Idle Hands

Sheep and Wool Festival 2013

My fourth annual trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival was a little bittersweet without my two yarn-loving companions -- my mom and the award-winning Lisa Marie -- but the festival was so awesome that I was quickly giddy with excitement.  

This ain't my first time at the rodeo, so I headed straight for some favorite spots.  I stopped by the alpaca tent (yes, there is an alpaca tent) for some socks for my brother.  I admired adorable baby patterns at Melissa Jean's stall and swooned over the colors at the Sam Spun stall.  I spent a very long time talking to Jamie Harman, whose yarn I am totally obsessed with, and found myself cooing over a rainbow of soft wool at the appropiately named Carried Away booth:

I made friends with this guy:

and snacked on sheep's milk cheese and honey:

but my biggest discovery was Clare Margaret Artwork.  You know how much I love paper cutting (see Lydia Crook and Famille Summerbelle), so imagine how much I would love an elaborate cut paper sheep. 

via Clare Margaret's etsy shop

Pictures can't do it justice.  The texture was just incredible.

Now I just need to get knitting, so that I can use up my yarn from this year before festival time next year!

Happy Easter!

Spring has sprung, and so have the daffodils.

I am not the only crafty one in this house!  Tonight at Easter dinner, we'll be celebrating Nick's success in the 2013 Washington Post Peeps Contest...because nothing says spring like an eerily realistic peeps diorama. 

Field trip: American Craft Council Baltimore

Last weekend, I ventured up the 295 to the Baltimore Convention Center for a craft extravaganza: the American Craft Council show in Baltimore.

An American Craft Council show is no ordinary craft fair -- it's a curated collection of artisans.  ACC shows also cater to a more upscale, conservative clientele than another perennial favorite of the DC area, Crafty Bastards.  That's a long way of saying that much of what is on offer is not quite my style (or pricepoint), but it's still a lot of fun to browse and admire the craftsmanship.

Luckily, the show is so big that there is something for everyone, no matter what your style. 

I was super excited to meet Ali Marie & Dolan Geiman. We have two of Dolan Geiman's pieces in our house -- the country morning woodblocks here and this clock, which I adore:

It's always a little nervewracking to meet someone in person when you've long admired their work, but Dolan and Ali Marie were just as awesome as I expected.

While wandering the aisles, I also fell in love with Ashley Buchanan's jewelry.  She hand cuts and powder coats each metal piece, which feature ladylike shapes rendered in two dimensions:

via Ashley Buchanan jewelry

Who knew something could be both dainty and badass? 

DC at the holidays: The U.S. Botanic Garden

The Botanic Garden is a great spot to visit any time of year, but never more so than at the holidays. Children flock there for the seasonal train display, which is truly delightful, but my personal favorite is the miniatures. 

The Botanic Garden renders DC landmarks from more than 70 kind of plant materials:

Yes, that is the Jefferson monument, and yes, the dome is made out of a gourd.  I could stand there looking at the details for hours.

The Supreme Court is equally impressive:

In this close-up, you can see the columns made from branches and the incredible carvings on the facade, reproduced using tiny pieces of gnarled vine:

And it doesn't stop there...


It's hard to say exactly what miniature DC landmarks made out of leaves and twigs have to do with the holidays, but visiting the Botanic Gardens has quickly become one of my favorite traditions.

I hope you had a good weekend and that you have time to celebrate some of your own traditions this week! 

Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts 2012

I always look forward to DC's annual ode to all things crafty, so I was excited to check out this year's Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair in a new location at the renovated Union Market. 

I was happy to see old favorites Rar Rar Press and Horrible Adorables and to make some new discoveries.

This year, my favorite finds were in stationary.  I just love Katharine Watson's block print cards:

via KatharineWatson

And I laughed out loud at the letterpress cards from Lennah Press, which range from sweet:

via Lennah Press on etsy

to quirky:

via Lennah Press on etsy

to downright hilarious:

via Lennah Press on etsy

I also found plenty of covetable objects.  I loved the creative knits from DeNada designs, like this oversized braided cowl:

via DeNada

And I am enamored with Nathan William Murrell's dimensional wooden art: 

via Nathan William Murrell

Despite all the cool stuff, I have to say that the format of the Fair was a little less fun this year.  There were A TON of people crammed into a tight space, parking was limited, and they charged admission for the first time.  I'm hoping that they'll have some of the kinks worked out by next year. 

Fruits of fall at Larriland farms

We went out to Larriland Farm in Woodbine, MD this weekend to pick apples and pumpkins.  It was a gorgeous fall day, and we found the perfect pumpkin.

Three perfect pumpkins, actually, in varying shades of orange and green:

Also, a bounty of apples -- mutsu, staymen, suncrisp, and more. 

I couldn't wait to get home -- I had to eat one right there on the spot.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Last weekend, Nick and I went up to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a national park in Northeast DC and an overlooked jewel in our city. 

Most of the year, the aquatic gardens are a nice refuge and a place to connect with nature...

but in June, when the water lilies are blooming, they are stunning. 

There are giant waterlillies that seem almost prehistoric,

and smaller lillies reminiscent of a Monet.

Dragonflies whirr through the air,

geese paddle by,

and if you watch closely you may spy a frog resting on a lilypad.

It's supposed to be another beautiful weekend.  Enjoy!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2012

Last weekend, we headed out to the Howard County fairgrounds for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  Hurrah!   

The day got off to a wonderful start as we walked into the festival and my mom was stopped for the first of many questions and compliments on her wonderful shawl.

Not long after, we wandered by the pavilion of knit and crochet contest winners and were delighted to find that my friend Lisa Marie had won not one, but two, ribbons -- one for her adorable Wheat Basket Beanie:

and another for stunning Riding Jacket:  

 

So basically, I had the pleasure of attending the festival with two celebrities.  I think the sheep knew they were in the presence of greatness.

 

We spent most of the day winding through stalls admiring the abundance of beautiful yarn:

 

When we were totally oversaturated, we took a break to sample sheep and goat cheese:

and to watch sheep herding, spinning, and weaving:

So much fun.  Of course, I also found some amazing yarn, which you'll see in projects posted soon, because I can't wait to start knitting!

One week to Sheep and Wool 2012!

Get ready.  It's nearly here.  Next weekend is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  To learn more, check out my 2010 and 2011 highlights.  In addition to loads of yarn (including my favorite, Sam Spun, which you can't find anywhere else) and, of course, sheep, there are contests.  My mom and I have become particularly fascinated with the Sheep to Shawl contest, in which a team of 1 shearer, 3 spinners, and 1 weaver have three hours to go from "sheep to shawl."  That's right. Wrap your mind around that.

Metro Yarn Crawl

The Metro Yarn Crawl starts this weekend!  Visit 10 local yarn stores between April 14-22 for special discounts and prizes.  Some of my favorite local spots - A Tangled Skein and fibre space - are participating.  Go have fun!