A couple of weeks ago I was straightening up some papers in my “maybe I’ll scrapbook this” box and came across a bookmark advertising The 26th Annual Shepherd’s Harvest Festival”. It was in the box next to some other items that clearly came from the Eco Building at the state fair. I don’t remember picking it up but where bookmarks are concerned, I’m a little like a crow and shiny objects.
The festival was a week away and even though I’m not a knitter or wool person, it seemed like it might be a fun way to wile away a few hours. Just half an hour from home and only a $5 entrance fee. Dog herding demonstrations, sheep shearing, food trucks and a LOT of vendor exhibits were promised. It was the dog herding that was the top of my list.
When I headed off Saturday morning (a gorgeous day), my plan was to see the dogs, look around the rest of the festival and then maybe see the dogs again during their second demonstration. I never made it back to the dogs a second time because the rest of the festival was fascinating. I got to pet several kinds of sheep (including cashmere), got to watch two different sheep get haircuts (this goes much faster than I thought), listened to some music and had a Grilled Cheezey from a food truck.
And then there were the vendors. My oh my. There was one building with vendors doing classes and then an additional four buildings stuffed full of folks selling anything you can imagine having to do with wool Spinning wheels, combs, spools, drop spindles of all kinds and designs, needles, dye, hooks, stitch markers, patterns and, of course, wool. Wool straight off the sheep in plastic bags, wool in every color imaginable, yarn by the mile. I’m not sure how anyone who is in the market for wool goods can decide what to get. If I were a knitter, I’d have to back a u-haul up to the festival gates. It was a lot of fun to look at, but my pocketbook was really glad I didn’t have anything invested in this craft.
I did end up purchasing some fun soaps called “felted soaps”. They are made with sheep’s milk, brightly colored and fantastically scented – and they are wrapped tightly with a think layer of wool. It acts as a washcloth of sorts and shrinks down as the soap gets smaller. I can’t wait to see how it works out.
Robin was there on Saturday as well, although we didn’t have each other’s cell phones, so didn’t manage to run into each other. It would have been nice to have a “tour guide” but I might have held her back. Maybe next year.
Do you knit? How old were you when you learned? Or better yet, do you have any favorite woolens?
Trail Baboon 
i have a daughter who is a knitter and spent her college post college years knitting for us family members and select friends an array of scarves. hats and other wool fineries.
i have a slight alergy to wool and can not wear wool hats or sweaters without a layer of something in between. a shirt between me and a sweater does the trick but a wool hat never gets a cotton layer in between. i noticed it as a kid and when i bought a cool wool cap or hat it would sit in the back of the closet because it itched when i wore it. my daughters scarves did the same inless we bought acrylic yarn. i have my aran knit sweaters from ireland that i love (but with a thickish long sleeved shirt on too) i thought about saving dog hair but in talking to the knitting pros they say you must spin the dog hair with wool in order to get it to work.
i had a black aran knit but it disappeared. the sweaters in my closet all got demoted to occasional from regular calls to action when my wool awarness kicked in. i occasionally wear a suitcoat without a shirt but it will be silk or rayon/polyester.
these groups that rally round a central theme are great. ive looked at african violets, bonsai trees, orchids, mushroom hunting, woodworking, bee keeping, guitar making ….and it is so interesting when you dig in below the surface
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hudsons bay woolens pendelton and fairbault wollens are among my favorites
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The Bay has declared bankruptcy and is closing all its stores. I love Pendleton woolens.
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Boo hoo
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I don’t knit and don’t, for the most part, wear wool, which frustrates Robin some.
The cashmere producing animals are goats.
Robin and I went back to Shepherd’s Harvest on Sunday. We got there an hour early because Robin had assumed the hours would be the same as Saturday but they opened later on Sunday. We got a good parking spot.
The vendors were just setting up, so we wandered over to the sheep barn to commune with the animals and chat with some of the owners. I made a wooly friend named Dixie Sue.
The yarn supplied by any of those vendors is of an entirely different order of quality and refinement from the sort of product one would find at a Michael’s or JoAnn’s. The breed of the sheep from which the wool was sourced (and sometimes the sheep’s name) is included on the label. Different breeds of sheep have wool with individual, specific qualities, including softness, length of staple, and durability. They are spun in various thicknesses (fingering, DK, sport weight, etc.) which the knitter chooses depending on what she or he is making and what the pattern suggests.
Some of the vendors are dyers. They may or may not be producing the raw yarn. There were a lot of eco-dyers at the Fair, who use exclusively natural materials to achieve their colors and effects. Intriguingly, the color of the plant material used often results in an entirely different color result.
