SAFF 2010

it's a perfect autumn weekend in western North Carolina. i spent yesterday up in fletcher, nc, just a few miles south of asheville, for the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair ... or SAFF for short. i don't have pictures of foliage, but i do have yarn pictures =)


this was my first purchase of the day. it's miss babs "bamboo baby", a blend of merino, bamboo, and nylon. i bought some last year and knitted cauchy from _sock innovation_. i love this yarn! i love its sheen. so, i just had to get more.

though i knew i was coming to SAFF, i did not pack my ball winder and swift. i did however, loop the hank around my knees in the car, and wound it by hand on the drive back to mom's.

the drive was only about an hour, so i had time to wind this baby too!


... another hank of miss babs, but this time it's "yummy" 2ply ... a superwash merino. now, this one, i'm already knitting. i am making another pair of spice man socks. i'm also going to attempt to alter it a bit, and make the heelflap with the usual slip stitch design, and perhaps knit the leg in stockinette with a 2x2 ribbing. we'll see ....

a yarn i almost started to wind in the car, but held off ... because i need to wind it with the ball winder & swift. i need to decide what pattern i will use, and if i'll start with the dark or the light, or knit cuff down or toe up. this yarn is called "transitions" by Gypsy Girl Creations. there are 2 50 gram hanks, and it will, "transition" from white to dark blue. the colorway i have here is called "tackle".



this next yarn is from the gradience sock collection of the unique sheep. this particular yarn is called 'verve' (it's their fingering 100% merino) in colorway enonymus.


i've seen some really pretty socks knitted with this yarn!

next up, some more calypso.


i have bought this stuff before. i seem to hoard it, as i've not knitted my first hank purchased at least a year ago.

calypso is by creatively dyed yarn. it's 100% merino superwash, in a whopping 150 gram hank, with 510 yards. i love her colorways, as she uses LOTS of color in each colorway. there's enough yarn here for a shawl. but, i think it will become toe up socks. it's one of those yarns inwhich i want to use up every snippet.


this stuff is NICE! i bought 3 hanks of this 250 yard handspun wool from Windy Acres Fiber Farm. they are based out of Candler, NC. the wool is a blend of border leicester and finn. i'm thinking it's going to become a rustic shawl. something quite simple, to show off the pretty twist of the yarn.

and, there was a vendor selling books at 75% off, magazines for $1, and pattern books for $2. that said, i got all this for $12 + tax.


this batch was an absolute steal! one of the pattern books alone retails for $18.

now, to prove i did see some animals (honestly, i really only go for the yarn ... and would have a lamb burger if they had a proper food vendor).


angora bunny! they are too cute, and sinfully soft. this particular vendor had sold all but 2 of her bunnies. they can be litter box trained, but i do not live in a bunny-friendly home (i already have dust bunnies).

oh, and i'm saving the best for last ... planned bad eating. it's no secret i love bojangles. i don't have it often (ie: just a few times a year). i remembered there's a bojangles just a few miles south of our exit, so i told mom, "we're having bojangles for breakfast!"


i had the classic cajun filet biscuit. yum! and, a very unsouthern thing ... a jug of unsweetened iced tea.