More Rhinebeck Sitings October 19, 2008
Posted by lunarawe in Rhinebeck, sheep, spinning, stitching witches.2 comments
Fluffy Cotswold Fleece
Full confession to those who pay attention, this post was most certainly not written in October. That said, some things are worth documenting, no matter how late.
One of my absolute favorite Rhinebeck events is the Sheep to Shawl competition. In just a few hours groups of determined (mad) carders, spinners, and weavers transform unprocessed wool into beautiful shawls. It is really a thing of beauty to watch. One weaver per group, several spinners, and often a dedicated carder. They do most generously allow the weaver to warp the loom in advance. And then the madness begins!
My favorite group this year, no surprise here, was the team of witches working feverishly on their craft.
You have to admire a weaver who can hold her own in a pointy hat. Extra style points!
And this spinner was definitely a favorite. I admire the posture as much as the outfit. Plus, this group was energized and fun. There were tons of other good groups too! The group below is gathered around their wool at the start of things. Such a lush color. Beautiful.
A quick moment to admire the winning shawls, blue ribbon on the left and red on the right:
The blue ribbon shawl was dyed using natural dyes. Really stunning. As a non weaver this boggles my mind even without the frenetic racing and the time limit. Wow. This was also the same hall where the spinning competition was judged and displayed.
Three ribbons this year! I am very proud because at one and half years of spinning I am no longer considered a novice. One blue ribbon in the laceweight competition, a second place ribbon for three ply, and a fifth place for two ply. Super fun. And the lovely judges gave me this delightful mug (that I had been coveting in the fair, to be honest) with sheepies and knitting on it. Happiness! *delicate cough* And next year I will have to make sure to have neat ties that match. Oh the shame of it all. But I really appreciated the in depth notes this time around. Helpful.
There can be no sitings report complete without a photo of the delightful winner of this year’s hooked rug competition. I think this is both phenomenally done AND adorable. Definite points. And lastly, I leave you with a few llamas to tide you over until next year:
In Sheep’s Clothing October 24, 2007
Posted by lunarawe in Rhinebeck, sheep.add a comment
More Rhinebeck photos! Again, all the credit for the gorgeous pics goes to Devorah, who has the dubious honor of being our official blog photographer. *smile*
We had the unexpected pleasure of arriving at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds the day before the New York State Sheep and Wool festival began. I had to go on Friday to drop off my skeins of handspun yarn, and we made the most of an unexpected benefit. It turns out there were sheep competitions happening the day before, the first National Bluefaced Leicester competition to be exact.
Such joy. Recalcitrant sheep, loving owners, and open fairgrounds with almost no people in sight. We got to wander about and meet a bunch of fabulous animals. The sheep pictured above (like their friends below) were sporting supercute outerwear to keep their newly shorn selves neat and clean. Almost Paddington the Bear up above, but not quite.
I also loved the mad racing look of these sheepies. Aren’t they perfect?
I have to admit that I also learned a lot about Bluefaced Leicester, and sheep breeding just by listening to the judge. That would be the determined looking gentleman (wearing a cowboy hat) in the upper left of this competition shot:
Oh the intricacies of sheep holding! Turns out I really loved the naturals (dark brown ones). They were just beautiful. And this sweet dam from what I think was the head competition. She didn’t win, but I still think her head is adorable, if not the “elegant” look of the winner.
This guy, whose breed I cannot remember, has four horns! Only three were captured here, but I think you can get a sense of his inner determination. Poor thing was having a hard time scraping all the paint off of his pen like his friends were, because his horns got in the way.
Too cute.
We also learned that next year’s featured breed is the Romney. I got some yearling carded wool in advance, for the spinning competition. They look like such traditional sheep, don’t they?
Thanks to Devorah and more soon!
