festival update

The Michigan Fiber Festival was a blast. There were tons of vendors, more than I even got a chance to see, and lots and lots of animals. The amazing thing was that for such a large festival, it wasn't very crowded--you could still get around and see everything without feeling like part of a herd yourself.
There were bunnies, goats, llamas, and of course sheep.


We also got to see some shearing demonstrations. This little fuzzy creature did not want to be sheared at all and complained bitterly throughout the process. Here's before. (That's her head on the right under the handler's knee, which might explain some of the acrimony. She rather reminds me of Dolores from The Panopticon in this picture.)


And here's mostly done.


When there are a bunch of sheep all waiting to be sheared, the ones who are done look really embarrassed, and ones who are waiting look really nervous. It's difficult to get more than a sideways glance from them--forget about making eye contact.


Showing unusual restraint, I bought only two things. It was strange--there were tons of really beautiful yarns and rovings there, but most of them just weren't speaking to me. This one did, though. It's hand-dyed mohair from Mar-Rita Farm. I've never spun mohair before, so it will be a new adventure for me. I just couldn't resist the colors.