Maryland Sheep and Wool

Well, I missed blogging about my trip to Rhinebeck in the fall (I know! I was there!) so I told myself I was not going to miss sharing my trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

This was my first time attending this particular show and, as I did in Rhinebeck, I had family in tow. What I learned in Rhinebeck was that when visiting a festival such as this, the key was to arrive early, stay for several hours, distract toddler with sheep and dogs, eat, then head back to the hotel by nap time. This worked great in New York but unfortunately herding dogs don't have the same lure to a toddler as the agility dog demos did. 

Anyway, we drove in Friday night, had a great dinner in Frederick, then drove the remaining 40 minutes to our hotel in Lithicum which is south of Baltimore. We hit the wool festival by 9:30am and stayed until about 1. That was enough time for me to wander around, make a few purchases, and then spend a lot of time looking at sheep ("me want one, mama!"). Saturday night we had intended to attend an Orioles game, but the Orioles moved their series with the Tampa Bay Rays to Florida. So we opted to head to Annapolis Saturday night. Much fish was eaten, and it was over all a great day. 

Let me make a confession, as in Rhinebeck, I really didn't buy very much. My entire weekend yarn related purchases were under $75! In Rhinebeck I did snag a Jennie the Potter yarn bowl but what I really wanted was a mug and they were sold out by the time I got to the booth. 

For D, I purchased a really fun book that takes the reader from sheep to sweater. I love that the child in the story is helping the mother all the way along, and in the end is starting the cycle all over again. He also got a little stuffed sheep dog which we've named Dreyfuss. Please don't ask how we come up with these names. 

For me, I found a lovely pair of sterling silver wire earnings from Rajkovich Designs. They are little yarn balls and oh, so light! I normally wear studs because I don't like feeling the weight of my earrings but I can't feel these at all when I'm wearing them.

I also made a stop at the Knot House pop up shop and got a gorgeous skein of Magpie Fibers in Rhinestone Cowboy. Perfect for a new pair of socks. I also got a roll of masking tape from YOTH. Ve was there that weekend and unfortunately I missed meeting her. 

On our way out of Maryland we stopped at TOP Children's Museum in New Market (about 10 minutes east of Frederick) to let D run a little and burn off some energy. It was a fun little museum, with a reasonable ticket price. We met some friends there who live in Virginia. They have two boys, one a year older than D and one a year younger, and we hadn't seen them since before they had kids! It was great catching up and seeing our little ones play together. 

Overall a fast and furious weekend, but totally worth it. I love introducing D to the world of fiber and all the things I love about being a knitter.