Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair

On Friday Jane and I drove up to the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair. It's a ways--about 80 miles north (Lake County Fairgrounds, Grayslake), but well worth it.

I took a class with knitter Judy Chang first thing.  A friend turned up in the class which made it extra fun. The class was to learn knitted on i-cord edging.  Our swatches at the end of class are above. Phyllis's are on the left and mine on the right.  First we tried picking up and knitting the edging. I had a hard time gauging how many stitches to pick up and getting them picked up from the correct side. After that the i-cord part was very easy! Our little swatches were begun with an i-cord cast on, have i-cord side edges and mine has an i-cord bind off. How cool is that?  Judy was a great teacher and it was a fun class.  We all left full of inspiration.

After a bit of shopping we headed outside for great music, good food (pulled pork barbecue and lemonade), and conversation between the music.  My sister-in-law came with two friends and Phyllis was there with a friend, so there were several of us swapping chairs as we ate.  After lunch we wandered over to see the llamas.  They are so stately. We watched them do an obstacle course that's training for both them and young 4-H'rs. 

Baby llama.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Nancy's nearly finished shawl--the same pattern as mine but she didn't use markers or lifelines. She's doing the edging now, adding beads.  Isn't the yarn gorgeous? (you can't see the pattern, really, until it's blocked.)

The fair has a lovely sitting area with tables where we could gather to rest, visit and do some show-n-tell.  Nancy and her friend are below. Jane, above, is knitting away on a chemo cap.

The stash in Nan's bag (above) turned out to be this gorgeous silk yarn below. I watched her playing with the various colors as she made her selections. I don't blame her for choosing this yarn and I can't wait to see what she decides to make with it.

Our day ended with a very long, slow drive home, that was relieved by good conversation.  It's so nice to go with a friend! 

I like this fair a lot because it's "more." It's a day to be with friends and family.  It has variety. It's not just knitting or even yarn things like spinning and weaving. There's quilting, beading, fabric, some antiques, trims and buttons, felting, baskets, ceramics, displays of challenge pieces and a gallery, music outside, music inside, and just lots of good vibes from the happy people (and the angora bunnies and llamas).  You can be sure I'll post next year's dates as soon as they're available and encourage you all to come.