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What
a weekend at the Festival! TWO DAYS of SUNNY/DRY weather!
-- that NEVER happens when we "booth" outdoors! Not
too hot ...not too windy ....no bugs. WOW!!
We
met a bunch of online friends face-to-face for the first time
== Louise came all the way from France just to attend the Festival!!
AND she dragged along a French weaver who didn't even speak English!!
(She was very impressed that I could say "I do not speak
French" ...in French!)
If
you've never been to Maryland Sheep & Wool and you hear people
talking about the "BIG Building" == the Maine Exhibition
Hall is 4 "vendor booths" wide and "EVER-SO-MANY"
booths long.
Of
course, lot's of old friends managed to find our tent despite
the Festival's attempts to insure that no one knew where we were!
<G>
Hatchtown
Farm's "rent-a-tent" with "full standing/walking
around" ceiling height worked out well.
I can see high whorl spindles still hanging behind Sharon's
head ...so this pic was shot on Saturday.
Product Report -- High/Top whorl spindles were HOT!
I headed south with more standard high whorls, Kaaris, Jerrys
and Ladys than I think I've ever had ready for a show. But still,
by the end of the vending day on Saturday, a lonely Kaari was
THE ONLY top whorl left hanging in the booth!!
Interest in Kumihimo must be increasing. In previous years there was a lot of "what do you DO with THAT!?" and "I've heard about it, but how does it work?" ...this year, three Hatchtown Marudai "found" new owners.
"They"
have thought of everything! The Festival has thoughtfully arranged
for an ATM to be conveniently parked on-site! We can't have fiber
and spindle buyers running short of $$$ over the weekend, now
can we?! <VBG>
The weather was BEAUTIFUL!
Looking down the "back road" toward THE FOOD!! ...and the Main Exhibition Hall ...and the "barns" ...and the sheepdog demos ...and the music ...and where Hatchown's tent is normally.
Carol Leigh of Carol Leigh's Specialties/Hillcreek
Fibers, Columbia, MO works "off her feet" for a
minute or two <G>
Betty Oldenberg of The Spinnery, Neshanic,
NJ dropped by to make sure that her former spinning students Pam,
Amy and Sharon were still practicing religiously.
Surprizingly,
Toni Neil of The Fold, Marengo, IL seems to somehow
manage her booth very well without my help! <VBG>
(Note the suspicious character in
the cowboy hat lurking in the background ...where is Festival
Security when you need them?)
Whoops! Sorry! That's no character! It's suspicious
Harry Koenig -- the Sheep List's "Mad Dawg" humorist
and "most spoken" <G> contributor AND creator
of the ever-popular "World Wool Domination" and "Attack
Sheep" bumper stickers.
There
REALLY ARE SHEEP at the Festival! Various Breed
and 4H Competitions are almost continuously ongoing throughout
the Festival's two day run.
...and things for JUST KIDS too -- this orchestra of washtub basses, "spoons" and washboards was made up almost entirely of kids "recruited" from the crowd == mighty fine music!
Fleece
Show & Sale -- Fiber-holics aren't safe if they just avoid
going near vendors' booths. Shepherds from all over the States
bring fleeces to enter in the competiton.
Hatchtown Farm's Head Shepherd Pam had a VERY successful weekend
in the fleece competition!
Yep! Pam brought two fleeces down to Maryland to enter in the
fleece show and sale. We like to think that she made a fairly
successful showing!
 |
Breed Class Fleeces -- Coopworth -- |
BEST Coopworth fleece entered in the show! |
|
|
Division I Natural Colored Fleeces Class C -- Long Wool (Spinning Count Grade 36's to 48's) |
NUMBER ONE Natural Colored "Long Wool" fleece. |
 |
Natural Colored Fleeces |
being the TOP Champion Natural Colored fleece |
 |
Natural Colored Fleeces & White Fleeces |
BUT NOT LEAST, Briar Rose's fleece was the Grand Champion BEST IN SHOW!! |
<VVVBG> !! Saying Pam is "tickled" is way understatement!
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Congratulatory e-mail has come in from as far away
as Sarajevo! (Hi Dale!)