sheep

Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival

~ kayak2016blog ~ 17 Comments
Felted sheep and camelids from Englishman Bay, Maine

Saturday and Sunday, October 1 – 2: This is the first time I’ve been to the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival, held in Tunbridge, Vermont. The first day I went with a couple of my Quaker Knitting Goddess friends, and didn’t take any photos – I regret not getting some of the sheep shearing, but maybe another year! The second day I went with two friends from Six Loose Ladies; they were demonstrating spinning, and I just caught a ride with them, and mostly hung out at their display with them and worked on my knitting. But before that, before the crowds got to where taking photos was difficult, I wandered through the fairgrounds, still resisting buying any yarn (or fleece, or animals!!); I did buy a discounted book the first day.

Of course there were sheep (and sheep dog herding demonstrations, and sheep shearing).

My favorite sheep were the Blacknose, mostly because of how personable they were! One was persistently curious about my cane; all wanted affection and attention.

And llamas and alpacas:

Mohair goats and angora rabbits:

There was, of course, fleece of all breeds and colors.

And yarn; I kept repeating my mantra (“You do not need more yarn. You do not need more yarn. You do not need more yarn.”) especially when I fondled the gold sock yarn below!

There was equipment, from spinning wheels to buttons and yarn bowls:

In addition to the spinning demonstration from Six Loose Ladies, people were weaving, spinning, knitting and rug hooking. This was our area:

The weather both days threatened gray, and turned sunny and warm. Some areas of the hillsides were very colorful, with the leaves turning, although it’s not the most striking display of leaves I’ve seen in Vermont. The company was good, and I got a couple of inches done on the sock I’m working on. But one of the things I enjoyed most was seeing all of the hand knit, crocheted, and woven garments people were wearing, showing off their fiber creations!

Recommending for Knitters – and People Who Like Sheep

~ kayak2016blog ~ 6 Comments

Debbie Zawinski wandered Scotland, looking for bits of fleece from all the local sheep breeds. Then she spun the fleece and knitted socks – one pair in honor of each breed. She does give the patterns for the socks – but this is much more a travel book where most time was spent on foot, with public transport (ferry, bus, train) when needed. Accommodations – usually her tent, set up in gorgeous spots, often along the shore. The weather – wet!! If you want to travel vicariously in rural Scotland, literally following in the footsteps of sheep, get the book! (I got it through interlibrary loan. Thank you, local public librarians!)