It's been a chilly spring, those poor sheared sheep are going to need jackets if this keeps up!

Are you going to be there?

What vendors do you plan to visit?

Did you enter anything in one of the juried exhibits?

Where is the best place to eat while attending the show or staying in the area?

Don't forget to post photos and share the excitement here!

 

Comments

weaver-dyer (not verified)

I'll be there in the Dyed Dreams booth in Barn 3, Booth 3. Dyed Dreams has a new colorful banner this year--hard to miss unless we have so much stock that it covers it up. New this year are hand-dyed sock yarns including some with glitz, various weights of hand-dyed silk yarns (5/2, 20/2, 30/2 and 60/2). We'll have lots of other hand-dyed yarns such as Superwash wool, silk/wool, alpaca, mohair, cotton, rayon, etc. 

Stop by and say, "Hi." It always nice to put a face with a name.

Janet 

sally orgren

I printed out the fairground map, schedule of events for Saturday, vendor list by location, and looked at the weather (sunny and 60 degrees). All that's left to do is pack up Inky and Bandit, and show up.

Yes Janet, I will certainly stop by and say Hi — but usually your booth is mobbed for a good part of the day on Saturday. 

Also, Loomilady typically runs the auction, so I hope to stop by and see her in the morning before the action heats up. Last time I went, there were some amazing deals. I remember seeing a row of 4-6 LeClerc Nilus 45" looms, and I think they all sold in the range of $250-500 at auction.

Being primarily a weaver makes it a bit easier to attend this show, you can have selective vision. If you are a knitter or spinner, just clean the ATM out now and give up all hope when you enter the gates of sticking to your budget. ;-)

Sally

Claudia Segal (not verified)

Hi Sally and Janet,

Janet and I are planning on coming all day Saturday.  we hope to visit with Jane (loomlady) before the auction and will definitely stop by Dyed Dreams as we always do.  

Hope to see you Sally.  I lost your new email.  I'll pm you my cell phone so you can text or phone me to meet at MSWF.

Claudia

sally orgren

but plan to be at the Festival, you can tell who I am because I will be carrying a highly-patterned backpack with Inky or Bandit (one of my band looms) peeking out the top. (Probably not both, so I have room for some purchases in there!)

I'll try an attach something to my backpack that identifies me by my Weavo avatar, too (The photo of the "S" bobbins on the loom bench). If you see me, be sure to come up and say Hi and tell me who YOU are!

I love meeting fellow weavers, and that's the primary reason I go to MS&W. Don't forget to visit the juried exhibits. Sometimes I get to see handwovens folks post here at Weavo in person, like the wonderfully executed work of Elizabeth Hill.

Claudia, I've got you in my phone. See you and Janet on Saturday!

DebD (not verified)

I'm planning to go this year later in the day on Sat.  I really want to go to the auction as well as visiting many booths.  I'm so glad this rainy weather will be out of the way by then.

 

Missus T.

So said that I'll miss it.  As a newbie weaver I would've enjoyed going to this fiber fest and maybe even saying "hi."  I'm still a swim meet mom at this point and I'll be keeping up the sock knitting poolside on Sat., nowhere near Maryland.  Have fun everyone!

Erica J

I'm glad to see many of you are going! I look forward to seeing updates and photos, so I can live vicariously through you!!!! :)

debmcclintock

so what was the fun stuff at the auction?  I always love to sit and watch the deals and watch some items go for retail.  Anything great this year?  I can't be there :(((

DebD (not verified)

This was my first auction. There were a lot of interesting items.  Emphasis should be on *a lot*.  lots of spinning wheels and several looms (Baby Wolf, strucko,Tri-Looms, an 8Shaft Ullman that went for a song!).  Lots of books.  I don't know how it compares with previous auctions.

But, I was a bit disapointed.  I had several items on my list I was interested in, but after 1.5hrs they'd only gotten to one of them.  They were moving it along, but there must have been so much more than they anticipated.  The auction was scheduled to go from 1-3.  When I left, they weren't close to being done. By that time I was just too tired and I hadn't even been to any other parts of the festival!  So, I figured I didn't need those items that badly and gave up.   Sadness. 

It was *packed* too. I've been to a few in the past but I don't remember seeing that many people.  Great venders, and lots of beautiful, yummy yarn.  And ,it was a beautiful day. Warm, but not too warm. 

sally orgren

I typed up a reply last night when I got home (after 11 p.m.) and then lost it. Too tired I guess! 

So, the auction went very late, well after 5. I think that was unusual. I didn't see as many looms as in the past, but perhaps there were a lot of smaller items and publications.

My guild mates scored some prize possessions and since I had a nearly empty car, I drove home with all sorts of bits of wood poking out of the trunk and back seat. 

The Reeves Spinning wheel went for $850 at the very end, the Baby Wolf $1,400 (4 + add 4 later frame). The Structo 240/8 went for $35, the "1923 patent pending" Structo 600 went for $60, and the 750/8 shaft for $70. There was also a Gilmore and what someone said was a Norwood. The Canadian wheel came home with me on behalf of a guild mate, along with one of the Charkhas (there were two I believe). Two of my guild mates made careful notes of the prices - I just showed up for pick up, so I may not be 100 percent accurate here.

The box of books that held the Malin Selander Yellow Swatch book went for $80. Sigh. I think whoever bought the box could probably sell some of the other weaver classics (Davison, etc.) and recoup the cost easily for that one book. It was wonderful just to look at the samples in that book.

If you are still at the festival today (Sunday) check out the Purrington booth. An original Structo spool winder and Mason Warper are FOR SALE at the back of the booth. It was still there yesterday before noon, but not sure if someone discovered it since then. (As far as I know, no one has seen one before this one was found.)

sally orgren

Now that I have recovered — just a bit, I am able to upload a few more photos.

So no, it wasn't your imagination, there really WERE a lot of people there on Saturday! Dyed Dreams was so busy, I didn't get a chance to say Hi to Ruth until nearly 5 p.m. and there were still shoppers browsing.

One of the most amazing wedge weaves I have seen, and this wasn't Connie Lippert, it was woven by Monica Kelly from Maryland. Hand-dyed! (from the skein and garment exhibit building, next to the Dining Hall.) 

Below (in the foreground) is the Structo Spool Winder, with a Mason Warper next to it (as seen at the Purrington Booth).

Something new I learned this year: The HGA (Handweaver's Guild of America) booth sells a variety socks that have little woven motifs on them. I couldn't believe the pairs of socks flying off the rack when I stopped by. Also, they had the selection of Convergence yarns — Tencels dyed by JOY yarns and the silks by RedFish Dyeworks. (I usually stop by just to peruse the books.)

Ok! So what did everyone else do at the Festival — what did you eat and what did you buy?

debmcclintock

Awesome! Thanks for descriptions & photos!

allison jackson (not verified)

Wow! That's a fun-filled day for sure. There will be a lot of weaving equipment and stuffs to choose from. Here you can buy the things you needed for weaving at a cheaper price. Be practical, come and shop!