Recap: Maryland Sheep and Wool

Another Maryland Sheep and Wool has come and gone! I didn't get to spend as much time at the festival as I wanted to due to weather and children, but it was a great weekend nonetheless!

I started the weekend off with a visit to The Knot House for their indie pop-up. This is the 2nd year they've done it, and if you're in town for the festival, you don't want to miss it! Last year I think I went on Sunday, but this year, I went on Friday night--that's when it kicks off, so all the awesome indie dyers are there! I got to say hi to Heather, who co-owns The Knot House with her mom (life goals!), Dami from Magpie Fibers, Kate from Spincycle Yarns and Veronica from YOTH. Plus I had a nice long chat with Sandra from Duck Duck Wool, who is super nice. 

I actually did most of my weekend shopping there too:

I got 3 indie pop-up exclusive colorways (sock yarn--oops!), plus a shawl kit that's available as part of the Magpie Fibers/YOTH Yarns Girls Roadtrip--it includes 2 patterns (Embrace the Detours and and Let's Get Lost), and I have no clue which one to make! I also grabbed one of Dami's La-Di-Dotties, speckled half-size skeins of her new Swish Domestic that will be perfect for ankle socks; a cutie pie notions pouch from That Clever Clementine; and a fun tumbler ("Sit, Sip Stitch") from Clay by Laura.

I definitely saw a few people in the shop that looked familiar--whether from Instagram, Ravelry or elsewhere. It was pretty packed, so that's great news for The Knot House--let's keep supporting those local yarn shops! 

Then Saturday the whole family headed to Sheep and Wool. I'm not sure what was going on with traffic and parking this year, but it took us 45 minutes to drive the last 1.5 miles and park. So the kids were already grumpy--not starting the festival on a good note. 

It was not actively raining, but very overcast, and the grounds were wet and muddy, so our double stroller was a must, even though it kept getting stuck. We let JJ walk around a bit, but he was on the lookout for mud puddles to jump in and so was stuck in wet socks and shoes from nearly the beginning. Ollie is still a bit wobbly on uneven surfaces, so we really couldn't let him walk around at all for fear of him falling and being trampled and/or covered in mud. So he was stuck in the stroller nearly the whole time. Basically, we were doomed from the start. 

Our first stop was one of the barns--I thought JJ would like the sheep, but it turns out, he's still scared of them. I guess they are pretty big. And loud! So that wasn't nearly as entertaining as I'd hoped. I made a friend, though:

Thanks to traffic we missed the 11a sheep dog show, which I think would've been a hit. So we wandered around the lower corral tents--muddy! We couldn't really get the stroller around there, and when mommy tried to shop on her own, JJ pitched a fit. Three-year-olds. They're something.

Then we stopped by the Main Exhibition Hall--pushing the stroller through the crowd was a challenge. I sent CP off with the boys and let him deal with whatever tantrum ensued so I could at least do SOME browsing. Jennie the Potter was all sold out of mugs, of course, but I managed to grab this from Jill Draper Makes Stuff.

A beautiful shawl is in my (distant) future.

Unfortunately separating meant I had trouble finding my family again, so I spent the next 20 minutes dashing around looking for them! I ran by a few angora rabbits, though, so I knew what our next stop would be:

Unlike the sheep, JJ was pretty excited about the bunnies. 

Then we headed up to the tents closer to the main entrance. We found a few goats and more bunnies, and I dashed over to Neighborhood Fiber Co to see Annabel Lee. I did spot her, but didn't manage to grab a pic--because someone was looking at her!

By now the kids were muddy/sick of being in the stroller and getting bored, so we had to head home. A bit disappointing.

But don't worry, I've got a plan for next year: Saturday take the kids, Sunday go back ALONE!