Lace Leaf KAL – sarah inskeep designs

The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is this weekend, May 2nd and 3rd! I’m so excited, I can hardly wait!! Mom and I go together every year, it’s our tradition! We missed last year because of my surgery, so we’ve been looking forward to this a long time! This year is also special because Annelies is planning to bring Vera and join us! It’s going to be loads of fun!

At the Maryland Sheep & Wool there are so many fascinating vendors with lovely yarns; wools for spinning, dying, and felting; and beautifully handmade fiber craft tools. And I love seeing the animals – sheep, alpacas, llamas, and angora rabbits! The sheepdog trials are always such fun to watch! And the people! So many interesting people, and so many of them wearing gorgeous handmade items they crafted themselves, or gifted to them by a loved one or friend! If you are in the area this weekend, I heartily encourage you to make the time to stop by!

In other news, I decided that my Lace Leaf Shawl needed to be knit on larger needles…

So, during a car ride of several hours a couple weekends ago, I started over on size 7s (4.5mm). (I had originally been using size 5s (3.5mm)).

Having a second ball of “Row of Tulips,” I played it safe…

I cast on with the larger needles and the second ball of yarn, knit for awhile…

… and then compared the two fabrics. I decided that I liked the fabric resulting from the bigger needles better, so I kept knitting on that one, and pulled out and re-wound the other!

There’s been plenty of knitting time, so I’ve made good progress…

I’m just starting to cast off. Perhaps I’ll have it done in time to wear to the Sheep & Wool?!

We’ve had a number of rather severe thunderstorms this week, with high winds, lightening, lots of thunder of course, and even hail!

But my daffodills are holding up remarkably well so far!

We have a whole long row of them between the two properties, next to the grapevines.

Some of them are looking a bit droopy, but they will perk back up!

And honestly, I was surprised to find them still all in one lovely piece!

That row of daffodills is one of my favorite things about Spring around here!

And of course there are a couple of hyacinths mixed in as well! 😉 They smell absolutely heavenly!

Stormy weather is also good knitting weather, particularly if the power goes out (because electronics are optional, all you need is a flashlight or a candle or two and you can keep right on knitting!), which it didn’t this time, for which I’m grateful because it’s still a bit chilly around here.