Last: What I Brought Home from NY

Finally wrapping up my trip to NY last month, here is the overview of what I got there. Overall-haul photo from Apple Festival:

Close-up of cute sheep ornament:

Yarn that my aunt bought me for my birthday, with the accidentally coordinated knitting in the background:

This apple is painted on a stone. Can you believe it? Penny for scale.

This sign at their booth with more on this art:

Three tiny "quilted" wood magnets, again with penny for scale.

Two lovely-smelling soaps.

This cute bowl cozy; we love these for warming things up in the microwave.

And here it is in the background of another purchase, the easy-to-apply Happy Feet Balm.

My heels get so dry sometimes, and I dislike the mess of applying some treatments for it. This way, it's on my feet where it belongs, not mucking up my hands.

Other than consumables (mmm, maple cotton candy), that's it! A very good time was had.

Trip Recap: Saturday and Sunday

Continuing from last time:

Saturday, it was time to go to the Apple Festival! For new readers, this started when I was a kid and has grown tremendously. There are rides and games, but it's mostly a craft fair, and local organizations have food tents and fundraise from it. We used to visit my grandparents that weekend most every year, and since it's near my birthday, I always connect the two in my mind. I haven't been since 2019, though, what with covid and Mom's health and the hurricane last year (eff you, Milton), so I was very excited to get to go this year.

A few things have changed since I was young, not just the overall size of the fair:

A QR code? Heavens, welcome to the 21st century. 

A sign for my potting friends:

Fun spooky mug! Off the Hill Pottery is the maker.

Are bell bottoms coming back in style? If so, why?

This picture gives the impression that there were no crowds, which ha ha no, was not the case. The calm between the tents is scenic but misleading.

There are a few permanent buildings, but mostly it's tents on grass, and the ground is uneven enough for it to be a leg workout. My aunt did go through some tents, but she also rested on benches part of the time. I don't blame her! Between the people who step in front of you, stop in front of you, and have carts and strollers and big backpacks and totes, it's an obstacle course. At least this year there hadn't been rain recently enough to make the ground soggy. It can get hazardous!

The line at the fire department's booth is always worth it. You get to watch them put potatoes into the thing and turn them into French fries.

Yum!

My mother asked me to bring home some maple syrup. I was surprised that they had three colors of Grade A; I picked the one in the middle.

Not pictured: maple hard candy and maple cotton candy!

The foliage was not at peak, sadly, but it was a beautiful day for the festival anyway.

We rode the wagon back to the parking area, and it goes past apple trees. 

Yes, some years back the organizers bought this land, which used to be an apple orchard, to be the permanent home of the festival. I remember when I was a kid, it was held "up the hill" at St Joe's, the local Catholic church. I believe it started out on the school grounds, but that's farther back than my memory goes.

We got home midafternoon and I was wiped out, and happy to read on the couch with my soon-to-be-a-memory maple cotton candy (so good). My aunt, bless her, made dinner, and when I went into the kitchen, she had the TV on, and the weather segment talked about weather at the fest!

My legs were still sore the next day, but I did go outside briefly to see what foliage I could find.

The ivy going up the barn was fairly picturesque.

There were a few red leaves on the grass.

Not to diss Florida's home styles, but I do love NY (and Massachusetts) styles more. Give me an old Victorian any day.

We went out to dinner to officially celebrate my birthday, and there as a glimpse of pretty skies where we parked.

And this nicely turning tree!

The Brae Loch Inn has a ton of character.

And on the walls, among the photos of famous people, was one I knew without having to look closer. Bobby Orr!

I don't know why he was there, but I'll take a Bruins sighting anywhere.

The food was good, the pub-style seating area scenic, although it could have used some sound dampening; the woman 10 feet away from us was talking louder than I would have needed her to talk to me, and as my aunt pointed out, she wasn't even telling good stories! The perils of going out in the world, I guess.

I have one more day of the trip to write up, the endless return travel day, as well as the what-I-bought post and I'll get to those ... sometime.

Well. Not Well. But Apple Festival!

I decided not to try to go to the knitting group at the yarn store tonight, even though I really wanted to, since this congestion has me even more low energy than normal.

Between how I feel, and the fact that it's Halloween and maybe there will be people there tonight but maybe there won't, and I would be aggravated if I mustered the effort and went, only to find no one there*, well, yeah. No. Better a night of rest. Surely, I'll feel better in another week, right?** I mean, it does seem to be very slowly getting very slightly better, but not in a strictly linear progression, and absolutely not fast enough.
*Not to mention that the roofers started back up this week, and the noise has been quite annoying, so I'm already aggravated.
**Just say yes

So for now, let's hop back in time a few weeks and let me tell you about Apple Festival weekend. I had a great time!

I flew up on Friday, fairly uneventful other than incredible crowds and chaos when I changed planes in Charlotte (it was insane; and I used to live there, I've been at that airport many times), the trip was fairly uneventful, just the way I like my travel. Boring and uncomfortable and plenty of time for knitting.

We were up and out in a timely fashion in the morning, to be there about when the festival opened, and had a fine time going through the tents, admiring or side-eyeing the items for sale.

For the crocheters, one vendor had this lovely crochet hook set:

Soft, cuddly ... snakes? Yeah, no.

Mmm, cider and a donut!

We had a food break partway through, to get the fire department's french fries (and get out of the unfortunate [though light] rain that came along), then finished the tents and went back to the house to rest and recuperate (it's a lot of walking, over often uneven ground; my hips were feeling it).

