The 2011 OFFF

Okay, I have half a skein spun; I do believe I can sit still and relate the festival now. :)

As usual, the OFFF was awesome! A little smaller perhaps, but still quite overwhelming to the senses...

The 80 degree weather felt good yesterday, and the pungent smell of livestock mingled with that of caramel corn and coffee as we wandered the fairgrounds, enjoying all that the festival had to offer.

There was a LOT of yarn. A lot of it... I was attracted to the designer/art yarns mostly. What with their vibrant colors, amazing textures, and creativity behind their making, I find them nothing short of inspiring. :)

[Sigh], Yeah... Here's me. Grinning like a dork. What can I say, I was ecstatic to be there! The green shawl was hand-knit by a friend of mine, and she graciously let me wear it for the day. 80 degree weather and an alpaca shawl makes for a really warm person, I learned... LOL.

For some reason, there is always a Wolfhound show being held at the other side of the Canby Fairgrounds, during the OFFF. Not sure why, but we sure enjoy seeing the huge dogs every year as a bonus! ;)

They were huge dogs...

I was very tempted to buy a lot of stuff yesterday. But I think I did relatively well.

I almost bought a rabbit yesterday. She was a lovely, chocolate brown, pedigreed, French Angora doe. And she was in my price range. But in the end, I turned her down. The timing isn't right to start my rabbitry back up. Soon though. Soon I will have rabbits again. :) What I DID buy though, was some English angora fiber, some kid mohair that's been dyed in brilliant colors, some autumn colored silk noil, and an absolutely beautiful, dark brown Romney lamb fleece. For the grand price of $15 too. Whoohoo! 

Oh yeah, and my friends who accompanied me also sent me home with three alpaca fleeces of my choice. Score! I think my Etsy shop is going to be stocked once again, very soon!

The livestock barns were divided into 5 different parts. Sheep, goats, rabbits, alpacas, and llamas. It always amazes me just how big those llamas are...

I really liked the hairdo on this fella.

I was absolutely delighted to see this lady wandering around the grounds in her llama-drawn cart! The entire place was abuzz with people and noise, but the llama wasn't fazed in the least. I learned that the pair had been carting for 8 years together. I can't wait until I can say the same about me and Heidi. :)

It was a long day overall. We got to the fair at about 10AM, and left at 4PM. But it was so fun... I almost got a huge, 10 lb. bag of jet black Border Leicester wool, in trade for two skeins that I made, but alas, the gal's husband didn't want her to. He offered to sell it to me for $100 though. As if I could afford that! Oh well, I have enough fiber to keep me busy for awhile, so I'm happy. :) I dearly wanted to bring home some Scottish Blackface ewes, but they wouldn't fit in the cat carrier I had brought (in case I bought a rabbit), so I reluctantly left them behind. Next year. Next year, I'll drive my own vehicle, and then I'll bring some sheep home!

All photo credit goes to my sister, Emily.