A day of my own

While reading the blog of my hero, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (otherwise known as the Yarn Harlot), I finally took the plunge and made the commitment to attend the Waterloo County Knitters Fair 2005. With the price of gas, my current state of unemployment and hence no income, I had reluctantly decided to pass on the opportunity to fondle yarns. The deciding factor? Stephanie would be attending the fair. Since I had a copy of Stephanie's first book which needed to be autographed for one of my dearest friends, it was a no-brainer. I would attend.

First let me say that the map provided by the municipality of Waterloo was entirely bizarre. The map clearly indicated that I should exit the 401 at Highway 8, drive north until the intersection with Victoria Street and I would be there. Unfortunately, Victoria Street is closed for construction right at the specified intersection. Besides, the mailing address of Bingeman's is Waterloo. Which is why I (oh-so-prudently I thought) had disregarded the signs advising me to exit the 401 at Guelph if I wanted to find my way to Bingeman's. Hmm. Was this a portent?

So I pressed onward, devout in my intentions to visit the Fair. After all, I had crawled out of bed at 8:00 am, driven 2 hours and was free from husband and child. Only a weak-willed knitter would turn back at this point, frustrated by the lack of signage. After figuring out how much gas I had wasted were I to retreat, I finally found my way out of the black hole of despair, and found the fair.

At the fair, I found this:



I swear these things followed me home. Honest. They just waddled along behind me until we found the car, and what could I do?

I purchased Stephanie's second book titled "The Secret Life of a Knitter." I've managed to read the introduction and two chapters. If you enjoy her blog, buy the book. She's entirely too funny.
I watched a lady get a spindling lesson right at the Gemini Fiber booth, and it looked ... well ... fun, to be precise. So I purchased a book (Hands On Spinning by Lee Raven) as well as a hand-made drop spindle. Of course, if one has acquired the text and the tool, one must also have fiber. That's why I purchased 100g of 100% Merino wool.

Having drooled over the Van Gogh Stole (designed by Anne Russell) at previous shows, I finally took the plunge and purchased a kit as well. And since everyone raves about Opal sock yarn and the colour was too yummy to pass by, I purchased a ball of Opal as well.

Another high note of the day was meeting Michelle. She so graciously displays her photo on her blog and so was easy to recognize. Accompanying her was CurlieGirl. Of course, I did also get to chat with Stephanie for a few minutes. Alas, I left the house without my camera.

Dates to remember -- the 9th Annual Knitter's Frolic (sponsored by the Downtown Knit Collective) will occur on Saturday, April 22, 2006. The Waterloo County Knitters' Fair 2006 will occur on Saturday, September 9, 2006. Be there, or be square!