Fibre East - 2

Here's a snap of our stall all ready to go on the Saturday morning. Fortunately, we didn't suffer from the damp, although some of the paper on brochures etc. had absorbed some moisture. We were a bit concerned that the whole thing would be cancelled, but as people were queuing to get in and all the stallholders had travelled to get there, not to mention boooking accommodation etc. we were glad it went ahead.

The pathways got gradually deeper and deeper in mud as the day wote on, but there were plenty of determined customers and the farm staff and the organisers did their very best with bark and wood shavings to make the marquees habitable! Most people had come well equipped with wellies or boots and we were lucky that none of our stock was dropped or splashed. It was good to see and chat with everyone and generally people were remarkably cheerful. In quiet moments you could hear squelching though as people walked about!

We were pleased to finish in at the end of the afternoon and it had even stopped raining! We went for a quick pub supper on the way home - I must mention the warm welcome and good food at the Chequers in Keysoe here - and it was a hot shower and an early night to get ready for the Sunday.    

Sunday had much better weather and the field had drained, although the mud in the marquees was still there and I did think that this put people off browsing amongst the stalls as much as they might have done. In any case, we still had plenty of customers and I'm pleased to say that my bolero pattern proved popular. It felt more relaxed once the weather improved and Mum spent some time looking around and watching the sheep shearing. It was her first show - I hope it hasn't put her off as I'd like to do Wonderwool next year. 

At the end of the day, we got packed up fairly quickly and I even managed to drive across the muddy field without getting stuck! The drive home was through hot sunshine and the pleasant Hertfordshire countryside and when we arrived, my husband had cooked a meal for us and my father was waiting to accompany Mum home.

I've now got everything unpacked and sorted out and yes, I would do it next year - we surely can't get the same conditions two years running can we?  

Fibre East -1

This was my first ever show and I think it went pretty well, in spite of the weather, which has been well documented elsewhere.

Mum and I arrived on Friday afternoon and got the stand up in about an hour. I'm glad I already do Farmers' Markets, so I didn't have to think too hard about the display. I meant to have a practice run-through at home before I set off, but of course ran out of time. At that time the field was a little damp underfoot, but the sun was out and we had even had the air conditioning on in the car on the way up!

I'm so glad we didn't even think about camping! Our nearby B&B was delightful and we had such a warm welcome from the owners, complete with tea and cake, when we arrived. It was just us and we had a comfortable suite - ideal for relaxing after a long day on the stall.

Then overnight on Friday it rained! We weren't allowed to drive onto the field in the morning, but luckily, I had put in waterproofs and walking boots before I set off - not really expecting to need them - and we managed to get to our stall reasonably dry-shod. Inside the marquee, we could see that the pathways between the stands were going to get worn and muddy pretty quickly and felt sorry for people who had a stand in a bit of a dip, where water was collecting. Ours was on a very small rise and so had remained dry. Leaflets and labels had absorbed some moisture from the air, but apart from that we were OK. All we needed were customers! 

Getting There!

Saturday at the Knitting & Crochet Guild AGM was a good day - it meant an early start to catch the train to Birmingham, but it was so nice to see people I had not seen since last year and the day was full of interesting stuff. I enjoyed seeing other people's work at the show and tell, although it was a little daunting to be first up in making my presentation. There was also a talk on the Guild's vintage pattern collection and I have been inspired to have a look at one from my own, very small, collection to see if it could be updated to fit me. I'm a good bit bigger than their model!

Well, St Alban's farmers market was as wet as I'd feared it would be, but I did sell a few bits and managed to get home in time to watch the tennis, so not a bad day. Managed to get the wet stock dried out overnight!   

I've just got to add pictures to my bolero pattern and it will be ready to print. Here's the front view:

And finally - I was contacted by Knit Now magazine recently and they're featuring my yarn in their issue out on August 23rd. How exciting!
  

July update

I'm still working hard and getting ready for Fibre East. I've finished dyeing now and am very pleased with the final batch of "mixed blues" that is now dry and ready to be re-skeined and labelled. I've decided to call it "cornflowers".

All the labelling and re-skeining is taking a long time, but I've still got about 10 days to go and I can sort of watch the tennis while I'm doing it!

I've got a day off on Saturday to go to Birmingham for the Knitting & Crochet Guild AGM - it's an early start, but I enjoy the train journey and of course, I'll be taking some knitting with me to be getting on with. The day starts at 11.30 with a "show and tell" session, where members can show off their projects. I'm taking a scarf worked on the diagonal with self-striping yarn. It's an interesting technique and the yarn makes for an effective pattern.

On Sunday I'm at St Alban's farmers market - hoping for a rain-free day, which may be a tall order this summer, a busy morning and an early finish so I can get home and watch the tennis final!