Lollapalooza of wool

Yesterday I went with ladyaeflwynn to the annual sheep and wool festival. I'd never been before as it always conflicted with something else, but after her offer to drive describing it as one of the largest fiber arts festivals in the region, I realized I'd be foolish not to go.

It was a lot bigger than I expected it to be! The crowd and vibe was some combination of county fair and renn faire, with lots of fair/faire food and mountains upon mountains of wool-related products - everything from raw fleece to fantastic hand-created finished products abounded. And yarn... lots and lots of yarn (jlsjlsjls, you may want to check out the vendor page!) My wallet is eternally grateful that I don't spin, felt, weave, or knit, though petting the alpaca and cashmere fibers might be enough to make me start (or nuno felting. All the hobbies I don't engage in for lack of time is a whole other post entirely).

And sheep - lots and LOTS of sheep. Sheep being shown, rather like dogs. Sheep being shorn. Sheep being hot in the summer heat (and I couldn't blame them - 80F+ combined with sun is brilliant - literally!). Sheep being herded, though I missed that (I guess the sheepdogs need time to design laser targeting systems sometime). Though they are tasty and quite dim, the presence of so many of the live thing kept me trying the delicious smelling lamb kabobs, lamb sausage etc. - I just felt guilty. But they have eerie irregularly shaped pupils, so maybe I could have gotten over that :P

While A. was getting lemonade, I got lost in one of the bigger barns and got some merino yarn for my sister. Through the valiant coordinating efforts of A.'s husband on their home phone I connected with her cell and we found each other (it that large of a festival).

I got tireder and tireder on the trip home and crashed for a 2 hour nap soon after I arrived. I forgot how bright heat can get to me!

Definitely recommended; if I'm in town I'll likely go again to pet the funny-eyed sheep and shop for gifts :)

in my next lifetime

If you've been reading for any length of time, you'll know my main hobbies are fencing and sewing/costuming (hell, just check my tags). Both of these take up a lot of time and there are a myriad of things I'm not pursuing simply 'cos I have to eat/sleep sometime:

• Painting/drawing - did a lot of both as a child and a figure drawing class a few years ago showed me I have a LOT to learn. Perhaps when I retire.
  
  
• Shoemaking/leatherwork - this may creep into my repertoire (especially if I ever remake the Zoey vest) but as it requires a whole new set of tools/techniques, space is an issue as well as time.
  
  
• Jewelry/beads - see leatherwork, though I already have some of the tools. I'll make something if it's quick/dirty or needed to complete a costume, but I just can't get sucked in.
  
  
• Writing.
  
  
• Knitting/crochet/other yarn stuff - I partly hold out because yarn is my sister's "thing" and I don't want to intrude, but see also: jewelry/leather.
  
  
• Spinning/felting - 'cos those nuno felting scarves are just so rich texturally. Really, someone keep me away from this one...
  
  
• Weightlifting, wall-climbing, yoga - admittedly I do a bit of the latter to keep my back from freezing but in general I'm so committed to fencing at this point that any "extracurricular" exercise I do needs to help that in some way. And as fencing is the best workout for fencing anyway...