If you're going to call it a festival, it should be festive!

I'd heard rumblings about the DFW Fiberfest, and Jen and I decided to make a day of it, and visit several Dallas yarn stores as well, since we would be in the area. Boy are we glad we did!

We started our day by getting lost trying to find The Shabby Sheep (no website yet - just a map). Once we were victorious, we were pleased by what we found - a lovely small store overflowing with yummy yarns, and sadly we walked away empty handed (hey, it was the first store of the day - you don't want to blow your wad at once!). However, this store is worth a return visit the next time we're in Dallas.

We continued on to Passionknit (also no website). A store in a "ritzy-er" neighborhood - nothing super exciting here (and no sock yarn except for a few (3-4) forlorne skeins of Lorna's Laces), though they did have a good-sized sale section. Nothing we had to have though.

We meandered on to Yarn and Stitches. A large store, with several tables for sittin' and knittin'. The ladies were very nice and welcoming, and one lone skein of Koigu (yum!) had to come home with me.

We finally made it to the "fiber festival" from here. Yeah. We did find the location, with no help from any signs in the area. We found the "area," again no signs. There were a few vendors (and by few I mean about 5) sitting around, and some small classes going on (I think the most people I saw in a class were about 8-10 in Beth Brown-Reinsel's class). The place was pretty much a ghost town, which is really sad. They did have some literature (in their main handbook available only to look at at the registration table) about local groups (including our now-defunct Yahoo group address), which would have been great as a flyer. And, I hate to be petty, but if you have my group's info, why didn't you contact us to invite us? I'd honestly be surprised if they hold the festival next year.

We continued on to The Woolie Ewe in Plano. A very large shop, which was bustling! They were having a great sale, but we managed to resist (only because my paycheck was short several hundred dollars this month!) it. A nice shop, but not worth a regular drive to Plano.

We ended our day with a trip to one of our "local-er" yarn shops - Simpatico Yarns. I had to take home some Jawoll (superwash!) in a lovely light blue that is screaming to become the Demark socks from Knitting on the Road.

My total haul?



I also visited JoAnn's on Friday for their needle sale, and grabbed that last skein of Fisherman's wool that I needed with my coupon. I also got some magic stripes and a ball of dishcloth cotton at Hancock Fabrics, as they had both on sale.



I received the yarn I won from Laura on Friday - yummy! Thanks so much Laura - I love the colors!



And because I've felt like crap since Wednesday, Jen brought me a "get-well" package with chicken noodle soup, a cute pink bowl, a CD, and some stitchmarkers! I love them and they are the first "fancy" stitch markers I've gotten (other than ones I've made myself).



I'm going to try out a "yarn diet" for the next few days? weeks? months? $$ is tight 'round here, and even though I've got a bit stashed away just for me, there's not really anything that I "have to have" (and I know, I go say that and everything I've ever wanted to try will go on sale tomorrow). How long can I last? We'll see!