May 10 2006
Convergence (MDSW 2006)
I could barely sleep on Friday night… I kept on thinking about all of the things and people I would see the following day. I was just *so* excited about the weekend festivities! I had travel plans with Jenna and Zarah (who I spent Friday with, touring DC - we had a great time!), and things were interrupted by horrendous traffic backups on the DC Beltway. We were late, and missed some of the early bird specials, but I think we were just happy to be there, and ready for the day ahead. We only had three things on our to-do list: SHOP, PET CUTE ANIMALS, and MEET KNITTERS.
Our first stop was the Tess Designer Yarns booth. I was hoping to find another skein of the yarn that I used for my Dublin Bay socks. It was not meant to be. Instead, I came across a familiar face - lovely and smiling. I got to meet KnitPastis! She had emailed me and said she would only be staying at the fairgrounds for a few hours, so I sincerely hoped that our paths would cross. They did!
She told me that she had some leftover Amy Butler fabric from her recent sewing project, and had decided to whip up a bag for me - it is a beautiful green/blue mix that incorporates the PS colors for April, May and June! Thank you so much for your generosity! I used the bag for the rest of the day (and it came in so handy as I kept on buying more yarn…) and throughout the weekend! I would have chosen this exact fabric myself!
Unfortunately, the environment at the Festival does not engender long and meaningful conversations… there is so much to see and do that it can just be downright overwhelming. I did not get to talk to anyone I met for very long, and honestly, this is my biggest regret! Everyone I met (probably about 50 or 60 new faces - not including all of the knitbloggers I already have met!) was so incredibly kind. I considered making an alphabetic list for all of the names, to trigger my memory on all of the people I met… but even then, I knew I would accidently omit someone. I wish I could link to you all! **Can you do me a favor and leave a comment or send an email so that I can make sure to visit your blog and see your account of the Festival (and your new stash enhancements)?
The morning was busy with many blogger sightings, I met Beth, Maggi, Charisse, Christy, Jody, Karen, Erin, and Elspeth all in the front of the barn (we hadn’t even walked in 20 feet yet!) Before we knew it, the time was 1:30 and Cara’s knitblogger meetup was upon us. What an event it was! Although it is hard to pinpoint, I would guess we had about 100 knitbloggers on the lawn outside the Main Hall. The sun was out and shining on us (I got burnt! but not badly, thanks to Sarah’s sunblock) and we were sitting, knitting, chatting, and making all sorts of new friends and contacts. This is where I can’t even begin to remember all of the faces (forgive me! leave a comment!) I talked to some wonderful people, both old friends and many new ones. Just a few of the knitters I met…
Pink Acrylique, and Gray la Gran
Kristin, Ashley and little Henry
Sauniell, designer of my newest WIP!
Faith and me, at the end of the Festival
Tanya and Heather at the Meetup
Of course, the people were great, but you know who else stole my heart?
Met this guy last year, and he was even more adorable!
This little kid goat had some serious vocal chords - he liked to bleet at the top of his little lungs!
As the Festival wrapped up, we parted ways with some new friends. Suzanne so kindly offered to take Zarah back to DC, and Jenna and I headed back to C-town for the much-anticipated KnitBloggers’ Ball, organized and strategized by the ever-talented Mama-E. By this point, Jenna and I were famished (there were no healthy vegetarian meals at the Festival… no, fried oreos aren’t part of this diet…)
Mama E, and Knotty Mouse in the background - two of the great people at the KnitBloggers’ Ball. They were also the minds behind the whole meeting, as Mouse came up from Georgia with Jane, Sandy, and Jodi (anyone up for another 13 hour car trip?) Other peeps who came for some fun? Among the knitbloggers sighted at the Ball: Coleen, Eunny, Laura, Stephanie, and Eilene. Please let me know if I am missing some names!
Jenna and I connected with Jodi right away, and it was a great pleasure. I have admired Jodi’s design work for a long time (her Durrow design will be made for Kris someday!) and have followed her career in art school on her blog. She is an amazing knitter, and a great companion for late-night parties! Yep. That means we went to another party after that one. I am usually in bed by 10pm, so this was really late for me.
The Homewood Suites was the location of the shindig, and Jodi, Jenna, and I were a bit bleary-eyed, but we made it to the party hosted by all of these lovely ladies! (Thanks to Sarah for posting that pic with notes…) One suite hotel room and a whole lot of fun. Unfortunately, I did not make it long. I was so tired (and sunburned) and really ready to hit the sack. Thank goodness I was able to meet everyone!
