ooh, ooh,OOOOOH, Fiber!

I got to attend the "Great Lakes Fiber Show" today, and all I can say is "OOOOOOOOOOOH!" One of the friends I ran into (spinning, weaving, felting--it's a small community--you run into the people you know, it is true, even though I am a newbie!) said "I could spend a million dollars here!"--and boy was that the truth! Everything a fiber addict could dream of!

I have to say at this point--I have spent my whole life hanging around "creative types"--and not just one type. Artists, authors, poets, actors, woodcarvers, you name it. AND, out of all those people, "fiber fanatics" (taken as a group) are THE MOST creative--and not just with the fiber, either. Hang out with them, and you will hear overlapping conversations not only about the knitting, rug-hooking, needle felting, weaving and exiting new dye technique they want to try, but also about caligraphy, violin championships, Pennsylvania Dutch paper folding, and about the trip they took in the Model T they restored (that was a true example!).

They are also much less ego-driven, and more creativity driven (they don't NEED an audience--and frequently enjoy creating alone). Truly, they are a great group to hang around with. They love to talk, but aren't as prone to B.S. or self-glorification that other "creative types" indulge in. They have a tendency to be very practical and level headed in their blazing creativity (you never hear about the short tragic life of a knitter who fried their brain on heroin!).

That said--fiber addiction is only a tiny bit cheaper than crack cocaine addiction. I strolled past booth after booth of vendors--selling everything from goats milk soap (don't knock it, it is great stuff!--gentle, environmentally friendly and effective!) raw wool, spun wool, spinning wheels (old & new), jewelery, books, and clothes--lacy shawls knit from gorgeously colored yarn as fine as spun moonbeams, thick warm cardigans made from recycled, felted sweaters, awesome purses and bags (sewn, quilted, knitted, felted, and many combinations!) HATS--in every imaginable style, color and type.

There are lots of new ideas for things I haven't tried yet, and plenty of the creative persons bane "I could do that!" I got some great ideas, great inspirations and some great bargains, too. In good news, I got two new hat forms, so I can make smaller hats, and a bunch of white yarn to hand dye and sell
in my Etsy shop!

Now I must go resume real life, since SmallDaughter just dumped a bottle of shampoo on the basement floor. Sigh.