This weekend I head to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in southern Wisconsin. It's a gathering of breeders as well as people who love to buy and use wool. Although I have been knitting for decades, this is my first wool festival and most of the events will be new to me, including stock dog trials and sheep shows. I can't wait to visit the lambing barn, hooked-rug show, quilt and afghan contest display, and the Country Store. I'm not able to take a workshop due to limited time, but I did note that enthusiasm for beading among knitters continues. Workshops include The Bead Alternative: Using Beads for Buttons, Beadweaving on a Homemade Loom, and Beaded Lace. Maybe we'll have even more converts to beading as a result of the show!

Speaking of knitting and beading, I've been doing some bead knitting. It's wonderful to play with gauges using various sizes of needles. Larger-sized needles give your work an airy look, making the thread part of the design. Tiny needles knit the beads tightly together, like weaving. For you knitters, I mean size 1, 00 and 0000 needles! It's quite a switch from using 6's, or even 4's! The needles are teeny and my hands feel awkward. The results are really amazing, however, and that's what makes it worth it.