That picture from yesterday was the first picture I took on Friday. I tried to take a few more on Friday evening but they look like crap. You’ll just have to take my word for it that we had an awesome dinner at Cal’s Wood Fired Grill and then had an even more awesome time hanging out in our hotel room. Blogless Sharon and Jo-Ann and I hosted everyone and we drank wine and beer and ate chocolate. We laughed and swapped stories and jokes and got yelled at by the hotel manager to quiet down. I’m always secretly proud when we get sushed by the management.

And see this picture? Well this is the first picture I took on Saturday. Much like Friday, it’s the only decent one of the lot – other than the one of our haul and you’ve already seen that one. I had my camera in my hand when we arrived at the  Big E and I snapped this one of Sharon and then a couple of others and then I put the camera in my bag and never hauled it out again. So, you will just have to take my word for it that we had a blast at the Fiber Festival of New England. We shopped and gabbed with friends. We had a yummy lunch (hello chili cheese fries) and did more shopping and  more gabbing. We finally left when the  wool and dust got to be too much for Jo-Ann’s lungs to handle but we left with lots of stuff and lots of memories. The three of us enjoyed another great meal at Cal’s and headed for home on Sunday morning.

I honestly feel like this event is a great alternative to Rhinebeck. The scenery is definitely lacking and I missed wandering outside to break up the shopping but it’s half the distance from home, the hotel is significantly cheaper, and the crowds are practically nonexistent. I’m not saying I’m  done with Rhinebeck but I am saying I am IN for next year at the  Fiber  Festival of New England!

But the above photo of today’s haul at the Fiber Festival of New England has inspired me. Take heart, it’s not all mine.

Sharon and Jo-Ann and I tried to get an early start but Boston traffic delayed our arrival until nearly lunch time. It was okay, though, because that meant we didn’t have to wait at all before hitting the beer truck. Yes, I said beer truck. You have to love a fiber event that has beer.

And vendors. Some of my favorite vendors, in fact. Kim and Dave, Amy and Josette and many more.

There was vintage baseball going on in one of the fields and that was very cool. Truly, it was like watching a scene from Field of Dreams. I kept expecting to see Shoeless Joe come walking out of that cornfield.

Of course the highlight of the day was hanging with my peeps, chatting and spinning. I have had Jo-Ann on the hook for months now with the spinning bait and on Saturday I set the hook and reeled her in. She’s doing just fine with the spinning and I expect she’ll have a wheel of her own, and not my borrowed Lendrum, in no time at all.

Speaking of wheels, check out my friend Kelly’s pendulum wheel. So cool and so big, but I know I’d have conked myself in the head with that spindle if I’d had the guts to try it.

Kelly really does always have the coolest spinning stuff, like this beautiful Bosworth spindle made from flame box elder. It’s a work of art, I tell you.

I had such a fun day. It was relaxing and the setting was spectacular. My family vacation has been moved permanently because I can’t imagine missing out on this event now that I know how wonderful it is.

There’s this one of Sharon with our wheels on Thursday when there was no one around.

And there’s this one of Sharon and Manise drinking tequila.

And there’s this one of Manise’s handspun.

That’s it.

I don’t have pictures of all the laughing and the talking and the joking. I don’t have pictures of the knitting and spinning and shopping. I don’t even have pictures of all the eating and drinking and hanging out.

What I do have, though, are the memories. And those are, no doubt, the best thing of all.

And then I got sad just thinking about not being there. And then I talked to Hillary and realized that she would be there and that if I didn’t go I would miss seeing her a lot. And I wanted to see the newlyweds again. And then Dale said, “let’s go!” So I called the hotel and go the last room available and we went. It was quick because of other commitments but it was worth it.

The foliage was incredible this year. Truly, it was breathtaking. The drive through Hyde Park was amazing and the trees at the fairgrounds did not disappoint.

It was crowded but not as crowded as it was on Saturday, I’m sure. I mostly shopped with JessaLu and I bumped into lots of people and spent a fair amount of time talking with Laurie, Monica, Kim, Maryse, Manise and Vanessa.

I stood in the shortest line I’ve ever seen for the artichokes french and Dale had fried pickles. We didn’t try the pretzels but they looked and smelled wonderful.

There was shopping, of course, but I only bought 2 4oz braids of Into the Whirled and some cashmere/merino/silk from a vendor that had lots of shiny beads but whose name I can’t recall.

And there were sheep. Lots of beautiful, smelly, woolly sheep. It wouldn’t be a sheep and wool festival without them.

Rhinebeck was awesome and I promise to tell you all about it . . . on Wednesday.

Friday night we headed north and hit traffic. A lot of traffic. By the time we got to the hotel we decided to just hang out with some drinks and room service. It was a great way to not only end the day but also to rest up for the next day. Turns out, we didn’t need to rest much.

