Sheep and Fiber Fest

This past weekend we attended the Sheep and Fiber Fest in Waynesburg, PA. It wasn't a big festival, but you could tell that all the vendors and exhibitors were passionate about what they were doing. We saw various breeds of sheep, llamas, alpacas, and bunnies. And these were only the fiber species. They also had Border Collie herding demonstrations with both sheep and ducks (the ducks were so funny!).

The first exhibitor we visited was a shepherding couple (pictured below) giving a sheep shearing demonstration. It's amazing to watch how they are sheared so that their fleece comes off in one big blanket. We got to take a look at those shears; they are wicked! One wrong move and you could cut off an utter or leave a gouge the size of the San Andreas Fault. Still, I think I would like to learn how to shear. This fella has quite a few years on me (and no, I'm not talking about age); he's been shearing since he was 15. No wonder he's so quick and efficient!

After the demonstration we meandered our way down through the other exhibits, checking out all the different breeds of sheep that were brought for show or sale. My next goal is alpaca, but I would like to raise some sheep as well. They are good not only for fiber, but also for meat. My favorite sheep's wool to spin thus far is BFL, short for Blue-Faced Leicester (pronounced "lester"). It has a great staple length and crimp, making it a good fiber to learn on. Though there are better sheep for fiber, BFL (I'm told) is also a good meat producer, which in my opinion makes it a good breed.

Further down the line we finally ran into some alpaca. Ah, the wonderful sound of their nervous little humming. I must have been mesmerized by their cuteness, because I didn't take any pictures. We did however meet the owners and hope to schedule a time to go and visit their farm. I will remember to take pictures. To date, we have visited three alpaca farms. And each time solidifies how passionate I am about these animals.

In other news, the garden is slowly going in. I would have loved to have gotten it in much sooner, but life happens. All that means at this point is that I will have to buy my plants instead of sprouting them from seeds. We have in corn and sunflowers, which we sowed right in the ground. There are two other 4 X 4 plots ready, and hopefully we'll get 4 more of those plots ready soon. I also want to try my hand in container gardening as well. So many projects! I'm sure there will be a lot of trial and error this summer.