An Ode to Cummington

it's official.  the MA Sheep and Woolcraft Festival is my favorite fiber festival.

even though i didn't have my usual energy and social butterflyness due to the sickness which had afflicted me, i still had a very good time socializing and shopping and admiring sheep.   again, i didn't come home with a fleece and the reason for that is that i don't like touching them.  i think they're gross.  but i had no trouble assisting in the enabling.  what i did come home with though is 13.2oz of this beautifully colored roving.  i can't remember the name of the booth where i purchased it, but it's not amy boogie's. 

here's what i got at amy boogie's. 

corriedale in "rocky mountain high"

bfl in "mash"

skinny sock in "leaf peep."  yeah i stopped there, but could have easily kept going.  willpower i tell you.

half of the reasons why cummington's  my favorite though  have little to do with the festival itself, but rather it's location.

first of all, it was the first time since december that i got to listen to Stephanie Miller in my car.  see, the boston area no longer has a progressive radio station.  turn to 1430 AM in boston and you've got 24 hour rumba.  not that i have anything against rumba, but i think that one of the most "blue"  cities in the country should have it's own  progressive radio station.  i find it pretty hard to believe that "24 hora rumba" makes more money.  northampton on the other hand isn't all about the rumba and still has a progressive station, so i was able to listen to a little stephanie on my way to the festival, which  made me very happy.

but that's not all.   i missed "this" on my way to cummington, which is funny as i was stuck helplessly behind some NH asshat who was going a good 10 mph BELOW the speed limit (you would think that going at a crawl would allow me to actually do a little sightseeing)  but caught it on my way home.  i had to stop.

minis!!!  a whole bunch of them!  really old minis.  really teeny tiny minis! (and another car that i can't identify).

i love minis.

then there's webs of course.  i went with the intention of purchasing a new bag or two.  but elisa and kellee had already been there, so they didn't have any of the colors i was looking for.  but that didn't mean i came home empty handed.  i bought some cotton classic  and a couple of skeins of silk garden.  i also came home with a big ass blocking board.  yes, the big ass size.  (the new bag(s) will be for another time.)

that's all i've got for today.

Comments

[Scribbles & Bits]

The big ass blocking board is my next purchase (probably). I keep telling myself that the reason I don't block anything is because there is no place to do it. Will you perhaps be giving a product review?

[heather]

Sounds like a great haul! The minis were super-cool, especially when they travel in herds...

[julia fc]

That looks like a Fiat 124, maybe. Or perhaps an 850?
Citroen, Opel, there's tons of little Euro car companies that made very little models in the 60's. Cool though.

[Kim]

Looks like a Yugo.

[Laurie]

Nice fiber, baby. Fleeces aren't necessarily the ne plus ultra of spinning (did I use that correctly?)

They are expensive, processing them is expensive, and you have to be in love.

[Sara]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Rocky Mountain High all spun up... I've got some of her worsted Big Ball sweater yarn in that colorway, but never thought to get some fiber to spin myself. No worries, though... she's going to be at the Fiber Frolic in a couple of weeks and I plan on spending all my money there!

[JessaLu]

Nice haul! Congrats on the BABB - Kim is right, it'll change your life...

It was great wandering around together - thanks for the enabling! ;o)

[kate]

was the other car a fiat 500?

[colleen]

MA Sheep and Woolcraft is a favorite of mine, too. (But then what fairs do I know--Mass and NY--not a comprehensive survey.) Glad that you had a great time.

[Amy]

What a beautiful collection of color you have there! I'm totally looking forward to seeing it appear later in altered forms. :)

[seekay]

I saw those minis on the way back to Northampton too! But I was too lazy to stop and grab a pic- thanks for catching it.

[elizabeth]

I think you missed the minis on the way down because you were so focused on getting to the festival! Great fiber and yarn! I can guess what that cotton classic might be for...

[Tracey]

That's all you've got? Are you kidding that was great! I really wish I could hit just ONE s&wf this year. I am hoping for Rhinebeck.

[Norma]

Sounds like a wonderful time...and you got a great haul. The thing about being behind a slow asshat is that you're so tense and worried about rear-ending him/her that you can't do any sightseeing.

[Eklectika]

LOL - I saw the Minis also! So cool!

[cyn]

lovely gets! i esp. like the purplish roving... hope I get to go next year.

[JessZ]

You know it's a sad day in radioland when Boston doesn't have a progressive station. The music stations are even worse. I can't remember the last time I was able to listen to three songs in a row. It's NPR or an MP3 player whenever I'm in the car these days.

I want that silver mini! Though I don't think I could drive it in the summer w/o feeling like someone had just wrapped me in foil and thrown me on the grill.

[meg]

I love old car "graveyards" - I used to see them all the time in no-wheresville NM when I lived out west. I saw a beautiful old green mini just the other day and thought of you!

Yay for yarn! I am glad that you had fun.

[Chris]

Any day at a fiber festival is better than a day at work, even sick!

[Kat]

Sounds like a great day, I'm jealous. Due to family goings on I missed out on Cummington this year.

[Macoco]

I fell in love with the Spunky Eclectic stuff - and just couldn't go away empty handed.

[Bethe]

The non-boogie wool is from The Wool Peddler. Nice stuff, I bought from her last year and then ordered some more as Holiday Gifts. The picture of the boy is great!

[claudia]

It was great to see you alive. ;-)

[Beth S.]

You did well! :-) I like that sock yarn. And is "MASH" a 4077 reference? Look at all those greens, it's got to be...!

[Lucia]

I love your pix: you always see something that no one else does.

[kat]

looks like a super day. Great photos! You really have a great eye.

[Felicia]

Well that scruffy little boy slouched and struggling to knit has got to be just the best photo ever! You've gotta get that into one of the knitting magazines :)

[Kathode Ray Tube]

Nice stuff....both from Webs and MA Sheep and Wool. I gotta get back there some year. Thanks for the wonderful Mini photos. I think that other red car is some kind of Fiat, perhaps.

[Cookie]

Looks like you did really well. I hope you're feeling better today.

[Kim]

Mmm. Big ass blocking board. It'll change yer life.