Black Sheep, Part 2

It's been about six years since I've been to a fiber event with vendors. Since I have sheep at my house and I'm not the shepherd, I decided to spend my time on the fiber end. This is inside the entrance of the main gallery, with two galleries flanking it on either side.

I had two things on my agenda - visit and shop. I did both very well. This is the west gallery and the area behind the right edge of the photo is where the fiber arts judging was taking place - very slowly, I might add. I elected not to watch since it was cutting into the time for my two stated goals.
Most of my budget was spent in this booth. This is Ken Ledbetter of KCL Woods. I asked him to pose with the spindle I just bought. They are all pretty so I tested until I found one that seemed to spin the best for me. I also tested a purpleheart spindle and decided to come back the next day and see if I still liked it.
And this is Heidi. She is an advanced spindler and also a lover of purple. She came into Ken's booth the next day, just as I was trying the purple-heart spindle again. I really liked it and she said it had attracted her attention as well, but when she tried it, she got a vicious wobble. She tried it again, with the same result. She gave it back to me and it behaved brilliantly so she tried it again - same thing. Ken said he sees that all the time. Who would have thought that spindles could be so individualized?!
These are my two major purchases. I went with the intention of buying a spindle. I just didn't expect to buy two and from the same wood turner. There were plenty to choose from. I now own five spindles. I think that's enough. I'm spinning a blend that I traded Mim for of Merino, bamboo and tencel.
What I traded her for was also my trip knitting. I finished a pair of Noro socks for me (left) and knit a pair for her (right). The yarn was hers. I supplied the labor. It was a great trade!