Knitting on the Bus

On Saturday, I attended the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, in Hampton, VA.  What an inspiring collection of quilts from around the country and around the world!  Almost as impressive are the enormous number of vendors, offering sewing machines, fabric (duh), thimbles, baskets, felt, yarn, garments, shoes (?), jewelry and antiques.  I rode the bus with the Greenville Quilters Guild (Greenville, NC), leaving early in the morning and coming home at bed-time.

It was a treat to run into Pepper Cory at the quilt festival.  One special exhibit featured some of her antique quilts along-side the quilts they have inspired her to make.  I also saw a lot of quilters I know from guilds all over eastern North Carolina. 

I have my own store;  I didn't really "need" to buy anything.  Instead, I visited the vendors that are also friends:  Wendy at French Connections, Kathy at Suffolk Shaker Shop, Vickie at Annie's Keepsakes, Virginia and Tommy at Thimbles Plus, Julie and Kay at Auntie Ju's Quilt Shoppe.  I couldn't leave empty handed, so bought things that I can't order for myself, fat quarters of African fabric and a pattern to make a crocheted button necklace ( I tried to copy one years ago, but wasn't entirely successful).

One of the interesting things to see at the festival each year is the large display area presented by a local weavers guild.  I love to watch the spinning wheels!  This year one was spinning yarn and another was spinning flax.  They also had two looms set up and several hand weaving projects to show.  There was another similar set up with a local bead group demonstrating different techniques.  One of my few disappointments with the vendors was the lack of beads (one small booth).

Pat, my seat-mate on the bus, was trying to hand quilt on a lap size quilt.  A bus ride is too bumpy for me to make small stitches and not stab myself!  I took a little knitting along instead.  Doesn't look like much yet, but when the scarf is done, there's a trick in the bind-off that makes lacy columns down the entire length.  Stay tuned.....