Sometimes it’s a bedroom, too

Good morning and happy Saturday! Is anyone going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend? This is one of the larger fiber festivals of the year and one that I have always wanted to attend, but the timing of it never seems to work for me. One of these years I will make it.

We have friends who arrived last night for a week. One is staying in our guest room which already has a bed. The other two are staying in my craft room which has been converted into a bedroom. All of my spinning wheels, my rigid heddle loom, and more have been moved downstairs temporarily to make this tiny room just a little more comfortable as sleeping quarters for a couple. Our couch in the living room does fold out, but it offers them no privacy, especially in the early mornings when I’m awake long before the rest of the house. Not having a craft room for the short term is no problem. I have a few small projects set aside where I can easily get to them. All require some finish work before our Men’s Spring Knitting Retreat, which is now just under two weeks away.

One of our friends is a newly minted knitter, pushed down the slippery slope by myself and a mutual friend. I have a reputation as an enabler when it comes to knitting and spinning, so before the end of the week it’s entirely possible he might have caught the spinning bug. All of my wheels have been put away, as have most of my spindles. The spindles that hang from the shelf have all been put away for both theirs and our friends’ safety. The spindles are easily accessible in the closet, as is some fiber, just in case he is interested in giving it a try.

On my agenda for today and tomorrow is a lure coursing event in Westerlo. This isn’t a competition but a coursing ability test. Despite being incredibly nervous about letting her off leash in an open field, lure coursing is something I’ve been wanting to do with Halo for a long time. My friends who have done it before with their dogs had the same concerns their first time, and have reassured me that she likely won’t run off. If you’re not familiar with what lure coursing is, have a look here . It’s a great avtivity for the sighthound breeds which includes greyhounds, Afghan hounds, whippets, pharaoh hounds, salukis, and many more. All are bred to chase and they love to do it. When Halo visits her pharaoh hound buddy who lives nearby, that’s almost all they do is play the chase me game.