The weather didn’t actually seem that bad when we set out at 8am.
The forecasters were talkin’ up a crazy weather pattern that was dropping snow and freezing rain all over the rest of Western Washington- but I was not to be deterred. We were going to the fair, and the Shepherd’s Extravaganza contained therein.
And it was great. Was nice to be amongst fiber people, visiting with sheep and examining show fleeces.
Eileen Hordyk of Sand Hill Sheep & Wool was there (behind me in the photo above) doing her “Shearing sheep on a Stand” workshop (same one I saw in Stanwood back in January), and had Some of her Romney’s there to show as well. Here are some sheep I met:
First, some sound effects to make you feel like you’re right there in the barn-
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alce5qhHNiE&hl=en]
Then we’ve got pretty white Romney girls-
This guy is a Lincoln (pretty short fleece- he must have been shorn earlier this spring)
And then a Gotland cross. Gotlands are pretty rare in the US, but Franna Pitt at EverRanch Farm is breeding them (using AI). Nice fleece!
And this is a colored Romney ewe. Love that chocolate-y color!
I spent quite a bit of time checking out the fleeces entered for judging:
I really enjoyed reading the judge’s comments on each, and being able to compare many fleeces of different types. There was a lot of really great wool for sale, but I managed to keep my head and depart without any purchases (I can’t hardly believe it myself!)- but I did get photos of some especially tasty treats:
Now, is that mouthwatering stuff, or what?
I didn’t catch any workshops, but I did talk to a woman doing a spinning demo:
Yes, indeed. She is spinning (and wearing) Samoyed. Her friend’s name is Topper, and he’s a rescue pup.
Very neato.
With our current crazy weather, that Sammy sweater looks downright inviting! I’ve had people ask if I’m going to spin my Aussie’s undercoat, but so far I haven’t been tempted to. I LOVE wool….
Yeah- I think she was the only one who was glad it was 30 degrees and snowing on Saturday!
I tried once to spin one of my pups’ undercoat, but found it hard to blend with wool on handcards, so I didn’t get very far. Maybe I’ll give it another try someday, but for now, wool is all I need.
Do you know how to get in contact with the Samoyed spinner? I’ve wanted to find someone to ask about how to spin Samoyed for a while. It seems like a great thing to spin since it’s hypoalergenic, but supposedly has no dander so it’s supposedly very hard to spin since it is all over coat/hair.