Sunday, June 29, 2014

Black Sheep Gathering was terrific fun again!!!

As we walked in the door the cutest sheep ever greeted us!
 Everyone individual and named. Then there was more fiber than you could
imagine in every color of the rainbow. Wool, llama, alpaca, angora (goats and rabbits)
and even YAK!!!




My friend just started raising Gotland sheep, so they were on our
agenda. They are such friendly guys!!! Very soft and curly. I am thinking
about getting skins someday too, to put behind my Norsk weavings. 
Next year!

A nice Border Leicester
A good site to visit to see very cute sheep pictures is Bless Ewe Sheep Company
They have a great Face Book page with lots of pictures

Pretty and sleepy Angora Goat

Another one sleeping the day away!

Black goat babies
 

Looking good enough to KNIT!!!
It is kinda like going to the zoo, but you get to hug and pat the animals, and 
of course fondle the fiber!!!
Eventually we did get past the sheep and goats... and found beautiful handwoven
rugs.

Hand woven with hand dyes yarns. The man who wove them had a handful of
cochineal beetles that turned his palm red! Check out this site
on Wickipedia

And tools....
Ed Jenkins makes some very fine "Yarn Tools". Check out
his nice web pages. These were beautifully made and very colorful.
Also KCL Woods make very gorgeous handmade shuttles and spindles.



We did make it to the yarn. I restrained myself because I
do have a whole room full of stash. I did get one skein of
German angora yarn to make
the "Gather Ye Rosebuds" handwarmers. Pattern is Free
on Ravelry. It is 85% angora and 15% Cormo wool. So very
soft and pretty. I got 2 bags of Theodoza's Loose Prime
Angora too, to eventually spin a 50/50 mix with merino and
dye it to make another Bohus sweater. I had a totally Angora Day!!
 My friend Michelle got one of these white silk "Laps" to spin. Like a gorgeous
cloud.
Plum Crazy's beautiful fiber.
This gal has every fiber imaginable, including the afore mentioned Yak!!
 I have never seen such a variety of fiber as this year. The sun was out all
day, but not too hot and my friends and I had a fun packed day!!!
I will probably have to go to OFFF Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival at Canby)
 too as I am a confirmed fiber addict.