Fiber Festival Fun~~

Where does the time go? It's already a week ago that my friend Kathy and I were at the Fiber Festival in Fargo. We had the best time ever! This was a "first time" event, and I know it was very small compared to great yarn shows you all have out east, but we had perfect weather, and positively the best day I've had all summer!

We were there before it opened and stayed until it closed. There were demonstrations and hands-on activities. I could have dropped a bundle on the supplies to try several new crafts, but I managed to restrain myself. I made a rag doll and tried my hand at fabric painting using templates and Locker Hooking. I've never actually watched anyone spin before, so was mesmerized by the gals who were spinning yarn. Someday....

The Fiber Festival took place at Bonanzaville, which is a frontier setting recreated by actual buildings from the days when North Dakota was settled. You can walk through the community and in and out of the various houses and other buildings. Kathy and I felt like we'd been "transported" to a different era, and were none to anxious to return to the 21st century!

This cute little cabin was the first house build in Fargo, ND back in 1869. Hard to imagine raising a family in such a small, simple home. Inside was a loft, and two rickety old beds. What you see on the front stoop is an array of hand-woven baskets and an area to sit and work. Very quaint and charming.

We also visited the General Store, which was stocked to the brim with goods from a bygone era. We learned from the "storekeeper" that the items in the store were the actual inventory that was there when the store closed. I felt like I was in Little House on the Prairie!! Check out the Linament in the lower right corner. Everyone needs some quality Linament now and then don'tcha know!!!For those of you who love to bake and putts about in your kitchen, here are the baking goods! Don't you just love that enormous can of baking powder, and look at the boxes of Morton's Salt! The Hershey's Cocoa can hasn't changed much, has it? Both Kathy and I were just tickled as we went through this store.
And for all my knitting friends, here's the "handwork" department!! This was it... just a box of cotton.
Of course I have lots more pictures, but I'll save them for later! The school, court house, and bank were adorable, and there's an old Lutheran church where they still hold weddings!

I did buy a couple of skeins of yarn from one of the vendors, but forgot to take pics of it. I'll get those taken for next time. Last summer I bought some (WAY too much) yarn when my LYS in Fargo was going out of business. Well, happily for me it's back! It has a new name and new owners, and it's better than ever. They had a booth at the festival and then I got to see the store on Tuesday when I gave my uncle a ride to Fargo to have lasar surgery on his eye. I only had an hour to spend there (I NEEDED at least four!!) but I know that the owners are friendly and helpful, and they carry some great yarn. I would love to get back one time before school starts, but we'll see.

With all the yuck I had going on, my knitting mojo up and left me this summer. The only things I seemed to be able to work on were a couple of dishcloths, mostly while waiting to get in for doctor appointments. But, I guess that's better than nothing, and it does allow me to say I have some FO's!!

The first one is My Favorite Dishcloth from Harvest Moon Designs. I really like this pattern... it's fun, easy, and quick to work up.

Then I made two more DW cloths. I always get a kick out of watching the colors come together on this pattern. The yarn is Peaches & Cream in the Fiesta color. Really bright and summery. The one on the bottom is Sugar 'n Cream Early American Ombre. I made another one that was a great color, but sent it away for a swap before snapping a picture.

I've also gotten back to a table mat I was working on before school was out, and it's starting to grow. Funny how that happens when you actually knit on

something! I'm at least half done, and anxious to get it finished. There are a

couple other projects I'm itching to start, but I want to make some serious progress on the table mat first.

Last evening was "girls night out" with my three best friends in the whole wide world. We usually go to a restaurant, but instead met at a home. We grilled steak and chicken, and each brought something to share. There were cheesy potatoes, scalloped corn, a beauteous leafy salad, and yummy fruit. We met around 6:30, and guess who got home at 4am? Yup, it was me. And the others, too! Hubby couldn't believe I was getting home so late. Or early. Men just don't get it. We had so much catching up to do that we didn't even get tired. When we noticed that it was 3:00, we couldn't imagine where the time had gone. However, there is the price to pay. I'm certainly not a bundle of energy today, and don't suppose I'll be accomplishing great things! Frankly, I don't care. If I have some computer time, knit some, and maybe read some, I'm okay with that! And to top it off, I had left-over scalloped corn for breakfast!