We last left our heroine trundling off to her bed, sleeping off the all-nighter she is really too old now to pull off painlessly.

Would she fall asleep? Would she awaken in time for the festival? Would she miss out on all the cute animals and pretty yarn? Tune in after this break to find out…

Why, yes, I did finally wake up! We got on the road just before 1 and wended our way north to the Howard County Fairgrounds, pausing en route at Trader Joe’s to pick up some pitas and hummus for lunch. We pulled into the parking lot just after 2, about halfway through the first day of the Sheep and Wool Festival.

We stopped at the front gate to greet a tired coworker who was pausing after a busy morning of browsing and shopping before making her way back to the car.

First up, we decided to visit the animals. We meandered past booths piled with ribbon yarn, pottery, and a broom-maker, pausing to take in a sheep-judging contest. Not quite Westminster, but still.

We wound in and out of exhibit halls filled with stalls of multi-hued sheep and goats (shorn and unshorn) and ended up at the back of the property where the sheepdog demonstration was being held. Three border collies (Shep, Aggie, and Mike) and their shepherds showed five sheep who was boss, putting them through their paces. It was really cool to witness, particularly to see how Aggie, the youngest of the dogs, really didn’t want to stop herding the sheep when it was her turn to wait on the side.

Then we headed into the main exhibition hall. We did a full loop, looking at wool balls for the cats, petting yarn, examining spindles and spinning wheels, admiring roving (wool that has been cleaned, carded, and generally made ready for spinning into yarn), and buying jam — raspberry lemon marmalade (I’m hoping it’s more raspberry-y and less marmaladish) and elderberry preserves. (I have a great family story involving elderberry blossom wine I’ll have to tell you about some day.)

I got in line at one of the booths and Rudi headed back to the car to change into his bike clothes and bike the 50 miles home. I would finish shopping and meet him at home later.

After paying for my purchase, I hurried outside. It was 4:30 and I was under the mistaken perception that the festival closed at 5. There were still so many things to check out!

For instance, I hadn’t yet see the llamas or the alpacas. I had missed lambs and sheep. I hadn’t seen half of the yarn that was for sale!

Rudi had asked, too, that I pick up an eclair or two for us to split later on. They’re huge! Just what I should eat after writing a book about obesity and the overabundant portion sizes Americans like….

I completed the initial sweep and, after finding out that the festival didn’t actually finish until 6, I headed back to do a bit more shopping in the exhibition hall.

For instance, after last year’s festival, I really wished I’d bought a drop spindle and learned how to spin. (No, I don’t know where I would have squeezed that in during the year…) A drop spindle sort of looks like a top — it has a big stick that runs through a flat disk with a hook at one end of the stick. The man at the booth where I bought the spindle was very nice and gave me a demonstration, as well as advice about which one to buy (the smoothest and cheapest). Spinning with a drop spindle involves hooking the wool through the hook at the top and using the weight and rotation of the spindle to change the wool from the consistency of a humungous cotton ball into usable yarn. I’m sure there’s some difference between yarn created using a drop spindle and yarn created using a spinning wheel, but I don’t know what it is. Perhaps one of the other knitters out there can explain?

After you buy a drop spindle, there’s really only one next step: buy some roving to spin with it. I stopped at the first booth that had pretty wool. Conveniently, it also had a proprietor who was using a drop spindle on some of her wares. I asked her advice for what I should buy for my first spinning endeavor and she pointed to me some that she thought would hold its shape well. I picked a color and there was just enough left of it (5 ounces) that I can probably spin into enough yarn to make a scarf. How cool will that be?

After I got home last night, I thought I’d better try to cement what they’d both shown me into my brain. I was tired and so didn’t do it for very long, but look at the end by the hook — it’s a tiny bit of yarn!

I finished my Sheep and Wool experience at the Peace Fleece booth. Technically they were closed when I stopped by, but they kindly stayed to answer my questions, figure out how much yarn I’d need, and offer tips. I was really impressed with the idea behind their company: They buy wool from shepherds in Russia, Israel, and Palestine, as well as other economically depressed or war-torn areas, combine it with American wool, and sell it as a way to spread peace, tolerance, and economic stability. I bought a pattern for a cardigan and rose-colored wool.

My trip was complete and I was flush with success. I hiked back to the car, stowed my purchases, turned on the latest Cast-On podcast, and headed home.

Tune in tomorrow to learn why our heroine should not be allowed to go to Sheep and Wool without a companion next year, to see more photos, and to find out how she followed up her marathon day.