May Day Mayhem

May is here, and the Maryland Sheep & Wool madness is setting in! I've been running around like a mad woman starting yesterday. Confirming our reservations at The Wilderness, doing laundry, finding time to reblock my shawl, and trying to figure out both
1. What to bring, and more importantly,
2. What I want to buy!
This is tricky--I know it's madness to head out with a list of specifics, but it's also a recipe for budgetary disaster not to have some general idea of what you're hoping to find. So after some careful considering, here's my list of five things to find for the weekend:

laceweight yarn, solid or semi-solid, enough for one of my favourite patterns from my new obsession book, Victorian Lace Today. So anywhere from 500-1800 yards.

Koigu, any colour, any amount, just to finally get to try some. It's really rough to try to buy it online as you have to guess the colour, and you don't get to squish before you buy, which is important with a new kind of yarn that you can only find thumbnails of on web shops.

a skein of STR in a colourway not available on their website. I've seen the pics other knitters have posted in the past of this yarn, and I am jealous.

A fun hand-dyed roving from anywhere.

Some (at least slightly) exotic fiber, also for spinning. Silk, camel, quiviut, mohair, angora, whatever. Just so it doesn't (100%) come from a sheep.

I think it's a good list, and totally attainable, even if I have to stand in line for ages while leaning on a cane to get to the STR.

*This fantabulous depiction of how I've been getting through the day brought to you by the talented Natalie Dee!