Yesterday was all about the animals, and today is all about the stuff. I’d have to say there was concentrated awesome with the vendors. I had to refrain from buying things.
There is one corner of the vendors, outside the barn also full of a variety of vendors. Let’s start with the swag from the Vogue knitting bag. Which came in the Vogue Knitting bag usually found at VKLive, which pleases me as the one I had developed a tear late Sunday at the last VKLive and is now my fiber stash bag. Inside there were some coupons, a program and a couple free magazines.
One of the first places I stopped was the Vogue Knitting booth where I grabbed a book I had been pondering since I saw a couple reviews of it. Hopefully I will use it and use it well.
Knit notes, a handy designer project notebook. As I put together a design box last weekend, I feel like this was the last ingredient I didn’t know I was missing. Now on to the yarn and fiber. I only bought one skein of yarn. Really.
It was a skein of Hampton Artistic Yarn in the Enchantment Colorway and their silver flicker base. Seems my sparkle addiction is alive and well.
I also bought some emerald sparkle for future blending experiments and an ounce of Merino cashmere silk, that I think I will be spinning with the plans to make myself a really warm hat or a pair of gloves after plying it with something colorful. I’m sure something in the stash will jump out at me when I get to it.
Spindle and Fleece lived up to its name with the purchases I made there. This is where I got my first support Spindle.
I started trying it out on the bus. with the sample fiber that was included in my bag. It will take some getting used to as I keep treating it like a drop spindle when not paying attention, but some tips from fellow bus riders seems to have me going in the right direction… when I remember to follow them.
And these are the different bags of fiber I grabbed. One is for a friend. I swear! This is the point where I had seen everything I wanted to and the next sheering event wasn’t for an hour or so. As I wandered back towards the benches where there had been lunch. I noticed a lone table where some one was set up from Martha Clara Vineyards. I went over tasted all the wines, and after a few minutes of chatting crossed the road and did a wine tasting flight.
These are two of the five wines I tasted, and my favorites of the set. I tend to go towards lighter sweeter wines, though not too sweet. I usually only drink whites so this was a pleasant turn. I will have to find a reason to have a couple friends over and enjoy. I may wait until my birthday where I have been pondering a cocktail party, as in mixing fancy and interesting drinks, possibly post eating obscene amounts of good shellfish which is surprisingly hard to do in NYC for some reason.
At this point it was nearing the end of the day for us as the return bus was scheduled for 4:30 and we were to gather by 4:15. After watching the alpaca who was wholly against this sheering business I headed to my last stop of the day.
The Long Island Livestock Company I got a few supplies I had been tempted by and something I had been meaning to buy for ages for my boots and shoes, Leather Conditioner. Along with some body butter that will likely see more use in winter and lanolin based lip balm.
And that was everything I grabbed at the Long Island Fleece and Fiber Festival and I think I will be going again next year, and tempt more fellow knitter with a wine and cheese break. Someone described it as a great town fair while Rhinebeck was Disney. And I could see it, there was no rushing around, or huge crowds, and while there was a chance something would be gone if you didn’t buy it, it was a calmer event. And a fun start to my fiber season. I’ll see you next year LI F&FF!
Marsha Knitting, Spinning festival, fiber, lifff, wine, yarn
