Seuss.

Then I went upstairs and watched a machine knitting demonstration (I don't think it's for me, but it was interesting), and drum carding and spinning (not for me yet, but I'm not ruling it out).

Next, I headed to the vendor area (my real goal all along). Stopped in to say "hi" to Kristi from the Argyle Fiber Mill, who I actually hadn't seen in a few months, ever though we are practically next door neighbors (well Blanchardville is about 5 miles from Argyle, but around here that's nothing). Dropped in at Sandy's booth (Sandy's Palette). I hadn't seen her since the Jefferson Wool and Fiber festival last summer. Couldn't resist some of her "Merino Sox", and couldn't decide which color, so:

Then I got to talking with a really nice young woman (Shelly?) with some very pretty yarn in her booth, and thinnish rovings that her young daughter was finger knitting into bracelets. These (the rovings, not the bracelets) would make wonderfully warm thrums for mittens. I didn't buy any now because it turns out that her business, Alpacas of Prairie Station, is also practically just up the road in Mineral Point. And they have a Farm Store open two Saturdays a month. Yay! Another field trip in the offing.

Plus, while roaming I bumped into Elizabeth and Jen, and even though I had just seen them yesterday it felt like a treat. Especially since I got to meet Jen's family and Elizabeth's friends from Milwaukee.

By the time I left, I was starving, so on the way home I swung through Verona and stopped at the Sow's Ear, not for yarn, but for quiche and coffee.

An altogether satisfying morning.

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Even the weekend knitting has been purely fun: hats made with bits and pieces of leftover yarns. These are fun because

1) I don't have to take notes. I'm not trying to write a pattern, just use up some yarn in an enjoyable and productive fashion, without having to think about the mechanics too much.

2) I don't have to worry about gauge or fit. I start at the top, increase to a likely looking number of stitches, work even awhile and bind off. These will go to afghans for Afghans or Dulaan, and as long as they are generally child sized they are sure to fit somebody.

3) This is the main thing: I really enjoy improvising (playing) with colors.