Over on Ravelry, some of our local entrepreneurs organized a Maryland “yarn party” - a mini-festival to give local dyers an opportunity to sell to local crafters.  Super idea.  So super, in fact, that the room rented for the inaugural event was too small for the hordes of people who showed up.  Despite being early, Marietta and I got sensory overload/claustrophobia and I left the event with only two skeins of alpaca laceweight (I have a scarf design knocking around in the back of my skull, asking to be let out in an increasingly less polite and more insistent manner.  This should appease it):

It’s a lovely blend of what Marietta and I agreed were pure “Jill” colors (why bother fighting it?).  Appropriately (for me, at least), the colorway is called “Special,” and it’s from Spirit Trail Fiberworks.  I would love to get more of this colorway in different yarns, as I saw at least one skein of superwash merino sock yarn in the same colorway that was much darker (silk or silk blend would be particularly interesting.  Mmmm.)

Since Mar and I were going a bit loopy in a crowded room of fiberholics and I needed to get home, we spent some time outside with her son Max so I could use my camera to document his antics.  He’s walking now.  Walking.  Geez.

He’s also still amazingly gregarious and friendly. And now with four whole teeth!

He’s also got his parents’ smart-ass genes in full measure:

Give ‘em hell, kid.  Auntie Jill approves.