May 11, 2005
Maryland Sheep & Wool, Post the Second
(There were plenty of other blog updates, so I know you weren't sitting around waiting on mine. In fact, you may feel as if you've seen all the pictures and heard all of the stories already. If that is the case, please feel free to skip this post, but please come back when I go back to my regularly scheduled knitting content. Thank you.)
First, a referral. If you haven't read it already, please go read this excellent entry by High Energy Jenny that pretty much sums up how I feel about the linking and the people and the name-dropping. There were several bloggers I met during the day who were obviously fabulous and known to others in my group, but whose blogs I had never read. I felt bad about that at first, but I also know that I can only do so much, and I will be reading them from now on.
By the same token, my main goal at Sheep & Wool this year was to socialize. I didn't really need to buy wool (not that I didn't - do you think I'm crazy?), I've seen the sheep and animals, but I hadn't met many of these folks before. Some of them I feel like I've known for a long time - it wasn't like meeting people, it was more like seeing an old friend again for the first time in years - you just sort of click. (Someone else wrote about this on their blog, but I can't find it again... if it was you, let me know so I can give you credit!)
One of the main things I took out of this weekend was a true sense of community. I think that I had previously thought of myself as a person who posted on the internet about knitting. Now, however, I truly feel like a knitblogger. All of this stuff that I'm sending out into the void is actually being seen by real friends, not make-believe internet friends. Deep and sappy, but how I feel/felt.
OK, enough of that, let's get to the pictures.
First was dinner, when I met Carrie, Anne Marie and Jenny for the first time, bringing along my houseguest Sarah and Natalie (a local blogger friend). They in turn introduced me to Frecklegirl, although in miniature. My impression of Frecklegirl is... well, let's just say that most of my pictures of Frecklegirl involve alcohol (you'll see those later). Jess, if you're anything like your tiny self, you got some 'splainin to do!
Here is our opening dinner toast. Notice that Frecklegirl has her own pint of beer, which is taller than she is.
There was more fun and hilarity that night, but eventually we all realized that we needed some sleep before the true fun of the festival. So it was home again home again Sarah & I went, where we met up with Cheryl and Stacy, awesome chicks and houseguests extraordinaire.
Very early in the morning (but somehow in a Christmas-morning type of way it wasn't early at all) we got up and went to breakfast. Blogger breakfast - hooray!
From L to R: Ei, Carrie, Donna, Jenny, Anne Marie (THRILLED to be there!), Heather, Kelly, and Sarah B.
Then a whole day at the festival... bloggers everywhere. You could generally recognize a fellow blogger, even if you didn't recognize them, because of the beautiful hand-knit garment, knitty or blog logo t-shirt, and camera. Lots of cameras. Lots of pictures - of everything... people, yarn, animals, food... you name it, a blogger was taking a picture of it. At 12:30, after I bought Spirit Trail sock yarn, lost it, and recovered it (hooray for ethical knitter people!), I (and Cheryl, I think - it's all blending together) walked over to the blogger meet-up... and got waylaid by finding Maggi and Greta along the way. They pointed out another mini-meetup which I joined momentarily in the line for Boy Scouts' lamb burgers (to clarify: the Boy Scouts were cooking them, there weren't lambs that were Boy Scouts). However, while I recognized several of those bloggers, there wasn't anyone from the group that I was supposed to meet up with, so I kept cruising up to the T-shirt booth and the meet-up that Cara organized. There were tons of bloggers there, hugging and taking pictures and admiring the knits. I met Rossana and Erika for the first time (even though we all live in the DC area - we need to do a meet-up soon!) Then I saw the familar faces of Lara and Chelsea, two of my local posse. I met Jenna, and we realized that we had three Boobholders in the same place. So we took a photo - Stef, this is for you!
After that, we all wandered over to the grassy knoll for the Yarn Harlot event. I went back and found the bloggers I'd left with the Boy Scouts, plus a few more, got a sandwich, and went back to the grass. We sat and knit and chatted, and waited until the line around Stephanie died down.
Don't Anne Marie and Sarah B. look happy and relaxed?
Stephanie turned around and took a picture of us - Bloggers in their Natural Habitat. Then we all (including Stephanie) chatted and showed off the yarn and fiber we'd already purchased, plus whatever WIPs we had. She was witty and wonderful and only said "arse" a couple of times (of course, she wasn't at a podium, so she could say "arse" as many times as she wanted). Of course, she still hadn't eaten, so we didn't tether her down for too long, but it was one of the (many) highlights of the day.
Here's a picture of Stephanie chatting with Sarah B., Lara and Cheryl:
And it's almost midnight and I still haven't gotten to Korean karaoke yet. Tomorrow night, my dears! (Sheep and Wool fun will last all week this way - hurrah!)
P.S. I found out the spotted sheep that think they're cows are actually Jacob sheep, and they are polycerate - meaning multiple horns. One sheep can have 6 horns! I find that a bit disturbing... go to this site to see pictures of some with 4 horns... 2 up and 2 down. Hmmm.
But on the plus side they have photos of their new lambs. This one is smiling at me. Totally cute.
omgoodness the smiling sheep ROCKS! Great pics... I can't believe you lost-then found-yarn at that place. Yaay for conscientiousness!
Posted by: chelsea on May 12, 2005 07:05 AMThat baby lamb is so cute! I came home from MSW and told BF that Erika and I had bought a sheep. I don't know whether he knew I was lying or whether he believed me and thought it was totally cool. Hee! I'm very happy to have finally met you and yes, we will have a local gathering!
Posted by: Rossana on May 12, 2005 07:41 AMI was sad to miss that breakfast--you were there with my knitting group! It looks like you all had a great time though. Very cool to meet you at the festival, and dig around in that 50% off bin with you, Sarah :)
Very cute pic with all the "boobholders"! Too cool! You should send that Stefanie, she would love it.
Take care, and meet up soon, right? We are SO close! :)
Posted by: Lolly on May 12, 2005 08:38 AMFinally, a decent picture of me on a MD S&W Post (the one of me and AM, not the one with the Yarn Harlot where I'm obviously mid-sentence). :-)
Posted by: sarah b. on May 12, 2005 09:24 AMOH OH your daddy is in trouble if he EVER gets that Elk Farm! I want a Jacob Sheep!! That lamb is just too cute for words!! But it will have to be a two horned one! well, maybe four.
And what did you buy in the 50% off bin?? Guess I did train you well! LOL
Like me in the half off fat quaters in Chicago!
MOM
FUN PICTURES!!! And I'm with Lolly and Rossana...MEETUP, SOON! ALL OF US!
The lamb is sooooo cute!!! AND I think the guy with the four horns is pretty cool too!!!!
awwww... S&W!!!! hey! Fancy a drive down to Georgia?
Posted by: Lara on May 12, 2005 05:30 PM