Fiber Festival

My Friend, GZR, saw a television "spot", and asked a few weeks ago if I was interested in going to a fiber festival today---what the heck!!  Sounded like fun, and since I have a new spinning wheel (Kromski Ministrel), I figured maybe I could use some fiber (To the uninformed, people who engage in fiber arts develop "stashes"---sewers/quilters have fabrics; knitters, yarn, and spinners, various types of fiber in various forms).  Or more accurately, maybe I could begin to build a fiber stash to rival my fabric and yarn collection (pre-retirement acquisition program---my story and I am sticking to it!!). 

So we met there--to see the lamas (so ugly they are cute), rabbits, sheep, etc. all of whom provide a renewable source of fiber (so you can also be ecological as a spinner--and there is always more fiber to acquire!).  There were fleeces, baskets of washed fibers, dyed fibers, fiber processing tools, spinners spinning, knitting tools, tote bags of various types, and a lot of other fiber related things.  We discovered that fiber people seem to more or less wander in to set up their booths somewhere "around" the time the festival was to begin---laid back these people.  Maybe spinning does that for you??  So we had to zig and zag between those ready and those not, be eventually saw what everyone had brought to show, share, and sell.  Next time we can wander in....no rush to be there when it opens, it seems.

You never know what you might find at a fiber fest.....I found an adorable children's book about sheep in a jeep (bought two for the GS's), a silk "hankie" (to spin some silk thread), some shredded suri silk, for blending to make a novelty yarn, a marino/silk top in a great green color , a Blue Faced Lanchester (I think that is spelled right--it is a type of sheep) roving that is a superwash (you can machine wash the product) hand dyed in deep beautiful colors, an alpaca/tancel roll--very soft, and two learn to spin kits (because they were cute, inexpensive, and you never know when someone might ask  you to teach them to spin!--yeah right!).  So, I guess I sort of have a spinners "stash" now--I have no particular plans for any of this--it was just pretty, spoke to me, and felt great.  Am anxious to get good enough at my wheel to begin whipping up interesting novelty yarn---to transfer from one stash to another......

I talked to spinners with my type of wheel about hemp vs poly drives, scotch tension, and whorls.  I chatted with drop spindlers about technique, lots of people about their fiber, and yes, even the Lama--his name was George.  My friend, not a knitter or a spinner, wandered about the looms, gave the wool rug people more than a passing glance, fingered the buttons and also talked to George.

We also found a former colleague.....who now runs a fiber/yarn farm/business with a friend.  And later, as we went into town for lunch--we ran into another former co-worker (from a different job) and had a nice chat!  You never know what you are going to find at the fiber festival in the middle of nowhere (although technically, J was at the antique store looking for a table, not at the fiber festival).

It was fun to meet the people who do this as a "living"--I can't imagine it.  It was fun to be able to carry on a semi intelligent conversation about spinning (I have read 2 books and watched U-tube).  It was fun to fondle the fluff!  It will be fun to read the silly book about the sheep in the jeep to the boys.  Maybe I will go again to one nearer me in October.....because you can always add to your "stash"!