Welcome October and Welcome New Week!
I spent my weekend in the garden once more, then surrounded by fiber and fuzzy animals at the Vermont Sheep and Wool Fest! It was lovely! I got some things I wanna show ya from it, too!
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Saturday
Remember those peonies I mentioned I was going to plant? Turns out they're tulips. I kept thinking they were peonies because on the Eden Brothers site, their description calls them a "Peony Double Tulip." What that means is the tulip has more petals than a normal tulip, making it look more like a peony when bloomed. They are peony wannabes. Here's a link to the ones I ordered if you're curious (not sponsored or affiliated!): Eden Brothers Copper Image Double Late Tulip Bulbs
The good news is I got to plant all ten bulbs since tulips only need 4-6" of spacing compared to a peony needing 36" clearance. The bad news is my sister doesn't get any like I thought when they were peonies (sorry, sis!). Our mother has peonies at her house she wants to divide and transplant next year, so we can get some then if we want. We're going to have a pretty show in the spring with these tulips here, though. I can't wait!
My sweetheart cleared my brush pile from our back yard today, too. I'd made it unintentionally over the summer from pruning the magnolia, lilac and hydrangea. The neighborhood compost bins aren't meant for big branches, so I kept accumulating them til I could break them down and bring them to the treeline down the hill.
I totally forgot though, so I'm glad he remembered. We would've had skunks residing next to us in the winter, which would've been awful. He said the birds enjoyed using the extra branches between trips to our feeders, so they benefited someone while they were there. Now they'll shelter a furry critter at the wood line, safely far away from our house.
Sunday
Sunday was a beautiful day to attend the Vermont Sheep and Wool Fest. It was sunny, warm, and the foliage around the Tunbridge Fairgrounds was gorgeous.
My sweetheart and I got to the festival around 12:30pm. There were a decent amount of people, but nothing too overwhelming for me thankfully. Each building was filled with vendors or fiber animals to look at and learn about from their owners.
My fiancé loved the animals. He was getting in with the kids at the fences, petting the llamas and sheep, having a great time. One sheep was very into him when he went to pet it. It was really cute. He's an animal whisperer with all sorts of critters, which I find quite endearing about him.
**He's also the photographer to credit for the great animal photos I have in this post and in the title image. Thank you, honey!**
One of my favorite parts was seeing all the spinning wheels set up at vendor booths throughout the grounds. Some vendors were at theirs, actively spinning their fiber and talking to guests while others were abandoned with partially-spun yarn floating off the back like spiderwebs. It made my heart happy.
Now let's talk about yarn.
So much pretty yarn!
Merino, Angora Goat, Angora Rabbit, Icelandic sheep-- a smorgasbord of fiber types. It was tough not to squeeze everything in the booths we visited. I sadly didn't get photos of all the wonderfully squishy things since I was busy admiring them, but I can show you the two I bought from Kingdom Fleece & Fiber! (not sponsored or affiliated)
Kingdom Fleece & Fiber was nestled at the very end of the outdoor vendor lane, just before the main pavilion. We passed them when we first arrived at the festival, then I saw a fellow maker in front of us at the food trucks with a bag of beautiful batting from them (my sweetheart said it looked like cotton candy), but I didn't peruse their selection until we were heading back to the car.
They had other gorgeously- speckled yarns, lovely variegated hanks, and vibrant colors. I'm kind of kicking myself for not getting a speckled hank of named "Rusty Nail," but it wasn't available in weight I was after. They do have a website, so I can always check there later.
My mission however, was that if I purchased yarn at the festival, I would buy the yarn for my first pair of crochet socks. When I saw these beauties in their DK weight section, it was over. Meet my new sock yarns, everyone:
Oh yeah. I'm in love.
They don't have fun names on their tags, but that doesn't stop me from swooning over them. They're made of 75% super wash merino, 25% nylon on their Granite DK base. They're 245 yards/100grams each, which is more than enough for the sock pattern I have in mind. Solid will be the cuff and toe while the variegated will be the heel and foot. I love it already. Eee!
We also got a gift for a family member while there. I'd love to share it, but I don't want to ruin the surprise for them in case they see this post. I'm sorry!
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself in Southern Vermont around the end of September/early October in the future, I recommend checking out the Vermont Sheep and Wool Fest for a day.
The atmosphere was laid-back, cozy, and what you'd expect of a small town Vermont fiber event. People were kind, areas were clean, the food tasty, and yarn was a-plenty. I plan to return next year!
Have you been to a fiber festival before? Which one did you attend and what was your favorite part?
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