Today was Fiberpalooza day. The gym of the elementary school in Winterset (about 30 minutes from Des Moines) is taken over by yarn and notions vendors. It is a fabulous market, and I look forward to it every year.

I loved looking at all the vendors had to offer. There was some beautiful yarn. There were dyers that I have knit with in the past, and knew I loved. There were new fibers and colors to explore. In the end I stuck with my yarn diet. I was shocked. I assumed that I would go over my earned amount.

I almost did. I was standing in line at the Fiber Cuiro and Sundries booth with some Bluefaced Leicester Silk blend in a stunning green when it occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t buy a skein of that yarn until I knit a pair of socks with the skein of Fiber Curio and Sundries yarn I already own. Just because yarn is beautiful it doesn’t mean I need to buy it. I haven’t knit with the skein I own in a year, I can wait until next year to get a new skein.

Keeping myself to two skeins meant making darn sure that the two skeins I picked were worth it. Putting that much thought into buying single skeins is something I’ve never done in the past, and I am amazed at how much it changed my approach to picking out the yarn. It had to be perfect. I found two skeins that were just what I was looking for.

I picked up a skein of South Dakota Yarn Co. Sport Weight yarn that was dyed with spinach and copper. It is a lovely shade of green, and is destined to be a hat on my head before next winter. I was tempted by her sock yarn, but went with the sport weight because it is some of the yarn she recently started carrying from a sheep farm in Lonsdale, MN that uses sustainable farming practices. I love the wool is produced in MN, dyed in SD, and is destined to be knit in IA. The hat will be a completely Midwestern product.

The second skein I picked up was Yarn Geek Fibers in Ada Lovelace. This skein is destined to be socks for John. The colors are great, and having socks named after a computer programmer is perfect for my programming husband.

After looking around the market we headed to the town square to check out some of the shops. We wandered into the yarn store. They have a wonderful selection, and I almost always leave with something I didn’t know I needed. This time I wasn’t tempted by the yarns. I explored the notions, something I usually don’t do. I found replacement buttons for Elliot’s cardigan. They are the same color and style, just a quarter-inch bigger than the ones that are already on his cardigan. I picked up four extra, anticipating that I would probably make that sweater again. I also picked up a new row counter. I usually use the County app to keep track of rows, but I’m trying to use my phone less. This counter is awesome. I love how it just stays on my finger and is always at the ready.

A lot of the vendors we talked to are also going to the Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival in June. I’m looking forward to checking that out in a few months. With any luck I will have earned a few skeins. Even if I haven’t, I think I will enjoy looking at the sheep and talking to the producers.

Do you have any markets you love to visit?