Last year, Jonny and I took our five children to the Fall Fiber Festival and had a great time. This year I didn’t let the fact that Jonny had to work stop me from going, so I went with my five children and our baby. And while I write this with a smile on my face, the experience was a bit different this year.
This photo was taken just before Larkspur pulled one of those braids of wool down and started flinging it into the air in an attempt to put it back. I didn’t take many other photographs of all the prettiness because I was too busy counting heads and telling my kids that the tent supports were not for climbing on. Who would have guessed that being in the vicinity of that much gorgeous fiber and yarn could be so stressful? Seriously, after I got home it took me a few hours before I could really even look at my own yarn again because of festival flashbacks.
This was the only sheep dog that we watched do his thing because my boys think that watching them is boring. I didn’t have Jonny there to back me up when I explained that sheep dog trials are actually incredibly compelling. Those were stubborn sheep.
Silas did not care for the stroller, and for some reason my brain wasn’t in high gear, so rather than giving him a ride on my back in a carrier, I just pushed him around while he cried. Just an hour or so after arriving at the festival that we drove an hour to reach, we headed back to the van, ready to go home. But then, Keats told me that he was really disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to do any weaving. I on the other hand was disappointed because I hadn’t gotten to meet Mary Gildersleeve, and I knew she would be in the same tent with the weaving. So, we put the stroller away, I put Silas on my back where he promptly fell asleep, and we walked back to the education tent.
Keats did a good bit of weaving, while I talked with Mary, so glad to finally meet her! (She’s a homeschooling mom, knitter, designer, and writer who lives in my area and I have been wanting to meet her “in real life” for a long time!) I was so busy talking that I didn’t get any pictures of Keats, who took the first turn. Gabe and Larkspur both learned to use the looms as well.
I finished Larkspur’s Raspberry Cardigan the day before after getting some advice from Mary, so I was pleased to show her the result!
And here was where I learned my lesson for the day.
Beatrix, who is truly the biggest personality, (and biggest handful!) in my family heard this woman playing the dulcimer next to the looms and started dancing. She danced and she danced and she danced. And she made people smile. People were taking her picture and smiling to each other.
I commented to one woman that Beatrix is my child who would coat her body in glue if given the opportunity. She is always on the move, always talking, always “getting into things.” The woman looked over at Bea joyfully dancing and commented that these were both sides of the same coin.
Even our alcoholic neighbor who visited the other day after coming off a “four month drunk” has pointed out that Beatrix is different than all of our other children. She has a unique spark.
Beatrix won’t be painting her body, the walls, and the furniture forever. But, I do pray that she keeps her spark.
Leave a Reply