Written today, Monday.

More driving! Drove to Asheville, NC with my friend T. to attend the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fest at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher. We drove up Friday morning and, after having lunch, arrived around 12:30. A walk around the upper level and a spin through the main arena floor and my head was numb.

So, here's the first impression of the main hall of the fiber fest:














Here's one of the many bunnerific examples of the cuteness on display:



















We made a full run through and then we had to stop for a drink and a snack. I would have been happy with a Coke, but they had beer. Beer was better, mellowing. Much easier to deal with the hundreds and hundreds of fellow knitters.

After our break, it was time to spend money. I'll show you my haul another time, but I'll tell you about it now. I bought the book Tiny Yarn Animals by Tamie Snow. So much cuteness. I will make the lemur and the hippo and the owl and the turtle and the lion and and and. I found amazing yarn for a scarf/wrap - Clapotis from Fall 2004 Knitty. I've been waiting to find just the right yarn for this and voila! Soft silk/wool blend in a vivid purple, green, charcoal colorway.

Then there's the sock yarn - marigold orange and a stormy blue/green/grey variegated. And the yarn for a pretty scarf for the mom. Oh. And yarn for a kid's sweater for the niece and any others to come along. So. Much knitting to be done. I shall gather the tools this evening, but have promised myself that I will finish my Holland socks first. They are a heel and foot away from complete. It's only taken me three years...

Drove back Saturday morning.

Sunday, I went to the race with T. and her husband - yes, T. is a knitting NASCAR lover, too. It was a perfect October day - breezy, sunny, cool. While we sat and chatted before the race, the sun was warm on my back (there is nothing quite like having the sun warm your jeans clad butt on a cool autumn day). The meal was great - pasta salad (a balsamic vinegrette dressing accenting a combination of black olives, asperagus, bowtie pasta and fresh grated parmesan), a fresh green salad (with chickpeas, carrots, corn, mushrooms, croutons, and almond slivers), and grilled shrimp. Eating out of a trunk in a grass parking lot is no reason not to have fantastic food. Just ask Mario Batali...

We got to our seats early. I love it when the engines start so I pushed to get there early... alas, from the cheap seats, the effect is not so wonderful because of the distance and ambient noise. Still, it was all made good when when the cars passed by on that first warm-up lap. The smell, the sound, the feel is why after the first five or six laps I started thinking of how wonderful it was that I'd be experienceing it all again this Sunday in Texas. Addictive.

In other news, I making positive strides towards being ready to start writing on November 1. Nanowrimo, for those who've forgotten, starts in just over 4 days (96.5 hours and some change). No writing is allowed before November 1, but it is okay to gather tools; since my inspiration a month ago, I have a premise, a basic plot (no resolution, but the story/characters will take me there naturally, or so I tell myself), a bit of the backstory on my main characters, a physical setting, and maybe even a point. I know, crazy. It may be enough to jinx me, but this prep work feels different, more solid than for past tries.