.: This spinner's tool of choice for combing out long fibers :.
The liquid blue skies were happy and the golden sun kissed our joyful faces as we excitedly walked the green and grassy fields on this incredible Autumn day towards The Wool Festival!
This Autumn season is greeted each year by a visit to the country fair and this year we found ourselves celebrating all that is fiber art! Together with our friends, I was in pure bliss walking through gorgeous fields where sheep were peacefully grazing and more sheep were being sheered--dropping their warm woolly coats for artisans to create with.
There were women spinning at every turn, each of them adorned with beautiful hand-spun and hand-knit sweaters which spoke volumes of their love of fiber. Bags of gorgeous wool roving spilled from baskets at their feet as they spun to the rhythm of the festival goers.
.: A knitter wrapped up in beautiful handmade layers on this crisp day, meditating to the clicking of her needles :.
Fiber artists felted and generously shared their techniques. There were beautiful wooden table and floor looms to be tested, and wool yarn to be spun. I was in fiber heaven on this day, in a living storybook reminiscent of "Pelle's New Suit" by Elsa Beskow!
.: Re-purposed wool, cut into strips and then rolled and sewn into circles to make a larger circle. Later integrated into a mesmerizing rug :.
So much creativity filled the air. A multitude of creative and generous spirits hooked rugs, knit lace, wove, spun, and showed their crafts, each new table more beautiful than the last. These woman so lovingly and excitedly shared their passion for creating in many different forms, the one thing uniting each artist, was wool.
.: This is the loom that I fell deeply in love with. I enjoyed weaving a few of these rows, appreciating the process, textures and tools involved :.
Most of all, I enjoyed many warm conversations with the weavers. I was able to try out each of their looms, weaving together incredible strands of color and textures. I was able to try my hand at rug hooking and experienced the action of a drop spindle. Sharing some time with these lovely women left me feeling so full, amazed and inspired! They each spent time answering my questions and encouraging my love of fiber.
.: Endless tables of wool roving, each color beautifully combined :.
My last stop at the end of the day was with a woman who taught me about the process of raising flax. She laid it out to dry and then expertly cracked it open to reveal its long lustrous fibers. She then showed me how to comb the flax and hang it up to have access to spinning it. Her fingers dipped into a shallow plate of water and then she proceeded to spin something so incredible from this plant that she once cared for in her gardens.
.: Breathtaking views at every angle. I enjoyed my time walking these gardens, gazing out to the changing colors of the leaves and feeling the peace of the pond beyond the gardens :.
At her feet was a small pot simmering on a bed of hot coals she had tended to throughout the day. In it marigold petals and golden leaves were gently dyeing silks, hand spun yarns, and wool roving. The smell of the wood smoke, the dynamic and skillful motion of her spinning, and the fields of sunflowers in the distance shadowed by the mountains made my heart soar.
.: These sweet little Angora bunnies left us wanting some of our own! Along with the sheep and alpacas of course! :.
I was able to witness the special continuum of beautiful and gentle creatures and creative energies of their human caretakers. Sheep, alpacas, goats and rabbits shared space with us in these vast fields. I walked away and walked through the sunflower fields, smiling within at these beautiful moments and memories shared with an enriching and ancient community.
.: Once we arrived home after this memorable day, the creativity and inspiration that filled my heart poured forth into the wool roving that came home with me. I sculpted and needle felted this sheep figure to remember our time spent at the wool festival :.
