Fiber Festivals and other fun things

What sounds boring to some folks and fabulous to others? Why, Sheep & Wool Festivals, of course! Mention a S&W fest to a knitter or a spinner or other fibery crafter and you'll see the transformation take place from a mild-mannered fiber person to a rabid fondler of fibers and stash-enrichment-seeking human missile! Maybe it's not quite that bad, but close, honey, very close!

I've been to several fests this year and fortunately, I have a husband who actually enjoys coming with me (!!), even if only for the lamb-burgers, and he even finds things for me to buy! We went to Clermont State Historic site in NY for the Chancellor's Sheep & Woolcraft festival in April - the weather was fabulous - and I didn't buy much, but that's a very small fest (no lamb-burgers, either) and there really was not a lot of things that I happened to be interested in this year. I mean, I have tons of wool, both pre- and post-production if you know what I mean, so unless something really jumped on me and begged me to take it home, I wasn't going to.

Then, in mid-May, we went to the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool festival in Contoocook, NH. I got my English-style 5-pitch wool combs there; they are hand-made by a gentleman named John A. Meck, who I was told has since passed on, and they are a really nice set of combs. At least I think they are; I'm still kind of new to this, remember...

And yesterday we went to the Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft fest in Cummington, Massachusetts. We got there about 11:45 and stayed until 4:00 or so and had such a lovely day! It was not too hot or too cold, there was a nice breeze to cool us off when it was feeling a little warm, and it didn't rain. I saw so much stuff and met nice folks and just had a wonderful day. I ended up buying a sack of carded Shetland batts, all ready to spin! It's lovely stuff, too, and so soft. I have over a pound, so I should be able to make something nice from it, if it's as nice as I've heard others say it is. I've never worked with it so thought I'd give it a shot. I also bought some kid mohair locks (never worked with this fiber either) that are dyed a fabulous fiery orange. They look just like a sunset to me and I can't wait to see what I can do with it. I bought some Cushing Dyes to experiment with, since I've recently begun thinking about dyeing my own fibers for my own use. Right now, I have a crock pot full of a lovely green fleece and if it turns out the way I'm hoping it has, it is destined for a project I should have plenty of time to complete (more on this another day). I bought some sheepy earrings, just because I thought they were adorable. They look like members of Shaun the Sheep's flock, so I had to have them to match my tattoo, of course!

What else is new? Nothing I'm anxious to discuss right now, but I'm sure I'll be talking soon.
Until next time, wear natural fibers, hug your cats!
Ellen