DAY TWO (yes, this is the longest post ever… just in case you wondered)
After a good night’s sleep, I woke up and was ready to hit the ground running! This time, I got to share the experience with my family! My mom met me at my house, and we didn’t waste any time in getting to the Festival’s Sunday celebrations. The previous day was so busy and overwhelming (but FUN!) so Sunday was a nice day to relax and really take it all in. We shopped. We pet the sheep. We met some more knitters.
My mom is adorable. Even if she is a (rug) hooker on the side.
See her lovely shawl? She finished it in February, and proudly wore it to the Festival. It is the “Aspa” shawl from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton’s Araucanian Moments. She used the yarn that the pattern called for, Atacama Alpaca. It turned out so well! She was destined to be a knitter!
Later in the afternoon, my dad and my sister joined us at the Festival for a few hours. My sister Sarah was preparing for her trip to visit our other sister, Mimi, in Hawaii. She left today, and I would have payed a million bucks to fit in the suitcase and go with her… at least I got to see her before she left!
Dad and Sarah scored a great Mother’s Day present, and I served as the diversion for mom. Well, me and the yarn, that is. They ducked out early to get it home and hidden from mom (not until Sunday!) While we were diverting, we met up with my friends, Donna and Eilene.
I have so many other fun pictures, but frankly, I think this post is chocked full enough, so check out my Flickr page if you are dying to see more… I was very sorry to miss Kathy, and Marie on Sunday. I hope you ladies had fun!
Now for the yarn. Those are pictures you have to see. I bought a lot this year, I cannot tell a lie. Last year, I only bought 4 skeins, so maybe I made up for it? Who knows, but all I can say, is that I made out so well! That list I made last week was one of the smartest things I have ever done. This is highly recommeded for fiber festivals and convention trips - I followed it to a T. The only exception (which I am told is not really an exception at all…) is two random skeins of Tess sock yarn.
Three Waters Farm sock yarn - for these beautiful socks.
Tess Designer Yarns - sockweight in “hydrangea” blue and mint green colorways
Tess’s Merino Worsted for the Syncopated Ribs (Fall 2004 IK)
Natural Indigo dyed Alpaca - perfect for the Frustuna cardigan
Brooks Farm Four Play Merino for the Vansbro pullover
Rowan Vintage Knits’ Aimee in Douceur et Soie mohair/silk blend
This was my deal of the day. It may be a tangled mess, but I got the whole bag for $18. That is 7 (possibly 8 skeins) of GGH Goa. I figure it needs a date with the ballwinder, but it will be worth it (the MSRP is $7.00 a skein!) I may need to play with the gauge a little, but if my calculations are correct, this is enought to make the Basalt Tank.
And lastly, to aid me in my yarn recycling and dyeing projects, I found a niddy noddy!
As you can see, the Festival was a whirlwind of excitement: beautiful yarn, kind knitters and bloggers, and very sweet animals. I enjoyed every minute of it this year, even though I am still a little behind on sleep.
Thank you for the lovely weekend - so many great memories!
What a wonderful time you had and you met so many fun knitbloggers. I am jealous! Girlfriend, you look fanTAStic in those photos. You look so happy and healthy. Mwah! xoxo
How fun! I wish I could have gone.
OMG!! You had a great weekend, I´m a bit jealous…
Hi from Austria! I enjoyed so much reading through your story about the Festival and seeing all these amazing pics - gosh, they are just perfect, it made me feel as if I’d have been there myself! I have to admit I’m a tad jealous of everyone who had the chance to go there, but well, I would have had to travel for, like, 8000 miles for that - oops!
So, reading through such detailed accounts like yours and seeing all the happy pics sure made me happy as well! It’s so great to see you all had such an amazing time, how fantastic it must be to meet all these fellow fiber enthusiasts - and to drool at the yarn-paradise there of course! :)Thanks so much for sharing your memories!
that is one heck of a post! Sounds like you had great fun out there, and one of these years I shall just have to cross the pond.
BTW, you are looking really good! Go Girl.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
How awesome! That was one mamouth post! You got sooooo much great yarn! I can’t wait to see the Rowan Vintage pattern done. And your new bag is gorgeous! I loove it! Sounds and looks like you had sooo much fun!
Thanks for the recap! I loved it!
you got some great deals! i love seeing all the different selections people have made. it was great to finally meet you too!
ps - i’ll reply to your email later today.
Wow! What a great time. I wish I could have gone- it looks like so much fun.
What a great post! My only regret is not being able to meet you and the other Bloggers. I was there a little before 1:30 and should have waited a bit longer but thought no one was coming. Darn. Next year.
What a great post, Lolly!
You really scored. And I agree that Tess’ Sock Yarn is a must, whether it’s on the list or not.
I’m so glad we got to hang out at the fest together! You helped make it a perfect weekend for me. Again! Again!
