Saturday afternoon was filled with fun fibery goodness! I accompanied SheepsPyjamas and her little smidgling to 20^th annual Sheepshearing Festival. I have never been to such an event, so it was a very informative and exciting experience for me. We witnessed sheep being shorn with electric clippers (so fast!) as well as the traditional shears (which reminded me of Shear Genius’s Evangeline giving her client a hair cut).

The highlight of the day for me was watchingsheep herding. Lesson learned – dogs are smart, and sheep are…. Sheep. By the time we witnessed the herding demo, they woolly gals had already been chased around the field for a few hours, so they were a bit tired.

At first we couldn’t even tell where they were, until the dogs were summoned to round them up. They came darting out from a great pine tree, where they had been enjoying the cool shade (did I mention it FINALLY really truly felt like spring?).

The dogs responded to a variety of commands and whistles and herded the sheep into a pen, then got a few sheep out of the pen, then kept the rest of those sheep separate from the two already loose while they were being herded onto a ramp…. It was impressive.

There were other creatures on the farm: we saw a llama, chickens, three adorable alpacas, a miniature pony, bunnies, and a large herd of goats. The air smelled of spring, rain, and animal scents, which is a relief from the city air I usually inhale.

There were plenty of things to purchase, but I
limited myself to a foot long hotdog and a small shopping bag of fiber. I can’t wait to see what this looks up all spun up! SheepsPyjamas and I are planning a spin along using the neon green fiber, I am oh-so-excited to see what happens! I also got some yummy Blue Face Leicester (oh the dying possibilities….)

It doesn't get any cuter than little baby lambs. They were adorable!

It was a successful day: I got some sunshine, goodies to take home, and I had a most lovely time with friends!

no new knitting....

due to the fact that i've recently started a new job, i haven't been doing all of the knitting i'd like to do. firstly, i no longer have much of a commute - from a short train ride it's been cut down to a short walk. yes, yes i know you can knit while you are walking. but it's also been unreasonably cold in my neck of the woods. which, i understand, could be said for a great many places. global warming is scary.
so i have no FOs to speak of, however i have started a new knitting project! i can't be stopped, i won't be stopped. it's a stunning (and dead simple) lace pattern in Artfibers' yarn Tskui. it's an amazing shade of deep turquoise blue. it's one of the nicest things i've knit with. once it's blocked, it's going to be a work of art. it's very sculptural.
and not a pair of socks. i started a new pair with sockotta in handsome greens, browns, and white.
but they aren't anywhere near done, mainly because they aren't intended for anyone yet. i think the SO is up next in the rotation, perhaps past due even.
i am sure i'll find a rhythm again, and get back into hardcore knitting.