click on different photo areas for enlargements
Before there is Yarn, there is FLEECE! A virtual Spinner’s Paradise, the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival offered everything from *Right-off-theBacks-O-the-Beast* to the kickiest Neon Brights in Art School Tote Bags.
Clockwise from top left:
1. The Main Bldg’s huge area of freshly shorn wool put up in bags for inspection and purchase.
2. Everyone looking at the fleeces sooner or later reached out to touch…
3. A first for me: a very modern booth with UltraBrights! Most of the festivals I’ve been to are very trad and it was FUN to see someone step away from the herd and venture up the timeline…
4. This was my favorite fleece – I wish I would’ve written down the breed – it was absolutely SILVER and silky and black and WONDERFUL…
5. If anything was going to entice me to SPIN and believe me, the SIREN CALL is loud and strong at this Fest, these locks of pure color were begging to be picked up and twisted.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And with her new spindle, spin She did:
After the Scouring of the Main Bldg was complete, we all grabbed a sausage and fell down on the grass between some UHAUL trucks. (BEWARE Future Festers: there are no chairs – it’s strictly BYOC – I didn’t and lived to rue the day…)
Leigh is one of the most lovely, both inner&outer, women I’ve met in quite a while. Her pleasure and peacefulness while she spontaneously spun were a delight to behold…
In fact, the *apresFest* moments were the most exciting for me. After we went out to eat and drink Margaritas, the six of us ended up in our hotel room and we all picked our poison.
Sylvia made SOCKS! Claudia expertly and gently worked with the fabulous Carolyn to teach her how to spin with the new spindle she found. It was mesmerizing – Theresa and I were working on our ONDEalongs – but the pull of the spindle was large and loud. Leigh spun gracefully and swiftly like a dancer in the rain.
Who needs Martinis when one has FLEECE!
…all photos & graphics
That fleece looks like a Lincoln.
Disclaimer: My fleece identification skills are…er, developing (which means that I am not to be trusted completely, like don’t go buy eighty pounds of Lincoln fleece off ebay or something ’cause I said it was a Lincoln. I’ll deny it.) It does look like a Lincoln though. Was it *really* long? Like longer than 8 inches?
Wow, longer than 8 inches Stephanie!? Yikes!
BM – I agree the spinning is had to resist when looking at all that pretty fleece, though sadly I spin no where near as daintily as Leigh or Claudia. My spindle always crashed to the floor and I end up mad. Not so relaxing.
As a Shrek 2 aside, there was a box of Shrek 2 cookie mix in the Safeway yesterday; looked like sugar cookie, virulent colored frosting and a gummy worm topper…AND for your mom on Mday, http://www.shrek2.com has a momday ecard…she’ll love it!
I’m SO jealous! Every blog I visit at the moment is full of gorgeous yarn photos from Maryland. Photos number 3 has to be my favourite, how cool are those colourful curly fibres?
I hear you, Sylvia! I love to see people spinning but think my true muse is the Needle…
Lincoln is a good guess. But my money would be on Border Leicester. I have a fleece in my Fiber Room that looks very similar to that one. If you want a lock or two to fondle, let me know.
Do hedgehogs thrash? Inquiring minds….
Hi Bonne Marie–I really enjoyed meeting you too! :)