SAFF Weekend

What a fun way to spend a day!  SAFF (Southeastern Animal & Fiber Fair) is a huge weekend yarn event held near Asheville, NC every year. Lucky for us, it's close enough to drive up for a day. We got to enjoy the fall foliage as we drove up into the mountains.

It's really hard to explain the excitement of this event to a non-knitter or non-fiber person. ("Fiber people" include knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinners, etc.)  Even a knitter who has never been to a big yarn event might not get it. There are many other yarn/fiber events around the country, but this is one of the really big ones. And, one of the really good ones.

There is yarn, yarn and more yarn to admire. These are not the same yarns that I can buy easily at home. We saw and touched yak yarn, bison and silk yarn, and possum yarn. (The possum yarn is from New Zealand possums, not the ones we see here as road kill.) You cannot dash into a big box store and pick up a skein of those.

Along with thousands of other yarn shoppers, we look at samples of knitted garments and accessories. We oogled sweaters, scarves and shawls that other visitors were wearing. You can stop a total stranger and ask about what's she's wearing and in seconds, you're talking like you're family. And I guess in a sense, that's exactly what we are—a family of knitters.

We made notes of patterns that we loved. How easy it is now to snap a photo of the info instead of jotting illegible notes on a piece of paper like we did years ago! These will get added to the long, long list of other patterns we love and want to knit some day. And we might have bought some yarn. And then bought some more yarn.

People come from all over the southeast to spend a few days here. That meant I got to see friends that I had met before at other knitting events. That's one of the best parts of going—seeing friends. There were also animal events in the barns. We never got that far, but I'm adding that to my to-do list for next year. I'm a little sad I don't have better photos to share, photos that would give you an idea of the size and scope of this event, but fewer photos mean I was focused on the event instead of fiddling with my iPhone. And that's a good thing.

So what did I do when I got home with my newly purchased special yarn? I got right back to business and picked up the baby blanket I started earlier in the week.

This baby isn't going to wait for me to try out my new acquisitions. (This is for a friend. No new babies for our family.) But, oh what fun I'll have soon when I can cast on something new!

See those rows of blocks? I need 11 more rows. In a hurry. So I'm not going to look at my new yarn yet. Gotta stay focused!