What a wonderful time we had on Sunday! The weather was so perfect, as was the company. Thanks so much for including me. I enjoyed meeting many of your “Bloggin’ Buddies”.
I spoke with your Aunt Mary Lynn and I think that they will come next year. Jim was interested in the mule show, as well.
I finished my purse and it turned out beautifully after only one wash. It is drying now and I look forward to carrying it.
Thanks againg for an absolutely perfect day! XXOO
I’m so sorry I did not get to meet you! I hope we can get together sometime soon. Maybe another knitting get-together on the National Mall?
In a word - WOW! It sounds like it was it was a great weekend for you! How fun to meet up with so many cyberpals. All of your yarn purchases look lovely - looking forward to seeing the projects evolve from them. What colorway is your Brooks Farm?
Sounds fabulous - I’m glad you had such a great time!!
oh wow! what fun
all of that yarn is beautiful, i can’t wait to go to festival next year… you buds and you make it look as fun as it sounds !
That Brooks Farm stuff is gorgeous!
WOW! Looks like you had a ball! All of the yarn is so beautiful (as are the knitbloggers, of course!).
next year i’m so there!
*wishes she lived in a country so full of friendly knit-bloggers*
there are many many good things about living in the UK, but we never do things on the same scale as America.
What a fun weekend!!! Great pictures and your haul of yarn is awesome! I’ve wanted to knit Rowan’s Aimee forever so I’m looking forward to yours!
You certainly made the most of the weekend. So glad to see you again!!!! I agree though, the festival is not good for having long chats with old and new friends - so sad!
Finally there is a photo on here that shows a closeup of how beautiful your amazing blue eyes are. Stunning!
Whewwwwl! You did buy alot of yarn! I finally found the dye by the way. I was equally as thrilled to meet you and I am so happy to hear you are using the green handmade bag to stuff it full of yarn! You think I hugged you enough?? hahahhaha Hugs again!
they keep getting better…I love the niddy noddy. I hope for a demonstration!
I’ll try not to run off with it too far!
All the yarn you got is gorgeous. I really love the blue naturally dyed indigo…it is your color!
Oh my gosh - it’s like the Who’s Who of blogland! It looks like you had a blast! - and some nice yarn, too!
A hug from you makes any day a good day! Thank you!
Looks like you had so much fun! And those alpaca… how cute are they!
Thanks for the virtual trip, it’s fun to see what all the east coast bloggers were up to this weekend. And your purchases look lovely, can’t wait to see you knit some up!
Your stash enhancement looks like a huge success. I just posted mine. I had so much fun at the festival. I just wish I got to spend more time with the knitters. I saw that someone else suggested another meet-up on the mall. Maybe I’d be able to go this time.
How fun! Thanks for letting those of us not fortunate enough to have mde the trip to live vicariously through your recap (and stash enhancement - good job on that, BTW)!
Sounds fun but overwhelming, too! Great recap of the day, Lolly.
wow! i wish i had been there! looks like a lot of fun. that GGH goa is a steal! even if it is all tangled. totally worth the effort of balling it up
Phew, I’m exhausted all over again just from reading about all that you/we did! Haha, would your mom rather be hooking? All of your yarn purchases are stunning, I really like the Brooks far colorway. Your haul is great and very well planned - good for you! The Goa could also make the Tank girl from SnB.
Thank you again for transporting me all around the county, thank you for being a great festival companion and shopping buddy, thank you for acquising the silk blend botanical shades yarn to me! I’m glad the blogland allowed us to have a fun time this weekend and to be friends
Thanks for sharing. Great pictures and great festival. I’m so jealous, wish I get to go.
Wow it looks like you had a FUNtastic time!! I wish I could have gone as well - maybe next year!! And congratulations on your great shopping!
oh, such a nice time. thanks for all the great photos. it was so good to see you again! but i know what you mean — i feel like i had 45 two-minute conversations. crazy.
i’m now considering the Vansbro pullover. anything to show off brooks farm.
So fun! You had a really productive time, meeting a lot of people and acquiring a lot of yarn, huh? It was so great to meet you - I hope we see eachother again sometime!
It was so great to see you again! It looks like you got a lot of great stuff-that list you made was genius. All day long as Beth and I lusted after the gorgeous yarns we kept thinking back to your list and how we should have each made one. Now I know for next year! I’m really jealous of your GGH Goa-I’ve been wanting some of that stuff for a while, what a steal you got, lucky girl!
Lolly - I’ve visited often, but never commented…after reading about your weekend, I felt as tho I was there with the awesome pics and stories, thanks for sharing. -Pam
Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I was a little disappointed I didn’t get to meet up with more bloggers. Maybe next time…
You picked up some really beautiful yarns. I will have to try going with a list next time instead of just buying things willy nilly. Good score!
