The Flock and Fiber Festival

Susanna and I went to Canby OR to go to the Oregon Flock and Fiber festival. It's a large collection of all thing sheep. There were livestock pens, craft contests, spinning circles, and a parking lot full of raw fleece. The clientele ranged from good old farm folk, "crafty" middle aged women, and some of the waldorf crowd. I was especially excited about the craft exhibit but I found it a little disappointing. Most things were just what you would expect, a shawl, a sweater, a hat, but there were a couple of things that totally blew me away. One woman named Debbie New had made two knit teacups.


These are knit in the shape of a football and then inverted onto themselves to lend support. They are totally soft, there are no wires, or glue, or anything.

Even more awesome was a knit kaleidoscope that she made. Its made as a series of Styrofoam cones wrapped in knit "hats" the whole thing is operated by a hand crank.

There was someone who made the tackiest and most elaborate felted scenes. They are a perfect example of the amazing capacity of people being used for things I find totally inexplicable. Although I might pay a small fortune for this unicorn. Bear in mind that both of these are 100% wool. And yes, that's a bear catching salmon.



We also found a wonderful booth that had felted goods from Kyrgyzstan. They had some beautiful stuff. Susanna who has spent time in Mongolia studying felt told me all about how the stuff was made. Its amazing. I can't explain the amount of wool that goes into a rug or the amazing way it feels in my hand.