OFFF

This past weekend was the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, Oregon.  I’ve been going the past few years with my fiber friends and it is the highlight of my fall.  So much going on at the fair grounds!

Fair warning – this is a very picture intensive post.

The booths catch us first.  Must touch all the yarn! Fondle all the fiber!

Leslie, wondering if she went overboard at the hand painted merino sale rack:

Then there are the animal barns.  The llamas have their own show, the alpacas are next door, there is a lot of sheep judging, and then there are the angora bunnies. 

This poor sheep had to endure both the shearing and then having to watch its fleece be bundled up and then carted away.

The difference in the fleeces of different sheep breeds is always astounding to me.

And it is amazing how many colors llamas come in:

There is also a finished project display, with judges awarding ribbons to the various garments, skeins and art projects.  Some I loved, some I wondered about, and some I looked at from six angles and still couldn’t quite understand.  A very small sampling:

When we weren’t wandering and shopping and petting both animals and fiber, we ate a lot of Thai food (lunch both days at different Thai restaurants).  There aren’t a lot of leftovers!

Overall, it is an amazing weekend.  The best part might be getting time to knit and spin with friends.  Paige came down from Seattle to join Leslie and I in our own mini crafting circle.

Camping chairs are a must.  That is my Kromski spinning wheel, which though not small, does fold into a big back pack to make it more portable.  I haven’t been spinning a lot since I started quilting, but this weekend reminded me how much I love it.  And more green!

There was so much else.  Lamb cook-offs, a wolf hound dog show, long distance spinning competitions, weavers, lace makers, people in enormous crocheted ponchos. Goat agility races! You can see it all at OFFF.  I was sad, and tired, when it was over.  I made it home in time to pile all my new goodies in a corner, hug my family, watch the lunar eclipse, and then headed to bed.  I can’t wait until next year.