Lolly, you will just love the Brooks Farm yarns. Allison at pretendingsanity.com sent me some after the car accident and I’m making a clapotis with it and it’s soooooooooo nice.
oooh, looking at my picture confirms i need to do some push ups! it was great to meet you, though so brief. i had no idea that tess has a sock yarn. i sort of steered clear of tess, because i figured it wasn’t in my budget. but next time, i’m getting some tess-socks!
Wow, that sounds so great! I hope to go next year! Thank you so much for sharing all about it. I hope you are able to tell a little more about the Knitblogger’s Ball though. What was it all about? What happened there? What might some of us look forward to next year?
You scored some amazing stuff there — it’s so cool that you were shopping for projects, not just stash enhancement. You must have really kept your head there! (Not sure how I would last surrounded by such endless fiber…)
my lord you were busy and you picked up so much yummy yarn. I love ggh goa, well worth the winding I think. Its one of the few cotton yarns I liked.
Geez! When I saw you again at 5:30 your were still going AND you went back on Sunday. I’m so jealous, although I was destroyed after Saturday. It must be all the yoga and water stuff you’re doing. I’m gonna start training for next year.
So much fun, so many people. It was great to see you again. The DC Metro clan must get together again for some local fun before the end of the summer.
Lovely purchases!
What an amazing time you had Lolly! You lokk great, your new aqusitions look splendid and your new and old friends made the experience extra special! Glad you had such a wonderful time!
Looks like you made out like a bandit! I agree with H… the blue…indigo is my fave.
Sorry we didn’t get to spend more time together, but I’m glad you had fun! Maybe next year…
It was soooo good to meet you!! Mom and I had tons of fun! It was a bit overwhelming, but fun! oohhh!! I love what you purchased!! : D
Hi Lolly. Thank you so much for that great comment you left on my blog. im really glad I got a quick chance to meet you, You are by far the sweetest. I hope you make it to rheinback in October. ?????
What a great week-end you’ve just spent! I am seriously envious…
oh, I am just so jealous of all you folks who got to go! Thanks for the nice long post so that I could see what I missed. Looks like it was super fun…
It was great to meet you this weekend. The yarn you purchased is beautiful.
My purchases were small and I had to shop with intention on a small budget. Some of the purchases were a bit unexpected, like a new wheel, but it will have so many memories.
I hope to make it back in a few years and hopefully will see you then.
Oooh! You got the 3WatersFarm yarn that I wanted! If you need more, let me (or Gray) know since she is just down the road from where we are. (She sells yarn at my farmer’s market!)
What a great post! It was fun to relive the memories, and also see what happened at the Knitblogger’s Ball while Gray and I were sipping margaritas elsewhere.
WOW! Looks like you had a blast
Phew, i had 2 cups of coffee and visited the loo once while reading this post! Looks like you had a whale of a time!
Looks like you had a blast too! It’s so neat to see what others end up buying! I so wanted to go to the Knitbloggers Ball, but was SO exausted by the time I got back to Germantown that the thought of driving to Columbia made me want to cry!
Wow! It looks like you had a great time and you brought home quite a haul.
Looks like a great time - I am so jealous!! Great score on the yarns by the way - you’ve got some beautiful projects planned…
I’m so sad I missed it! I would so love to “meet” all those lovely knitters! Thanks for sharing your pictures - at least I can re-live the festival vicariously through the blogs! I have the NY Sheep and Wool Festival marked in my calendar though - in pen!
Thanks for sharing your festival days with us! I loved hearing everyone’s stories of the weekend. It felt kind of like being there, without the overpurchasing that probably would have happened if I had!
Oh my goodness, I am so jealous!! Looks like you had a fabulous time and I love your purchases!!
Lolly, do good times just follow you wherever you go? =) You are such a joyful, sweet person. I just had to say that. And your healthy lifestyle really shows–looks like you are doing great! Happy Weekending!
Thank you for sharing your lovely trip with all of us unfortunate knitters who were not able to attend.
Amy
Awesome account of the festival. What great finds too! I’m so totally going next year one way or another….
You had way too much fun! I’m so jealous… but in a good way. Thanks for sharing the pictures, they’re awesome!
lolly, how do you always manage to look fabulous, in person and in pictures?! (not fair!!!) and, i’m (now not so …) secretly inlove with you green chibi … i have this “thing” for green. (it matches my blog ~ yes i’m a dork)
Such a fun weekend. I can’t wait to our smaller version at Estes. It will be lots of fun and I’m looking forward to it. You got some great buys and it really is a good idea to buy for projects. It helps to keep you focused and from buying random projects. Good for you. And congrats to your mom for finishing her lovely shawl, it is just gorgeous.
It looks like it was so much fun!
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