Inquisitive Felines and Fibers

This has been a very busy year for me and I just can’t seem to catch up, but I love the energy. It’s been 3 weeks since I visited the New York Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY and once again it was a treat. Four of us went this year in two cars since one of us was coming home with an Angora bunny…well two bunnies, but that is another story and not mine to tell, so fitting all of us and a cage wasn’t an option. My plan this year was to look for good prices on the few remaining tools that I would like to own. First and foremost  I wanted combs. I have 6 boxes of llama fleece upstairs and I really want to start processing it. I haven’t spun llama yet, and since I got to personally meet these llamas I’m very excited about using it. So, imagine my delight when the third booth that  I wander into has the exact double row combs I’m looking for at $40 less than I have seen anywhere for the pair. After purchasing those and the holder I was a very happy fiber nut.

I also made the sad discovery that my niddy noddy winds longer hanks than my squirrel cage swift can hold. I didn’t want to just do have of the niddy noddy so next on my list was a mid-sized one. All of the hanks of yarns that I’ve dyed over the past few months are all long enough that I have to lay them out on the center island in the kitchen with cans to hold them in place. Not the most efficient mode of work, but it does work. However, I did find the perfect niddy noddy so that too came home with me. I also found a cute little needle/hook gauge at Green Mountain Spinnery’s booth and had to add it to my tool bag. It’s shaped like a sheep! LOL.

I posted last Thursday that I had the pleasure of meeting Maggie Sefton who was signing books in her booth. It was a wonderful surprise and I had a very nice time chatting with her. I also managed to get some more Hog Island roving and a beautiful chocolate-brown Jacob roving. Now to get the time to do some spinning!

I think that the only thing I missed getting a photo of was the small bottle of oil I purchased for my spinning wheel. I’ve been looking for one for a while and just happened upon it. That was enough of a sign for me. Three of us entered the Chopstick Knitting competition and I was a dismal failure at it not even coming close to half of the number of rows of the top 10 people, but I had a great time. I did come in fourth at the crocheting contest which was new this year and now I’ve something to practice for in the coming winter months….there is always next year.