I know, I know, SAFF is months away, but I’m still running off my MDSW high, so I’m thinking a lot about SAFF! It doesn’t hurt that I had a very nice email conversation with Elizabeth - who recommended SAFF and also sent me to JenLa’s SAFF webpage, and then Jen was so nice too. She’s got some great information about the festival on her page and links to bloggers who are planning to go so we can get to know each other a bit before hand. Tad got extremely excited when he thought that Jen had a farm podcast (yes, Tad reads some of these blogs too - I tend to pass along some of them, especially the farming related ones because I know how much he’ll enjoy them), unfortunately, it was a list of links to other Podcasts on Jen’s site that he saw. Jen, note that you would have one (make that two!) very interested listeners if you did start a podcast Anyway, now I’m practically jumping up & down about an event that’s feels like it’s forever away! Well, if it’s anywhere near as great as MDSW was, it will be worth the jumping up & down. Come on along! It’s going to be a great time!! (and if you plan to go - jump on over to Jen’s page and shoot her an email!)

As a follow up to all the shearings taking place this spring with the Guild farmers, our Thursday night event was a fleece sale! Woo-hoooo! One of my goals for the year is to take a fleece from shorn fiber to finished knitted product. This is why you don’t see any pics of an actual fleece from MDSW, although there were many there to be had. I was holding out for one from our local guild - it just seems especially nice to know the farmer and also possibly the animal that the fleece came from as well. With Tad’s and my interest in alpacas, I very much wanted to get some fleece from Cathy at Kipling Pines Alpacas to gain some experience working with the fiber. I also couldn’t resist a pound of Kelly’s shetland, Colleen, who had beautifully soft and lovely champagne colored fleece. These women are incredible to me. Several of them have “real” jobs in addition to their farms, I don’t know how they do it. They are a great source of friday afternoon daydreams, and one of the (many) reasons I love our guild. A couple other reasons might have something to do with the unexpected (and unnecessary, though much appreciated!) generousity and general fun-ness of the other members. Namely Kathi, who sent me home with a bit of her own fawn colored alpaca “just to try - I’ve got tons!” and Kathryn’s brownies which she unloaded on me as she left (and I can’t stop eating them. My first mistake was sharing with Tad as instructed. He’s going to have to fight me for the rest. I will win.) I could go on & on - am I making you sick yet? Suffice it to say that they all pretty much rock.

Now I just need to figure out to do with these amazing fleeces! I did take Nancy’s Spinning 201, but this will really be my first go at it! Anyone have cards or combs they wouldn’t mind lending? Maybe I’ll do some washing this weekend - scratch that - NEXT weekend, I have some serious knitting to do this weekend! Update to follow.

Edited - Pictures of the lovely girls that these fleeces came from - These are courtesy of Kelly and Cathy, the owners: