Maryland 2018 - Days 3 & 4 MSWF

This is the third post for MSWF. Go backwards in the blog if you want to read the others. I missed the shearing part of the Sheep to Shawl competition on Saturday morning and, by the time I made it to the tent where the competition was being held, one team had just cut their shawl off the loom.

That was Spin City. They had a Scout theme, complete with cookies and merit badges.

I realize that unless you have a large screen you're not going to be able to read the Merit Badge descriptions. Most have to do with becoming competent in skills of spinning, knitting, shearing, etc. However I particularly liked the one that shows a credit card and is awarded for: "Enabler (silver or gold). The requirements for earning this badge are: Teaching someone to knit, crochet, spin, felt, weave, or dye. You also must have 'encouraged' another to buy a braid of roving, skein of yarn, or spindle. Silver: If you have ever persuaded someone to buy a wheel or loom then you have earned the silver enabler award. Gold: To earn the gold enabler award you must have influenced someone's decision to buy a farm,  fiber mill, or yarn store."                 The Fiber Friends' sign said that they were "Celebrating the Royal Wedding with a Royal Shawl".

Definitely a royal purple theme.

The third team was called Friends Thru Fiber and had a butterfly theme.

I was showing sheep Saturday afternoon and didn't make it back to this area to find out who won the competition.

I mentioned in the last post about the opportunity to spend time with people who I rarely see.

               These are two of the JSBA inspectors that I communicate with via email a lot. Royal on the left, is the person who bought the sheep I brought.                       Here is a photo of showing Serrano that Royal just sent me.

                 As things were winding down on Sunday afternoon I helped Royal load the sheep for his drive to Pennsylvania. That's my two with their new friends.          Serrano in the trailer.               As I left the fairgrounds I took a few photos of the gorgeous countryside.                       I love seeing the farms and these old barns.

Back at the hotel...                   ...I laid out my winnings.                    Stay tuned for one more day of Maryland adventures!

Maryland 2018 - Days 3 & 4 MSWF

                   Saturday morning I met up with a Ravelry friend and her crew for their annual tailgate breakfast before the show opened. They went to get in line and get organized for the day and I went in the back gate to take care of sheep. After my minimal chores I went out to see the show. I showed photos of sheep at MSWF in the last post. ,but for some people fiber shows are mostly about shopping.

                   The number of people at this show is amazing. This was probably an hour after the gates opened and people were still pouring in. (I can't help but think about the fool who, when I was involved with organization of Lambtown in Dixon, insisted that the beer booth would be the big money maker and didn't give much importance to the activities for "ladies with the quilts" [did he even say 'old ladies'?] )                    The main street. Food on the right. Sheep and vendors on the left. More vendors behind me and more in the distance.

                                                  My first stop was the Fiber Arts show. I was surprised to see this award for Best Woven Article on the shawl I entered in the commercial yarn division. This is Anderson Ranch yarn with a natural warp and black walnut-dyed weft.                                                      I had high hopes for the handspun V-shawl that I finished just in time for the show. It got second, but there was stiff competition...                         ...very worthy of a win in this class. (There is a connection for some of you to this shawl if you read the card by kbdoolin.)                      I had also entered photos. (I had a whole suitcase devoted to the weaving and photo entries--good thing that Southwest allows two checked bags.) Another surprise!

After checking out the entries I started wandering through the grounds.                The main exhibit hall was packed with people. It's hard to even get around.                This is where the t-shirts, caps, etc. are sold. The line zigzags a couple of times with those barriers keeping ordered. I didn't even try to go in there on Saturday. Writing this post reminds me that I did go back on Sunday and bought a t-shirt. There were only a few left from this year's festival. I must have left the bag somewhere because it didn't come home with me. :-(             Outside the t-shirt building.                    The fleece show.

One booth had thousands of buttons, all sorted by color. I was drawn to the soap sale display. Notice that the wheel has two flyers--there were dozens of wheels, looms, etc in the Auction Tent. Saturday afternoon would be the auction of spinning/weaving equipment. On Sunday there would be an auction of sheep equipment.

Signs seen in the barns and vendor areas. This is one reason it is fun to go to a show like this--the vendors are all different than those I see all the time on the West Coast.

          Jacob horn necklaces.                                    In the parking lot.                      Unique "flower" arrangement.   Speaking of friends, another great thing about this trip was meeting up with people who also raise Jacob sheep. Some I had met before and others were just names from Facebook. Now I have met them in person.