Some Ramblings About My Trip

***** Updated with photos 10-31-2006! *****

Oh what a great trip! The NY Sheep and Wool show was fantastic! I picked up some more "Socks that Rock" from Toni at "The Fold" and also some very "fall colored" roving from Linda at "Misty Mountain Farm". The roving is in varying shades of orange, red, green, and yellow.....just like all the leaves on the mountains.....so I had to get it as a momento of the trip!

Here's a shot of some cuddly alpacas.....they're just soooooo cute! I also caught a brown merino being "primped" for show. This little sheepie was amazingly cooperative for the groomer.




And the requisite pictures of some of the Virginia folks at the festival. The first picture is of Janet, me, Jayme, and Amy.....and in the center front, is a new fiber friend we met there - I can't remember her name, but I believe she's from Potomac, MD....so she's really close by (One of my buddies had jotted down her contact info, so we have it around somewhere!!!). You can tell by the smiles on all our faces that we're having a great time! The second picture is of Lisa and me......notice the "Maryland Sheep and Wool" garb? My T-shirt is "purple", of course!



I exhausted myself and my dear hubby was a real good sport and lugged all my purchases to the car...frequently! (I think he's a keeper!!!!) All I had to do was find him a nice spot to sit while I "dealt" with the crowds and shopping. DH insists that I "purchased the wool of 12 sheep"....he couldn't believe how much wool and yarn I crammed into the back of the car.

Sunday, we ate at my friend's restaurant in Mt. Tremper - Catskill Rose. If you're up in the Catskills, Kingston, Woodstock, Saugerties, etc.....you MUST go there to eat. Pete and his wife are both Culinary school trained and the food is FABULOUS!!!!!

Of course, I stopped at "Krauses Candy" shop in Saugerties while I was there.....fabulous home made chocolates. Mmmmmmm!

Another "must stop" is Woodstock. Yes, that's where the original "Woodstock" was SUPPOSED to be, but dear Michael Lang didn't get the proper permits, so it was held in Bethel instead. Woodstock is full of interesting shops and good places to eat. There's a fabulous Toy store right there on Tinker St.....

While there, I went to "Woodstock Wool Company" (a yarn shop in Woodstock, NY.) They have quite a bit of yarn and some very inviting seating areas (couches/chairs and coffee tables in a couple of areas - it was great to sit and peer through the pattern books and books in comfy seats! (It also provided a nice place to "park my hubby" while I shopped!)

I also stopped at "Amazing Threads" on Ulster Ave. in Lake Katrine (near Kingston) - it has yarn, roving, spinning wheels, and a very nice owner with whom I had a wonderful visit. She'd gone to the NY Sheep and Wool show as well....and had a great time too! She's working on the website, so it's not all complete, but hopefully she'll have the on-line ordering, etc. up and running before too long (She's only owned the store for about 5 months....so she's been VERY busy!!!) She has a nice variety of yarns, needles, and buttons.....it's a definite "must visit"!

One of the best things I did while "hanging out in the Catskills" was spinning 4 skeins of brown BFL in front of a roaring fire. It was WONDERFUL!!!! We even had snow flurries on Tuesday and Wednesday....the snow didn't really stick except in the hills above the resort. It was fabulous spinning and knitting weather! I just wish the trip could have lasted longer - the food in and around Stamford was wonderful....as was the crisp fall weather and the colorful mountain views.








The photos above are some of the views from our room. We had snow flurries Tuesday and Wednesday....and as you can see in the first picture, it stuck to the ground just up the hill from us. It was really beautiful! It started snowing during my hike on Tuesday....and it was just perfect - crisp air with gently falling snow. Most of the leaves were already gone on the west side of the mountains, but as you can see in the second picture, there were still some stunning scenery to look at. (Plus, every time we went to the east side of the mountains, or down in the valley, we'd get a spectacular show of various colored leaves...just past peak, but still beautiful.) And finally, a picture showing some color and another shot of the snowy mountain...