Saturday morning dawned rainy and cold. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at our hotel and headed to the festival – in the pouring rain. I was determined to get there, though, because I wanted to hang with my peeps – and I did. For a little while, anyway. We visited and chatted and hung around. I bought some yarn and we hung around some more. Honestly, though, by 2 pm we were cold and decided to leave. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging in the hotel, knitting and napping. I bet you can figure out who did what without me spelling it out for you.

Saturday evening we met Judy and her husband for dinner at Margaritas. It was the perfect way to end our day. Margaritas, burritos and good conversation!

On Sunday we headed back to the festival – simply because I wanted to see Kim. We met Kim and her husband, Ken, almost immediately upon arrival and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon visiting and chatting and shopping. Are you sensing a theme here? It was sunny but cold and really windy and by 3 pm we hit the road for home.

We went out for dinner with the kids Sunday night – Chinese food for the rest of the family and sushi for me – talk about a win on Mother’s Day!  It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend!

Sharon and I headed up on Thursday and had lunch at the Harraseeket Inn. We wanted to check out the new spinning space and we had heard the food was good. The food was excellent – we both had lobster stew and salad – but it was also fairly pricey. And the spinning room, while large, was  quite a distance from the parking lot. Even if Sharon had dropped me at the front door, it would have been  a real challenge for me (in my breathless pneumonia laden condition) to walk that distance with my wheel. We decided then and there that we would make the best of it at the Hilton and find a space to spin. The rest of Thursday was spent meeting up with other early arrivals, enjoying a cocktail (or two!) at the Hilton bar, and spinning in the lobby.

Friday’s spinning

Friday morning we woke up to no power in the hotel. Our room wasn’t cold at all but others were pretty chilly. We gathered in the lobby and found coffee and set up our wheels. Basically we staked a claim! The morning passed quickly but not without drama as vendors and hotel guests worried about what would happen if the power was not restored. Fortunately, it came back  on right before noon. I never saw a look of relief like the one on the hotel manager’s face, I can tell you that! It wasn’t long before the rest of our friends arrived and the vendor room opened. We shopped for a bit and went back to spinning in the lobby. It was crowded but manageable and we had a nice (but long) dinner in the hotel dining room.

Saturday’s spinning

On Saturday we decided to skip trying to find space in the lobby and we spun in Martha’s room as she had a suite. It worked out beautifully. It was peaceful and there was plenty of room for anyone who wanted to be there. The day passed quickly and we headed to the Azure Cafe for dinner. The food was great but the service was poor – and I’m being kind. I was quite disappointed as I was the one who suggested we go there because it was so great last year. Looks like we’ll be on the look out for someplace new next year. We spent the rest of the evening spinning some more in Martha’s room.

Sunday’s spinning

Sunday came all too quickly! We visited the vendors one last time and then found a corner by the hotel bar for spinning. It was nice to hang out with people I hadn’t seen much all weekend and I finished up another 4 oz braid of fiber before it was time to head home.

I am not exaggerating when I say that SPA is one of my favorite weekends of the year.

• The foliage was lovely. It would have been lovelier against a bright blue sky but it was still beautiful.

• I had some great meals with friends. Dinner at the Eveready Diner on Friday night was delicious and our waiter was new and adorable. Saturday night we dined at The Coyote Grill and I broke with tradition and had Bang Bang Thai Shrimp instead of my usual fish tacos. It was a great choice.

• JessaLu sold a whole bunch of box bags. I’m so glad she’s having success with her sewing venture – she totally deserves it.

• There were some awesome carved pumpkins at the fair. I didn’t take pictures but Hillary did and JessaLu did and you should really go take a look.

• Kim brought a whole bunch of sock yarn with her. On Friday night we dumped it out onto the floor of her hotel room and I literally rolled around in it for a bit. On Saturday night we dumped it out onto my bed. I tried to get her to leave it there for me to sleep with but she took it all back. Well, except for the 5 skeins I bought and all the skeins everyone else bought.

• I love sheep.

That is all.

I know Norma said she thought the fair was less crowded than usual but honestly, I thought it was more crowded than ever. I don’t know if it’s the Ravelry effect or if it was because Saturday’s weather was better but either way on Saturday – UGH. People everywhere. And while I like people in the individual sense (as in, my own peeps) people in the collective sense – not so much.

We made the most of it, though, and decided to approach everything with a sense of bewilderment and amusement. I took pictures to make my point.

This is JessaLu’s face when observing some of the outfits. I know it was cold and I know we needed warmth but honestly, it’s not necessary to wear everything you’ve ever knit all at once.

And this is Sharon’s face when someone hit the back of her legs with a stroller. For the umpteenth time.

Manise made this face when she saw the line for the bathroom.

And Kathy looked like this when she saw the line for the artichokes. I heard tell people waited 90 minutes for one of those little bowls of artichokes. We skipped them on Saturday but did manage to get some on Sunday when the line was only 25 minutes long. God bless the rain is all I can say about that.

I hope our silly faces made you laugh because that is definitely the intent. We had a wonderful time hanging out and shopping. Even with all the crowds I wouldn’t miss it for the world.