distaff (noun): 1. A staff for holding flax, wool, etc. for spinning. 2. Women considered collectively

I had gotten a notice through my Fiber-In group that the Orlando knitting groups were celebrating Distaff Day with a big get-together. Naturally I wanted to be there, and luckily I was able to talk my friends Lisa and Peggy to ride up with me. We had a wonderful time!


There were about 30 knitters/spinners/weavers attending the day, which was held in the student union at the University of Central Florida. (This is a beautiful campus, by the way. Although I was surprised to see a Game Stop next to the university bookstore.) We socialized, played games, showed off our finished work, and in between actually worked on our fiber projects.

There was a table of freebies; people put out items that they didn't want anymore and you could just take what you wanted. I came home with a booklet of washcloth patterns, a copy of Piecework magazine that I had wanted but couldn't find a copy of, and scraps of sock yarn for my blanket. (I have enough to make mini-balls to share at knit-night.)


There was also a table of items for sale. I bought a shawl pin (I forgot to take a picture), some sock yarn (of course), and some fiber (again, of course).

I know I had said that I wasn't going to add to my stash, but you should have known better than to believe that malarky. Besides, everyone knows that sock yarn doesn't count as stash. And fiber isn't even yarn yet, so how could it possibly count?

We did a yankee swap, and I walked away with a copy of Knitwear Design Workshop. This is a book I've been wanting, so I really made out well.

Oh, and did I mention that I met a whole bunch of sock knitters? It's nice to be around people who love socks as much as I do. (Although I was the only one who likes Special K cereal. Go figure...)
Everyone started packing up to leave around 3:30. Lisa, Peggy, and I decided that since there was still daylight left, we would go hunt out a yarn shop. Several people recommended Sip & Knit, so off we went.
It was another brilliant idea on our part, because the store was great. Three rooms of yarn to explore. There were some favorites (Noro, Cascade) but there was also a lot that I hadn't seen before. Lisa and Peggy showed considerable restraint and managed to ohh and ahh without opening their wallets. I wasn't so well-behaved. But at least I have a souvenir. Besides, sock yarn doesn't count as stash. (Sigh. How many times do I have to repeat that before it sounds believable?)
Altogether we drove over 360 miles, leaving at 6 am and not returning home until after 9 pm. Just to spend the day knitting and spinning and friends.

So, who's ready for another road trip?