stealth knitting

i've had a hard time staying on task with my knitting projects this month. one that absolutely had to be completed was my exchange in the guild's 'bag-it' exchange.
i was a bit intimidated by the recipient that i got. she is fabulously creative, every piece is a work of art... truly. i knew that a standard 'bag' would not work, but i was stumped on what to do. i love a pattern, so much so that i'll do that same item three ( of four) times. usually i can tweak that pattern a bit and make it my own by about the third time. but to start out? not really my skill set.
the fiber was a unique shade of green, dyed by the owner, and i knew that i was going with something felted. i love the way a felted bag is such a sturdy piece when it's done.
the green made me think of spring, but not much else. i did get it spun quickly in a lofty, bulky yarn that would be suitable. but no pattern.
then on my girls weekend trip in march, i found this.....

i loved it! whimsical, creative, fun.... just what i wanted. the challenge was finding a pattern, or coming up with one in my head. i knew that it needed the flower pot shape, so i started knitting. because i had a limited amount of yarn, i decided to use commercial handles from brown wood to represent the dirt. ( i was really working the flower pot theme) the felted flowers in fun colors? amythefibergoddess to the rescue. she dyed up a bunch of felted sweaters in bold colors for me. i begged, then pleaded  asked my sister to help with the flower pattern and she got carried away enough to help me cut them out.
the final result....

i think that it turned out well. the recipient wasn't there to see it. it will be part of the display at the fiber festival. i hope she'll like it.

may

as i look back on this month..... it is a blur! family life and responsibilities took over my time in a ginormous way. intermingled with that were all my favorite fiber events. i'm still not sure what end is up, but i do remember that the fiber stuff was amazing!
maryland sheep and wool really ushers in the beginning of the festival season. sandy's car was full this year as five of us went on the adventure. with a full vehicle, the chances of bringing home a sheep were pretty slim!

friday evening the gals needed ice cream and what should we happen to find? it didn't take us long to start filling our carts with those 'must have' snacks that only trader joe's has.
saturday morning dawned cool and bright, perfect way to open the weekend.

we had several must see's and with the crush of people last year, i knew that i had to get into those spots early. i found fiber optics three years ago ( the first year that they were at maryland) and  made that my first must see. kimberly was gracious and with only a few of us in her booth, able to chat and discuss fiber and yarns. i fell hard and left with a bag full of goodies. i wandered on, revisiting old favorites and finding some new treats too.

many of us find each other on the hill around mid-day for a lunch break and more importantly a show & tell. that gives us time to hit those vendors that we may have missed. by the end of the day, food and beverages become the necessities and we show & tell again at the hotel......

what you don't see in this photo, diane getting a lesson in ombre spinning. we overtook the largest table in the room and sorted her fiber into an ombre pattern. she brought her wheel and got started! next step will be casting on the radiance wrap.

sunday morning i sat and spend a fair amount of time with the hansen e-spinner folks. mrs. hansen walked me through each model and feature. i've been saying forever that this is on my wish list and now i have absolutely no reason not to make it happen.

joan found a wood turner who crafted lovely spinning tools. she had us all go back to get the lesson from lea on the correct pronunciation and use of the nostepinne. she was amazing and as you can see...... we all got one!

fiber friends...... priceless!