National Wool Week

South Africa's first National Wool Week kicked off this week and of course a friend and I went to have a look!

The exhibit was held in Sandton City in Johannesburg, a quick 25 min  trip on the Gautrain, happily avoiding all traffic. There would be great coffee at some point, and promises of maybe a ball or two of some  beautiful merino.

Breakfast at The Walnut Grove

Mmm...and then we had enough energy to take on the mission and...down the steps and round the corner...and I was stopped in my tracks:

A bag named "desire"

The size, the colour, the handles...the price.  Oh, this was difficult to put down!  Cowgirlblues, check it OUT.  The name comes from here...“If you take any activity, any art, any discipline, any skill, take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edge of edges, then you will force it into the realm of magic.”
- Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues -

They are there, making magic.

And this is the Eva bag.

Sigh and drool.

And there was more:

A spiderweb-soft throw

Snugly scarves...

...and cowls.

Karoo Moon beanies

Beautiful, soft, finefinefine rectangular shawls from Karoo Moon

A large knitted throw with amazing colour variation - Karoo Moon

Upcycle your old tyre with some knit/crochetwork

Some woolly friends came along!

All dressed up for the occasion

Some filming while we were there.

Yes, there were two men, knitting and crocheting in the back!  That was part of a charity knit-together if you had time to sit down.  My attention was, however, diverted by the perspex box filled with merino handspun, and 4 balls came home with me.  I started hooking on the train!  Just to see how it would work up :-)

There will be a dark charcoal and teal scarf in the making, at least one will be a cowl, knitted, or hooked...?

We'll see. 

Sigh. Desire.

Roll on next year, for the next National Wool Week