A friend and I enjoyed a beautiful drive into the foothills of Sugarloaf mountain as well as a woolly weekend as we toured two of our favorites from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival that were
part of the Countryside Artisans Holiday Studio Tour. All of these years I've thought I could only make purchases from them during the yearly Sheep and Wool Festival. Now I know how often their studios are open (bad news Craig)! Kiparoo Farm is a wonderful little shop on a working sheep and dairy farm. Wonderful yarns, patterns and more. Dancing Leaf Farm has some of the most beautiful colorways. The owner has a delightful way of packaging her yarn and kits (one of my favorites is a kit in a Chinese take-out box with needles stuck in to look like chopsticks). We also took a peek into an artist's studio filled with fine art (oils, water colors and photography) - I'd love to take Craig there. There were a variety of other studios (furniture, herbs, crafts, etc.) on the tour but we ran out of the time that we had given ourselves (why are Saturdays sooo busy?). I've included a picture of the yarn that I added to my "stash" and yes, if you look closely there are needles and an almost finished fingerless glove. No, I'm not completely ready for Christmas, and no I hadn't run out of more important things to do... but, the yarn was speaking to me and if you've ever had yarn speak to you - you know you must respond by knitting! I love seeing the sheep farms and included a picture of some sheep that I knitted and felted - they live with a small herd of other sheep by my knitting nook - I'm afraid they are as close to having a sheep farm as I will probably ever get!
