One of my goals in life is to go to all 50 states. As of last week, I had been to 30, which isn't too bad for a 26-year-old who has only been a resident of 4 (I was born in Massachusetts, grew up in North Carolina, went to college in Ohio, and got a grown-up job in Wisconsin). Looking at a map, the only Wisconsin neighbor that I was missing was Iowa, so I made it a goal to get to Iowa at some point this year. Why not turn this into a yarn crawl?
As I've mentioned before, I'm a knitter. Drinkers do pub crawls, and knitters do yarn crawls. Last weekend, my knitter friend Kat and I did our own two-state yarn crawl so that we could get me to Iowa and of course, shop!
First stop: The Sow's Ear in Verona, just outside of Madison. This is my favorite Madison-area yarn shop. Not only do they have a broad selection of yarn, but they have a full coffee shop and cafe as well. It was the perfect caffeine jolt that we needed for the Iowa trek.
The Sow's Ear was once a house, but now it's the best yarn shop in town. I love its warm, welcoming look.
Then, the main event: a 1.5 hour drive to Dubuque, Iowa, which upped my state count from 30 to 31. We headed to the little downtown area to shop at Yarn Soup: a great small-town yarn shop.
I really liked their yarn selection, and their salesperson Sarah was very friendly and helpful.
We were greeted by a full-stocked wall of rainbow yarn. Win!
They had a great selection of ultra-bulky yarn, complete with mega needles. Bulky yarn can get a bad reputation, but it's one of my personal favorites (the bulkier, the better!).
And like any good yarn shop, there were sheep-shaped knickknacks.
We browsed for a while and picked our prized new yarn. I was quite happy to find these wise words pasted on the cash register:
So true.
My yarn purchase: marled Cascade yarn. I'm a sucker for anything black and white.
We made it to Iowa and found the yarn, but then it was time for a bite. We wandered around downtown Dubuque, which is centered around the historic Town Clock:
Wikipedia says that this monument has been around for over 130 years. This is the second-generation Town Clock, as the first collapsed in the 1870s and killed three people. Eep!
Dubuque is a typical, tiny Midwestern town: little shops, antique-y places, and small local restaurants. We decided to grab some Italian food at Crust, located right on Main Street.
My soup & salad lunch: yum!
Iowa experience: check. It was time to head back to Wisconsin, and we decided to make a quick stop to check out de la Pear.
de la Pear is a quaint yarn and gift shop in Mineral Point.
Rainbow wall of yarn: check!
Olive oil soaps from around the world? Yup, they've got 'em.
My favorite part of de la Pear was seeing their enormous loom. I don't know much about loom crafting, but I know this was by far the biggest one I'd ever seen.
Gorgeous, vivid reds.
After three shop visits in two states, our yarn crawl was complete. A Weird Al marathon on the way back, including all 11 minutes of "Trapped in the Drive Thru," was an excellent end to the trip:
Then, I got home and updated my map of states I've visited. Cheers to 31! And seriously, how did I manage to skip over Vermont?
My first year in Wisconsin, I had a blast at the 2011 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. Last year, I missed the event in favor of a Madonna concert in NYC with one of my best friends (let's face it, Madonna always trumps sheep). Given that it had been two years since my last Sheep & Wool, I was really craving some sheep time.
I went to this year's event with two goals:
1. Hold an angora rabbit.
2. Don't buy yarn.
I'm on a yarn diet right now. Urban dictionary says this happens when crafters go broke, but in my case, what happened was a hiatus from knitting due to fractured trapezium, thus causing my yarn stash to take up space and not get used.
Surprisingly enough, I accomplished both goals!
1. I met an angora rabbit:
He didn't have a name. Let's go with the obvious... Fluffy it is!
2. I didn't buy any yarn. I "showed good use of restraint," to quote one of my favorite college design professors. But... I did buy soap:
Mint Medley from Heaven Sent Home Spun, who came all the way from Gerald, Missouri for the big event.
