SAFFtisfying

We drove up to SAFF on Friday evening in terrible blustery rainy conditions and arrived at the hotel around 8:45 pm. Saturday morning didn't look too promising even though the weather report the previous evening said otherwise. It was very windy and cool but the clouds gave way to sunshine for a beautiful fall day in the mountains.

We arrived at the agricultural center around 10:30. The crowd had already arrived and we were lucky to get one of the few parking spaces available near the main gate. This was my first time and I am so glad that mom acompanied me on the trip.


The vendors and classes were located in the main arena. I saw Donna, her husband and their lovely daughter. Donna introduced me to a blogger friend of her's, Carolyn from Yarn's the Word.

My traveling buddy made a brief tour of some of the vendors before stopping for good to wait while I hunted down goodies. She's been having trouble with her good knee due to all the moving and the lifting and bending involved. Even though she doesn't spin she was very helpful in pointing out fiber related goodness. She's holding the Kokovoko lightweight spindle purchased from the Kokovoko booth and bag of cashmere purchased from Little Barn Inc.


I purchased several 8 ounce packages of fibers to do a fiber sampler.


My main purpose for attending SAFF was to personally select drop spindles. I'm able to spin once again and have been hesitant to purchase online after my first spindle purchased turned out not to be such a good decision. I wanted to be able to take them for a test drive and this was a great opportunity. I came home with four beauties.

Clockwise from right Kokovoko lightweight, Bosworth Midi,
Wooden Ewe, and Snipes.

I have never heard of the last two but was very pleased after trying them out. The Snipes spindle came as bottom whirl but was pre-drilled for either and since I'm not a bottom whirl girl, I converted it to a top whorl. I also purchased a few other goodies to round out the day.


We stopped in Hendersonville at Stepp's Orchard Farm and picked up some apples. We stopped at another shop on the way out and the Mutsu apples Carolyn suggested are delicious. I've never seen such a variety of apples as we saw at the last stop. They had close to 30 varities more than half of which we've never seen.


Today it's been back to the packing and moving. The kitchen work starts tomorrow and hopefully everything else follows soon afterward. I can finally resume my regular knitting pace!!!