Pilgrimage - Part 1

One of the most anticipated rites of spring for lovers of sheep and wool is the annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  This year was their forty-third event and even vast as it's become they have it down to a science.  Vendors, competitions, shows, classes, livestock, food, demos, auctions....every department seems to run smoothly and that adds to the enjoyment of the event.

For me, one of the main events is the fleece show and sale.  I choose different fleeces each year to represent the farm and did well again this year.  Given that there were over 900 fleeces in the event and a producer is limited to entering seven I think that having three place in their classes was pretty respectable.

Organizing that many fleeces into proper groups for judging and sale has become an art form there.  Paperwork is attached to each fleece which includes not just facts like weight, breed and price but other criteria such as coated or non-coated animal, Maryland resident shepherd, member or not of MD Sheep Breeders Association, and other info which is needed when judges are considering fleeces for some special awards.  Of my seven, five sold in the sale, one sold in the parking lot after I had taken it back to the truck and the last one went to a person who had emailed me while I was away and needed just that fleece. 

One of the main not-to-be-missed events (there are many) is the Skein and Garment competition.  This encompasses much more than just skeins and garments - every facet of fiber art that you can think of has a category and classes for entries.  The talent and creativity on display is inspiring to say the least. 

Here is just the smallest fraction of items that were on display.  These first three were big winners and all done by the same person.  Clearly she was given more than the usual amount of talent when born - probably got some of mine and a few other peoples' too. ;-)   Actually I did help a little - the light brown sweater is made from the fleece of a ewe in our flock - Flower.

All items are displayed to their best advantage which isn't always easy given the number of pieces.  The organizers have taken to hanging some things over the edge of the table which actually helps show bigger portions of the item than you could see if they were just folded up on the table top. 

Most of the blankets were hung from rods near the ceiling which saved space and also gave them the room they deserved.

Intricate weaving......

Intricate knitting.......

This woven messenger style bag was complex from every angle and the gloved volunteer held it so that I could show off both the side panels and the big flap over the front.

And another volunteer tilted this framed needle felted rooster portrait so that the overhead lighting wouldn't glare on the glass.  They were all very eager to handle the entries so hidden details could be seen.  The public isn't allowed to touch the articles.

I love this piece.  The rooster is very well done and is framed by actual chicken wire under the glass.  Very clever and  an artistic touch, I thought.

There is a category for educational posters done by youngsters.  It was heartening to see such well done displays.  Even the ones done by what were the real young kids were artistic and informative.  You could tell the children were really "into" making a good poster.

Sometimes the colors in a piece really caught my fancy.

Or they made you say, "Aw, how cute is that??"

And it was hard to resist admiring a piece when it made eye contact with you.

But not all the talent on display was in the competition.  This lady was minding her own business when I passed her on the main boulevard, saw her sweater and pantomimed 'can I take your picture?' 

You meet a lot of good natured people at the festival!

Of course the vendors are another one of the main reasons to attend.  With over 250 vendors gathered in one place you can shop till you drop and still not see everything.  They all want to grab your attention, display something that visually describes what they are all about, and set themselves apart from the others so that you'll be drawn into their booth.  A daunting task in a setting so full of really good vendors. (This is just the biggest building - there were five other barns full of vendors and about 75 vendors in tents on the grounds).

The felted gown and stole that would certainly make a statement no matter where you wore it.

The wall of specialty fabric (this is only a small section) that was heavily weighted with sheep prints but also had every farm animal imaginable and knitting themed prints, too, made you want to sew something - anything! - so you could have the fun of buying the fabric.

Sometimes the wares for sale drew you in when you did a double-take in passing and realized they weren't what you thought.  Drawing?  Painting?

Nope, completely embroidered with a sewing machine guided by hand.

But some booths made themselves impossible to miss, like this one with a nearly life sized felted giraffe towering over the crowd.

Next time - the real stars of the festival!

A Year's Worth

The calendar never really starts or ends for a shepherd.  One aspect of husbandry overlaps another and seasons go by but there's never a time when nothing is happening.  The closest we get is mid winter when everyone is hunkered in and eats their way through the cold, dark months.  But then....

Shearing!

A year's worth of nutrition, proper housing and care is harvested in the form of beautiful wool.  Taking the coats off the sheep is like opening Christmas presents.  We shear in batches of ten to fifteen sheep and can get through about 45 a day without turning it into an unpleasant marathon.

 "Is it any safer on that side of the pen?"

"I don't think so.  We can't really run OR hide."

We postponed the starting date twice due to weather and circumstances.  It was a very un-springlike day but the sheep had been penned the night before and so were dry.  Shearing wet sheep is miserable for the shearer and awful for the wool as it will mildew no matter what kind of bag or container you put it in.

It snowed all day.  :-0  

But indoors is was a steady accumulation of pretty fleeces.........

Curly Cotswold...in color!

....and in white.

Longwool crossbreds

Glamour shots........

Salsa is a moorit who has faded greatly over the years but apparently this freckle's worth of wool follicles didn't get the genetic message.

And this is why we coat.  This is Peanut with her coat removed.  The grimy wool to the left is on her neck, which wasn't covered by the coat.  It will wash clean for the most part, but it sure looks unappealing now.

And these are her big, shiny, CLEAN curls.  :-D

This is one of the colored Cotswolds - Pixie, maybe? - who has a very high luster fleece in gray shades.

She looks like she's made of tin foil.

Daisy was pretty sure I had alfalfa pellets in my pocket (aka 'snack hole') and kept trying to work her nose into it.

 "Ummmm....."

"You aren't getting any ideas about shearing DOGS, are you?"

No need, dear doggie.  We save all your brushed fur for spinning and you make plenty - no need to cut it off!