Now, to the sheep! This year, I sat in the bleachers and watched a sheep show (think American Kennel Club for sheep), where judges were awarding ribbons for the best in show.
All lined up and ready for the judge.
I also wandered through the barn and made some adorable new friends, big and small:
But Sheep & Wool isn't all about the sheep...
It's also about kitsch (like this fab sock monkey and ram duo).
And of course, YARN! I opted to focus my photos on rainbow hues. Just so pretty:
And of course, there was a Wisconsin touch:
Green Bay Packers yarn, anyone?
Fluffy things and pretty colors: a perfect day for an animal-loving craft addict like myself.
For my report on the 2011 Sheep & Wool Festival, click here.
Last year's trip to the Great Midwest Alpaca Festival was a day full of furry cuteness, so when I saw that the event was back in town this year, I knew I had to give it another go.
Accompanied by fellow knitters, Kat and Caitlin, we bonded with a variety of Midwestern alpacas and checked out a lovely assortment of yarn.
We had a feeling that we'd run into Mindy and Linda from Galpaca Farms, and sure enough, they brought a few adorable friends to the event, like this guy:
Meet Tsunami! He was happy to pose for a photo with me.
Snacking on some hay for the camera. Total diva.
The cuteness was everywhere! Kat and Caitlin also made some new friends:
Kat experienced some first class fluff.
Caitlin found her soulmate.
A few more alpaca shots (double click any of these images for a larger view):
And just in case alpacas weren't enough to draw us to the event, there were many yarn vendors for us to see, too:
Diving into some freshly sheared alpaca wool. SO soft!
Lovely blues.
Great colors!
Oh, and then there was this alpaca who really enjoyed dinner to the fullest:
All in all, it was a great day, and I think I'll make this an annual thing. We ended the day with a delicious dinner at Pasqual's, complete with refreshing sangria:
Cheers to alpacas!
To read about my visit to the 2012 Great Midwest Alpaca Festival, click here.
To read about my trip to Galpaca Farms, click here.
While driving by the Alliant Energy Center last week, I saw a sign for the Great Midwest Alpaca Festival this weekend. Yarn vendors and adorable alpacas in an air conditioned environment? I just couldn't miss this!
At the Alpaca Festival, farmers show their prized alpacas in a setting similar to a dog show. The most beautiful alpacas win ribbons and top honors.
The main arena for the alpaca show.
I wandered around and met hundreds of precious alpacas (many of which were quite willing to pose for photos). At the festival I learned that there are two types of alpacas: Huacaya (fluffy, teddy bear-like fur) and Suri (silky, hair-like fur). I then met Jess Fredericks from Whistling Pines Ranch in Clayton, WI. She introduced me to her two Suri alpacas, Bocephus and Dorothy.
Hanging out with Bocephus, a male Suri alpaca.
Getting friendly with Dorothy, a female Suri alpaca.
After my meet-and-greet with these furry cuties, I decided it was time to document exactly how adorable these creatures are. Here are my favorite photos:
"I'm having a bad hair day. I don't want to talk about it."
"Hay should be part of the food pyramid."
"I'm smiling! Cheesin' it!"
"This is our 'just got outta bed' look."
"It's exhausting being this fluffy."
"I cook and I clean for you. And all you give me is straw?"
"Colorblocking is hot this season. That's why my face doesn't match my coat."
"We've been together for 50 years and she still insists on blowdrying her hair for me."
"I'm smiling with my eyes, just like Tyra Banks told me to."
"Hairy ears? No YOU have hairy ears."
After visiting the lovely alpacas, I made my way to the yarn vendors. After much deliberation, I opted to buy a small wool skein from Sugar River Fiber and a large wool skein from Hearthside Fibers:
Gorgeous colors!
I'm not sure what I'm going to make with these yarns yet, but I just couldn't resist. The alpacas really put me in the mood to knit!
