Wool-a-pa-what-a?

Wow! Next week is Memorial Day weekend! You know what that means?!?

Wool-A-Palooza, Bay-beeeee!!!

As I look forward to a whole day of yarn and fiber and friends next Saturday, I thought I'd give you a look back at why I love this event so very much! For me, it started in 2009...my first year...the year I went in with a plan. I had a list of things I wanted to knit, and the amount and kind of yarn I'd wanted for each, and I walked away with so. much. yarn!!! And a spindle! And some Eucalan soak! I even pilferred some yarn from somebody else's stash, after the festival was over, and it is possible that I have actually knit all of this yarn! lol!

I settled down a little bit in 2010...

Yeah, in my dreams! 2010 was the year that Calla Lily (now out of business, sadly) had a half-off sale just a couple miles down the road from the fairground festivities, and my plan was a little looser than the year before, leading to this stash enhancement...pretty impressive! Still, I have managed to knit much of this up into something...

Then came 2011, the year with NO plan...no plan at all. There were a lot of moments like this in 2011...

and this...

and there was still an impressive haul, and I've mostly knit up this stash. 

2012 was the first year that a baby came with us to Wool-a-palooza, and it was fun to see even the youngest member of CKW drooling on yarn...like, literally!

More goofy photos, and photos of photos being taken!

and not quite as big a haul...but there was definitely yarn in my bag when I got home, and some fun jewelry, too! 

That white cotton there is supposed to be a light, summer-weight top...but it's not yet. I don't think I've spun that red fiber either...no plan at all apparently leads to much stash!

In 2013, I went nuts buying fiber to spin...I bought like 2 pounds! It was a little crazy, but I don't seem to have a photo of it all together, so here's a picture of my friend Debbie, in front of some of the softest, prettiest fibers...I bought a purple one! 

There was more sock knitting in the sun, too. (I'm actually knitting a sock from 2011 yarn!)

Just before we went last year, I remembered that I had set a goal to take a lotta selfies, so I totally did! You can check THIS LINK if you want to see all of them, but for now, here's a photo of four fiber friends, basking in the funtimes... 

and the final stash, which has been largely untouched for the last 51 weeks...

Aren't those neon, light-up needles fun!?! One of my favorite finds last year! Finally, bringing this post full circle, here's Pretty at Pollywogs in 2014, wearing a sweater knit in 2013 from yarn bought in 2011 and jewelry from 2012's wool-a-palooza, carrying a bag knit from 2010 yarn, holding yarn that may not be knit until sometime in the next decade.

Boy, oh boy! I can barely wait until next Saturday! I'll bet you have lots of questions...

"What will you buy, Pretty? Yarn? Fiber? Jewelry? Livestock?"

Hahahahaha! Well, I probably will not buy any livestock...this year anyway! 

"Will you have a plan? Will you knit the new yarn? Or the old?"

Right now, my biggest decisions involve casting on a project to knit in the sun after the shopping next Saturday, and whether I will travel to Wooster with or without a plan...hmmmmm...I suppose I still have time to figure all of that out, right?!? Right! For now, I'm going to go knit some dishcloths...I'm up to 15! lol!

If you're a knitter, I hope to see you at the Great Lakes Fiber Show (aka WOOL-A-PALOOZA, bay-beeee!) next Saturday. If not there, then maybe I'll see you around Blog-land, where I'll update you on all the fun in '15 at Wool-a-palooza!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! (Knit...and buy yarn...and fiber...and learn to spin...with friends...in the sunshine!)