Here we will insert the obligatory caveat about what a lousy blogger I am. Thank you for coming by despite my erratic behavior! But this week I have a pretty good excuse - I’ve been to the Michigan Fiber Festival and I’ve been just overwhelmed by sheepy goodness. Here’s what I mean:

No, my house hasn’t been taken over by the Blob - that’s a 6 lb fleece, from a Suffolk/Corriedale/Romney ewe. Floyd is extremely interested in it to say the least. It’s soft, and has a nice fine crimp (which is no longer all that evident now that washing has brought out its inherent fluffiness.) The staple length is about 4-5″, and the colors range from a silvery grey to a deep chocolate brown. Something about the color and the feel makes me think of Mr. KB, and I think ultimately this is destined to become some kind of men’s outdoorsy jacket or hoodie. It’s actually against-the-skin soft, but it certainly would be nice spun up into a worsted yarn.

I found other treasures at the Festival too - including this:

To the left is 100% kid mohair, and to the right is some soft Romney wool. Believe it or not they weren’t dyed by the same people or in the same batch! I have no idea what I’ll be making of each, but there are some very exciting possibilities.

There was also the silky soft baby alpaca:

and a white Angora/Polwarth/Llama mix that was unbelievably soft but didn’t photograph well - imagine something just as soft as kittens.
The festival was just great. I love sheep and goats, not to mention angora bunnies, and it’s nice to connect to the critters that beget so much yarny goodness. There were funnel cakes to be had, but we didn’t eat any; instead we saved our appetites for a fantastic meal at the Journeyman Cafe in nearby Fennville. Along the way I knitted on this:

Tomorrow (or thereabouts:) further progress on BunnyLove, and a new vintage pattern!