Ahhh….summer 🙂 I have had a long, lovely, busy summer. The weather has suited me right down to the ground (except the drought, of course) and I have truly made the most of it.
I had the good fortune to spend a good deal of the summer in the forests of upstate New York with friends at the Sterling Renaissance Festival. I never thought the Renaissance “thing” would appeal to me, but really, it is a community of very dedicated makers. The Sterling community celebrated its 40th anniversary this summer and it was really lovely to see so many people who have been creating together as a community for so many years. Long, warm, close relationships have been forged in this welcoming little village. I felt embraced and welcome and I loved being part of it.
And there was yarn! Imagine my surprise as I tripped along the High Street to find a lovely lady spinning outside a pretty, well-stocked little booth! This was Jennifer of Holiday Yarns. She is a spinner, knitter, designer and indie-dyer in her first Renaissance season. It was soooo difficult to choose, but I managed to select two chubby skeins of Flocksock Fingering, hosiery spun, in delicious shades of Mango Tango and Evergreen.
And speaking of yarn… while at Sterling, I encountered a Pirate. Her name is Friday, she has sailed to these parts from Brisbane, Australia and, along the way, suffered a “Pirate Stress Injury” and had to take up knitting. Every morning, at the opening of the show, Friday would take up her spot next to a tree very near me and commence knitting, her grubby little fingers suffering with the sticky acrylic yarn. In frustration, she’d throw her head back and growl in her pirate-y Australian accent, “Yaaaarrn!” What a treat! I managed to catch up with her after the show and out of character to ask her “Friday, do you really knit?” “Oh no!” she replied in her Brisbane drawl, “I’m atrocious!” She was a high point 🙂
In addition to meeting extraordinary characters and making people look wonderful, I spent lots of time on and near the water. This area of upstate New York, unlike most waterfront areas including my own, still has amazing public water access. We were able to motorboat, sit, sip and swim all through this long hot summer.
If I didn’t know that it wasn’t going any where pretty, I’d be looking forward to fall. I’ve got a ton of fun coming up… lots of interesting classes and patterns are coming your way. In the meantime, I intend to drink in every last drop of summer!