Spinning wheels have undergone quite an evolution. There was one vendor who repairs vintage wheels. He had examples in his booth, one of which was as tall as I am. On the other hand there has been a profusion of newly devised “traveling wheels” that are very small. Some of them even fold into a little case. Robin has two wheels but she has focused on other aspects of fiber art lately. Otherwise we might consider adding one of the little wheels to her equipment.
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My mom used to knit, although she eventually had to give it up due to her arthritis. When I was in junior high, she knitted me a large poncho that I wore for years. She also knitted matching sweaters for me and wasband number one. He wasn’t crazy about the sweater or the matching idea so I wore mine out and then I wore his out. The most enduring legacy of her knitting is the Santa stockings. Both my sisters and I and all of our kids have them. In fact, all of my pets have them as well. I paid a friend to do Guinevere’s since Nonny had quit knitting at that point.
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I learned to knit a year and an half ago. I’ve also learned a bit about wool over the course of the last year. Our teacher will not use super-wash wool, which is treated with chemicals to make it washable and more like acrylic yarns. She has taught us about untreated wool, and I’m starting to really like it. It’s coarser than treated wool, but you can wash it gently and block it when your project is finished. Sometimes I find small pieces of hay or straw in it.
I’m just about to start knitting my first sweater. I’ll be using a wool called Peace Fleece, which Diane (teacher) says is fantastic to work with. It feels fantastic. I think my sweater will be very warm, and the yarn will be easy to work with. I have the yarn, the pattern, and the correct needles for the gauge. I’m excited to start it.
I’ve crocheted for most of my life. I can do some complex patterns in crochet, but I fail at the very tiny lace making. My eyes can’t see it well enough to do a nice job. I’m planning to make a crocheted top soon.
I’ve also been using wool roving for needle felting and I’m just about finished with my second needle felted picture.
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I crocheted in high school, but only because I really really really wanted one of those crocheted tops made from granny squares that were all the rage in this early 70s. My mother thought it was a waste of money to buy me one so I had to make my own. I didn’t mind doing it, but I haven’t crocheted since.
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Where did this Festival take place? It does sound marvelous!
I have never really learned to knit or crochet. I sometimes regret when in long meetings and someone else has brought their knitting…
I do have a favorite wool sweater, which I found at a thrift shop, and some great wool rag (not sure what that means, but that’s the term) socks that I love.
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The festival was this past weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Their website doesn’t list a 2026 date yet but if I were forced to bet money, I’d say it’ll probably be Mother’s Day weekend next year too. Robin probably knows for sure.
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An, I looked it up, and see that it’s in Madison.
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Completely OT. As of 15 minutes ago, I am done with the major spring weeding, the laying out of all of the wood chips, and the planting of the veggies in the straw bales.
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Since Wednesday morning we have had 1.75 inches of rain. We may get 2 more inches in the next couple of days. After highs in the mid 90’s last week, this rain is a godsend.
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Now we have had almost 2.5 inches. It will rain all night tonight and tomorrow.
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Hope some of it comes to us.
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My mother was excellent at all cloth skills but did not knitting. Had never even tried. She would collect old wool coats, some given to her and some she would buy in second hand stores. She would cut them into strips and hook them into long braids, which she would stitch into circles or ovals. She said the tricky part was the stitching to get them to lay flat. We had a 6’ x 9’ one that was on our floor for close to 20 years.
I used to love sweaters, but as I became more sensitive to touch, they bothered me. I recently gave away the last of Sandy’s clothes I had at home which included 7 sweaters, 4 as good as new. That was painful.
My granddaughter has slowly become my mother. She is learning many of the stitchery skills, starting with knitting which she began in seventh grade by watching videos online. She is a good baker and starting to cook, a skill at which her brother Mr. Tuxedo is a master.
Clyde
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I have read extensively about the European exploration and settlement of northern Canada. I am still in shock about closing of HBC. As corrupt and awful as it was, it was for so long a part of Canadian history.
Clyde
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My maternal grandmothervwas a crochet artist extraordinaire. We have lots of afghans by her.
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Thanks for this Linda.
Joni is such an amazing artist, but I admit to not having loved all of her work. Despite this, she remains probably the most impactful soundtrack of my life. She and Dylan are in close competition for that spot.
This song, however, is for me, Joni at the top of her powers. So in touch with the contradictions of her own desires and being. I get it, but I’m not sure whether it’s a sign of hope or defeat, that I’m as conflicted as ever about assessing my own life. No sugar coating that life is a messy proposition, no matter how much we try to squish it into a socially acceptable compromise.
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