Finger Lakes Fiber Festival

Hello. Long time no blog, I know. I have no excuse other than that I simply lost interest in updating. However, the weather has turned cool, and the lake is churning, so my thoughts are turning to warm things, like the lemon tea I have by my side, and the unfinished wool/cotton socks in my knitting bag.

On Saturday CP and I went to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival down in Hemlock, NY. We had a great time, in spite of tricky navigation, both by car and by foot, in the ankle-deep mud in the fairgrounds parking lot. One woman drove past just after we parked and yelled out the window at people at the bottom of the slope, "Get out of the way! I don't think I can stop!", but she did just fine. The mud didn't slow anyone down; it takes more than that to turn back fiber nuts!

I made many new friends, mostly of the four-legged, fiber-covered variety. Here's a grinning alpaca with the same haircut that I got last summer. I don't go to that salon anymore, but on her it's pretty cute.



A few Jacob sheep, a breed I'd never heard of but found interesting for their spots (and therefore the lovely tan/brown mix of the processed fiber) and for the fact that they can grow up to six horns.



Here's a close-up of the ewe on the right; she looks a little like she's sporting the Statue of Liberty's crown.



The sole llama I saw. This guy didn't look too friendly, though later I saw some kids petting him with the help of the llama's owner. Maybe he was just hungry.



I really loved this display--several members of the Genesee Valley Hand Spinners Guild were given six ounces of a processed Corriedale fleece, and they had to spin it, ply it, and then make it into something. Look at all the great items!



There was so much to look at; it was truly a knitter's and spinner's paradise. Although I don't spin (yet), I was transfixed by all the beautiful hand spindles, especially those made of exotic woods. In spite of all the beautiful yarns, I only bought one skein of 100% alpaca, hand painted, that I plan to make into mittens. I also got a t-shirt, of course. I'll post pics of those later.

It's good to be back!