Blue Ribbon

Spent a very pleasant day yesterday at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival in West Friendship, MD.  http://www.sheepandwool.org/ We had planned to spend the whole day at the show because we had to pick up the two entries that had been mailed off before we went to St Louis last week, after 4:30.

We took a slow walk through the sheep to shawl competition area - meeting up with one of my third Thursday spinning members before we headed for the competition room.  Right there on the front table was my scarf - a blue ribbon award and also best scarf in show.  A great start, but then on to the skein table and another pleasant surprise that my skein was also a first place blue ribbon with 96 out of 100 points.  Both items had some very favourable comments, I guess I am the only one that actually sees all the little mistakes and blemishes.

Both entries.

The 1st prizes were worth $15 each and the special award also came with a little silver scarf clasp - hand made by an artist Leslie Wind www.lesliewind.com who may have had a stall at the show, but we didn't notice as we were too busy looking out for wool/fiber bargains at the many many stalls

We came away with some Lincoln top, some samples of bleached silk (to blend with CF), bamboo, and some cotton - the latter two just to try out spinning the different fibers, and finally a little Jacob wool (the black and white variety) - this one just very black.  So with the prize money and the money for my first scarf (which I sold today), we're slightly ahead!

I won't give up my day job just yet though!!