It is really nice to think that my last midterm ever could be done and over with. I say "could" because, while I really feel like I am done now, I am a bit of an education junkie. I have to admit that I actually like the feeling of being in classes. Except that part about taking tests and doing homework.

But now that the testing is done I have more time to share the rest of what came back with me from Maryland.

Morehouse Lace Weight Merino and Foxhill Farm Cormo/Silk in Cathedral

I just can't get enough laceweight yarn these days, so it was almost impossible for me to walk past the Morehouse Merino booth without sticking my head in and coming away with something. In fact, I came away with two somethings. The first something is the Gigi scarf kit with a yarn in lovely autumnal colors -- deep pumpkin orange, rich dark raspberry, end of season grass green and slate grey/blue. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't wear these colors, but I do know one special person who can. The second something is the Belladonna Scarf Kit. This yarn has some of my favorite colors in it -- purple, blues and greens abound. One thing that sets these Morehouse yarns apart from other lace weight yarns that I have found is the texture of the yarn. It has thick and thin regions that give the yarn a lot of depth. Almost like laceweight Manos. I'm looking forward to knitting up both colorways.

As you will see in the picture below as well, I am pretty smitten with blues and purples. Our first stop on Saturday morning was the American Cormo Sheep Association booth. I was trying to be good, but I was unable to put the wool/silk blend from Foxhill Farm down. Cormo wool is just about the softest thing going and the silk gives the yarn a luster that only silk has. Thus, the blues and purples in this yarn are very deep and rich -- the yarn is almost iridescent. From a price perspective, this yarn was probably my biggest splurge. It will need to become something special. I'm waiting for it to tell me what it would like to be.

Yarns from Tess' Designer Yarns

The one booth that I just couldn't get enough of was Tess' Designer Yarns. This booth is just a wonderful riot of color and texture. It's hard to walk past without wanting to bury your hands into all the wonderful fiber. And the colorways are a perfect match with the kinds of colors I like, as many of them fall into the jewel tone range. This whole batch was the result of two trips to the booth -- one on Saturday and one on Sunday. In the top left corner is a hank of an Angora/Merino blend in the color way called "Lime Splash". It's destined to be a scarf for my sister-in-law for Christmas. Just to the right of it, also in "Lime Splash" is a skein of Tess' sock yarn. It reminds me of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. The front left and right yarns are Microfiber Ribbon yarn in "Lime Splash" (left) and "Confetti" (right). The Lime Splash was a present for the wonderful secretary at my company who has really helped me out a lot in the past year or so and who also loves to knit. The Confetti is for me. Two hanks is enough to make a lovely tank top (a pattern by Jill Ramos) with a slip stitch detail. Yes, it's bright and out there, but it's for summer. And the microfiber ribbon is machine washable. It's hard to beat that for something I want to wear next to my skin.

So that's it for my unpacking project! More about the Festival and my travelling companions tomorrow. It's going to be hard for me to focus on my current projects with all this good new stuff looking at me longingly. Especially the Confetti. And little tank top season is just minutes away...