A Few Last Thoughts About Estes Park

River through Estes Park

The town was lovely and the people were so friendly. I did get a chance to visit a yarn shop, called The Stitchin' Den, in a lovely space just off the main street of shops. Showed it to Cathy and Mike, who had never been there and were very much impressed. I had sort of met Susan, the president, on-line at Ravelry and she was so gracious. When I first went in it was quiet and I bought three skeins of yarn which I'll be adding to my Ravelry stash soon. When I went back with Cathy and Mike the place was packed!

Knitting by the river

This area is a destination for tourists, of course, because of the beauty of the mountains, the parks, the hiking trails, and all the shops. There is so much space, though, that it rarely felt crowded to me.

At Lily Lake

It's hard to convey how beautiful these mountains are, and how the town seems to be surrounded by them. I took so many pictures, and they just don't capture the real beauty. Maybe it's the heights, the starkness, the color, or just the wide skies that make it so different there in Colorado.

Tiny Purple Flowers

And not all the beauty was on a grand scale. The whirl of a hummingbird's wings, darting chipmunks, tiny purple, blue and white flowers, a swirl of water in a quiet spot of the river, the whisper of a breeze in a pine tree, the sight of the sun on a dancing limb of pale gray leaves...so much to move, to rest the eyes, to relax.

Chapel on the Rock

And not everything beautiful was created by nature, although the natural setting certainly made those created by man more beautiful. This is a chapel at a Catholic retreat center several miles from Estes Park. Coming across it so deep in the mountains is an astonishing experience. The first time I saw it eight years ago there was no one around and I had no idea of the story. This time there were several tourists but everyone was so quiet, and so respectful. I was able to sit alone in the chapel for a little while. The stone walls create a deep and spiritual silence.

Woosh! That was June going by!

My new neighbors

And July is starting out just as busy! It's lovely to just stop a moment and watch the clouds drifting easily across the sky. The hummingbirds have been visiting the hosta blooms by the window, and a noisy sparrow just hopped across the ledge fussing. There's a swallows' nest on top of a post on the porch. I've been watching their progress. Mom and Dad Swallow are both busy feeding the little ones now after an anxious watch and wait. Apparently all the activity around here doesn't bother them.


Spindles and More

When I went to Sedalia I didn't have much time to look around but I saw some customers carrying around these beautiful spindles. I made a dash out and picked up a card, and Darcy is graciously allowing me to sell these lovely pieces in the shop. Each is signed and numbered and would be such a pleasure to spin with. Darcy also has a sense of humor; I love "Blaze Orange" for spinning during hunting season! Can you guess which one is called "Teach Me to Spin"?


Fayetteville, West Virginia, Demonstration

I spent last weekend in Fayetteville, West Virginia, dodging raindrops and spinning some lovely Jacob wool I bought from Perfect Spot Farm. The New River Gorge Heritage Festival was very nice; new, maybe, because it was small but it should grow. The location was lovely. I was set up next to a Civil War encampment on a quiet town street. Two of the residents were kind enough to offer shelter if the storms became too frightening. I made it through two nights in my tent, though, sleeping on straw and tossing ants and some sort of friendly black bug out into the night. It was charming to sit spinning as twilight fell and the lightning bugs rose out of the lawns all around me.


Completed Some Sock Yarn Shawl

Since it rained a good bit last weekend, I finished this crocheted shawl. More details on my Ravelry page, but it's a simple pattern of double crochets and increases to make a triangle shape. I went over to Blacksburg yesterday to pick up bunny feed and stopped in at Mosaic. I'd been dreaming about that Noro sock yarn....

Back from SAFF 2007

with lots of pictures and lovely memories. And lots of fiber to replenish my stash!


SAFF 2007


Chris and Gryffindor

First things first; friend Chris who comes down from Connecticut every year had to find some gorgeous German Angora rabbits! I had more pictures of old friends, but they're on the laptop and I can't get to them. Our motel had a collapse of their wireless and I spent the weekend lugging a useless laptop around! But that left more time for us to talk, play with Chris's new charkha wheel and for her to show me more sock knitting skills!


Wonderful Felting Booth

There were so many vendors, some old friends and some new ones. I was impressed by all the creative pieces I saw, especially the felted items.


Brooks Farm: Pure seduction!

One of our first stops was the Brooks Farm booth. Every year I'm blown away by the beauty of the selections here and this year I certainly wasn't disappointed. More colors, more yarn selection! We bought some yarn, then went back the next day and bought some more!

This is what Chris's car looked like about half-way into our excursion:



From Brooks Farm I bought:


Four Play: shimmering silk and wool yarn. In two colors that I think will be Seraphina's Shawl, instead of the yarn I was working with. And then I went back and bought:


Brooks Farm Mas Acero in wonderful shades. This skein is destined to be Spiral Rib Socks from Socks by Rota Buchanan and Deborah Robson. IF I can manage the knitting! Generous Chris helped me start them out so I'm on the way, at least.

And then we headed over to another favorite booth belonging to Rising Meadow Farm. And yes, we both bought her lovely fleece. Here's mine:


I can't wait to get my hands in this one. The colors range from cream to fawn to gray and I think it's going to make a marvelous yarn!

The best part of the festival was seeing old friends: Elaina from Avillion Farm, Cathy from Perfect Spot Farm, Mary Ellen from ISeeSpots, Connie from Delly's Delights. Jane from Fiber on the Mountain and more folks, like Lura, Diane and others that I didn't even expect to see. We caught up on the news, both good and bad, about life, families and animals. And there was still more time for shopping:


Silk Bells from Lori Flood, and a book from ISeeSpots.


Luxurious Black Shetland roving from The Rosefield


Felting Fibers (for a Friend) and gorgeous roving from Delly's Delights


and one more beautiful black fleece from the wool show. SAFF 2007 was a great time and a fun adventure. Looking forward to SAFF 2008!