It was an odd feeling not to be going to see Grandma in the afternoon, to show her what I got; the first time after someone's gone feels like taking a step that's not there. But I took pictures of my haul for your sake.

Top row: My pass to get in, now to be a bookmark, and maple cotton candy.
Middle: An ornament with a maple leaf on it; a little bowl in "my china" and lovely yarn, both birthday presents from my aunt.
Bottom: magnet with snowy sheep face; little wooden bowl, just because; and a pretty silver ring that I'll have to get better pictures of. More close up!

I already showed you the pictures of where we went the next day, looking at autumn, but I didn't include one photo we saw on the way back.

Ham loaf? Can anyone enlighten me? It doesn't sound very appealing.

The next day, I got on the train for Boston, as I also already showed you. Getting there! More to come!

Quick: While I Remember Apple Festival

Right, as I mentioned yesterday, a few things from last weekend, quickly, while I get ready for this weekend!  (Oh, October.)

• Grandma did like the gourds. In fact, she thinks they should be pictured in a magazine. I guess that's a win!
• ​I showed her the stress ball that I knit, and she liked it so much that I gave it to her (I didn't call it a stress ball to her, but something I use to exercise my hands, and she started fidgeting with it just as I would). I'll make myself another, one of these days.
• I bought another skein of some alpaca yarn I got there last year (the first yarn picture here). I still don't know what it's going to be, but now I have more, soft and pretty!
• I got, or rather my aunt got for me as a birthday present, another piece in "my pattern" from the Sunny Day Pottery booth. This is a kitchen piece, which holds both the bottle brush I have that's always falling over, and a sponge. Obligatory crappy picture:

And a few pictures from the Fest itself, first from the same booth, stealthily taken:

Oh, that's what that dish is for: hordouvres. I should have known.

Love this sign, riffing on the keep calm thing:

And also this guy, in a booth that sold goat's-milk soap:

Guy carving giant pumpkin.

And, of course, pool ponies. Naturally.

Now! Pack we must!

Revelation, and Pangs of Startitis

I had a startling and wonderful revelation today: Columbus Day is early this year. It's the first weekend in October.

I know, what? and who cares? Well, I do, very much.

For the last two years, in addition to my annual pilgrimage to Apple Festival over Columbus Day weekend, I've gone to Rhinebeck the following weekend, and I really really want to go to both, but the schedule is unforgiving, and by the weekend after the two trips, I'm toast. (And last year I had to work very late that Friday night, remember? It was miserable.)

This year, they're not right in a row! There's a weekend between! AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

That's a happy yell. Seriously, made my day.* Though I can take time off around the trips this year (at least the Fridays and Mondays, maybe more), it's still a lot in a short amount of time, and I'm delighted to space it out a little.

*Even more than realizing it's no longer full dark at 5PM, and that made me pretty happy too.

Whew. Happy thoughts.

Other thoughts, yarny thoughts, have been crossing my mind lately. It feels like the preliminary stage of a bout of startitis, the season when a knitter (or other crafter, perhaps) wants to start something new, and then another, and then another. This is although I'm making good progress on my second sock (this is Skyp pair #10), and have Mum's wristwarmer to finish, plus the next pair of socks planned (Claire, by the same designer as the Skyp, using the clover Socks That Rock I got last Rhinebeck) ... well.

I think it was contemplating what I might make with the mystery yarn that got my juices flowing. I've done a little pattern-browsing on Ravelry, and last night I got out the swift and ball-winder and wound not only that STR, ready for the next socks, but also a skein of wool I got in PEI, the blue BFL that's on the left in the picture of all the yarns in this post (hey, the Fleece Artist Sea Wool is pictured there too! that's the yarn of the socks-in-progress). I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking of trying a moebius. I watched Cat Bordhi's video and was intrigued.

One other yarn thought: when I do start the Claire socks, I'll be using the last skein of STR I have. I don't think that I can wait until October to get more. I may be taking Grandma's Christmas money for a ride to Webs soon. That last trip was a total blast, after all. Shall I stop and pick you up on the way, Hunny Bunny? Save me a box of Thin Mints!

Apple Festival Yarn

Or at least, yarn from Apple Festival weekend. Item three was not obtained at the actual Fest. But all in good time.

Item 1: otherwise known as this is not red, is it?


In fact, it looks rather ... pink ... does it not?


If there is a lesson in every misstep, this lesson is: if you are buying a colored item in a tent, accept that the light through the tent will not show you true color. At the very least, try to angle toward a tent flap. Because if you don't, your lovely mix of reds turns out to be a different mix altogether.


I still like the yarn, and it's soft and cushy and will make a couple of nice hats. But red it is not.

(She said they'd be at Rhinebeck, too. Will there be an addendum to this? Hmmm)

Item 2: aka, why, is that sock yarn?


Yes it is! Alpaca sock yarn, or actually alpaca/wool/nylon. Sooo soft....


And I know, more blue. So I'm predictable, so sue me. This makes me happy.


Item 3: from our side trip to the Yarn Cupboard, in Jamesville. Nice store! Lots of yarn, bags, and notions, help available but not pushing, and a birthday present from my aunt to bring home:



Why, I do believe it's more sock yarn! Raise your hand if you're surprised.


They had a lot of lovely stuff, some I've never heard of* and some I had.

*That doesn't mean much, or at least it speaks more to my ignorance than their selection.

I decided it was Malabrigo's turn to come home with me.


I'm not sure how well I captured the colors (which, please note, are not blue). And I can't wait to see how it will knit up!


So that's the pre-Rhinebeck yarn haul report. Who knows what will come home with me this time!