Sheep and Wool Fair

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, I attended my very first sheep and wool fair in Cummington, MA.  Mark and the kids were sweet enough to tag along even though I know that sheep shearing and ogling wool is not at the top of their "must do" list on a holiday weekend, but they were wonderful sports about it.  We stayed at our friend Kelly's house who generously let us borrow her digs while she was out of town -- thanks again, Kel!  I have a lot to learn and I can't say what type of sheep these are, but M and I admired them all the same.

The Cummington fair was the perfect size for my first experience -- it had a sheep dog trial area,

(that's Roy working to get the sheep through a gate)

a space for sheep shearing and showing, 

(this cutie was just groomed)

a tent under which were spinners, 

(I didn't get a chance to try my hand at spinning but I definitely want to try next time)

and another tent for drop-in knitting and weaving.  We got to the fair mid-morning, and I went straight for the three craft barns where I met spinners, hand-dyers, weavers, and, of course, avid knitters.  

There were so many beautiful bags of fleece and yarns of every type and while I dashed from stall to stall wishing to buy a few skeins from each and every shop, I was incredibly disciplined and chose carefully. 

(that's me -- and that's pretty much what I looked like at every stall)

I saw and touched so many interesting yarns, and I met so many dedicated makers of high-quality products.  It was such a great experience, and I want to spend some time highlighting the various stalls I visited and bought from.   So over the next few blog posts I'll be writing about the Cummington Sheep and Wool Fair.  Stay tuned!