NH Sheep & Wool Festival

The NH Sheep & Wool Festival was this weekend and I got to go this year for the first time! I really wasn't sure what to expect but I have to say that I had a great time.

I saw some Llamas....

I saw some Alpacas too, but I forgot to take a picture.

I saw some knitted items.  I particularly loved this grouping.  These were all knit from raised, hand-spun and dyed wool.

I saw Angora bunnies.  This one is shedding her coat right now so her person was picking her coat and spinning it directly.  Now, I will admit that I have not ever had the spinning bug bite me (and as a knitter I know I am supposed to add "yet" to the end of that statement) but this handspun angora could possibly tempt me.

Especially when you add in these little cuties who are 5 weeks old.  She was taking deposits for them.  This black one in the front was super adorable!

I saw lots of different sheep too.  This group made me laugh.  They looked like they were waiting for me to tell them something incredibly important.

The best thing I saw though was a demonstration of Border Collies working a flock of sheep.  It was amazing!  The farmer could place the entire group of sheep anywhere he wanted in the pen by giving the dogs individual commands.  The farmer never moved from the fence where he was explaining to the crowd what he was doing.  It was truly fascinating!

I also bought some yarn.  I was on a mission NOT to add to my stash, but sometimes a girl just comes across something she cannot pass up.  Let me show you what I bought!

This is Glissade by Ball and Skein from Barton, VT.  It's a hand washable, fingering weight 50/50 Merino/Silk.  They have gorgeous colors and a lot of beautiful samples in their booth.  Rose Beck's Sugared Violets shawl was knit up in this yarn and I loved it.

This is the softest alpaca I have ever felt! This is from Snowfield Alpacas and is a sport weight with about 150yds per skein.  I'm thinking a color work hat for this.  I don't have a pattern in mind yet, but I'm sure I'll find something fabulous, or maybe even design my own.

The last thing I bought is a skein of worsted 50/50 merino/silk by Jan Marek Raczkowski Studio, also from VT.  I've been looking for something that would have a beautiful drape to use for a Merrily Cowl.  This skein has 520 yds, so I'll have plenty for an infinity cowl and a regular cowl.

I'm so glad I went!  I'm looking forward to next year!

After I got home form that, it was family night.  All my boys are home right now so we went into town for appetizers and drinks at Longhorn and then we went to the movies to see The Great Gatsby.  All 5 of us enjoyed it which is pretty amazing because we all have different tastes in movies.  It was a great day :-)

What did you do this weekend?