The Gathering

(The last of 4 blog posts I did tonight)

Last Saturday, Mo, Donna and I ventured eastward to Port Hope to attend The Gathering. It is a BIG spinning event sponsored by the Northumberland Fibre Arts Guild and the Northumberland Hooks & Needles Guild and is held in the Town Park Recreation Centre. There, we met Terry, Alexa, and Jennifer.

There were many vendors around the periphery of the hall.

Pine Hollow Farm offered lots of yummy batts,

fleeces,

and rovings.

YvieKnits Yarns was there,

with several of Natalie Servant's shawls on display, Francine Hebert's lovely shawl pins,

and binders full of Natalie's patterns. That's Yvonne (Yvie).  (sorry about the bad photo quality)

Other vendors had lots for us to peruse and purchase.

Wellington Fibres is a regular vendor. We'll see them again at the Knitter's Frolic on April 25 in Toronto at the Japanese Cultural Centre. Be advised the DVP is closed that weekend so an alternative route to Wynford Drive will be necessary.

Thistle Dew Farm had a lovely display. They were Grand Champion Fleece winners at the 2012 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

This vendor had lots of fleeces, rovings, yarns, and felted items.

The Sock Diva specializes in hand cranked (made on a circular sock machine) socks made with Opal (TM) sock yarn.

A demo on the sock machine.

Photo - Pete Fisher, Northumberland Today

Dye-Version also had a booth. We'll also see them at the Frolic.

Our spinning friend, Jennifer, recently told Paula Lishman about this event so Paula got herself a booth to display her fur yarns and some knitted fur items.

Someone from the local newspaper got a show of part of the group.  I'm facing the camera on the right in the green shawl with my mouth open. (what else is new?). That's Terry to my left, and Jennifer to her left.

Photo - Pete Fisher, Northumberland Today

I worked on this Cormo roving I purchased at Rhinebeck several years ago.

I took a few pics of the rows of spinning wheels.

There were lots of Lendrums (the tilted ones), Louets and Ashford wheels.

Plus many others.

This year's event was the best-attended ever. I estimate there were over 250 people there. I saw almost every spinner I know there plus a couple of knitting acquaintances.

I accosted this woman who was sporting a beautiful Aran sweater, hoping she could tell me the name of the pattern.

In fact, she had purchased it at a mill on a trip to Ireland. I really like how the shaping was done with the ribbing. She was pleased to accommodate my request to take photos. I hope to deconstruct it and design my own sweater with the yarn I brought back from Ireland in 2013.

Fullin' Woolens was also there and we'll probably see them at the Frolic, too.

After all the draws we went for lunch at Basil's Market & Deli, then over to Laurie's at The Black Lamb. The we stopped in at Soper Creek Yarns in Bowmanville, then home.

It was a great way to spend the day.