Walking around the Carolina Fiberfest was a blast on Saturday. The event is held in conjunction with the annual NC Ag Fest at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh and this year’s display was twice as big as last year’s.
Before we made it to the yarn and fiber, my husband and I visited the Pig Jig—an all-you-can-eat charity BBQ contest. We had some really delicious food. My favorite was the banana pudding on offer at various stands.
Pig Jig fare.
When we had both eaten more than necessary, we waddled into the Fiberfest area—this year thankfully held in an airconditioned building.
The view from Fiberfest entry
I took a lot more photos than this with my point-and-shoot camera and every last one of them turned out unrecognizably blurry. I’m sorry! There were vendors selling yarn and fiber of all kinds. There was a ton of handspun yarn on offer this year. Some vendors were selling spinning and weaving equipment. Many vendors were from North Carolina or nearby states–Virginia, Tennessee.
I also briefly wandered into a space where whole unwashed fleeces were for sale. I have nothing but awe and respect for people who get this close to the sheep, but for now, I draw the line at washing poop out of my fiber. Having a spinning wheel in my dining room is going far enough for me. I reserve the right to change my mind later on though.
So by now you must be wondering about what came home with me, right?
My Fiberfest Loot
Since this may be the only such event I make it to this year, I stocked up on a few special things that I really liked. As a rule, I don’t buy brand name yarns at fiber shows like this one. I prefer to get small batches of stuff that I may never run into again and use my budget to support the vendors, who are mostly small businesses.
Here’s what I bought:
- 4oz pretty teal merino from Hippie Chix Fiber Art (Cullowhee, NC)
- 425yds of handdyed superwash BFL sock yarn in Rosewood from Fiber Charmer (Atlanta, GA)
- An adorable mini skein of handdyed yarn from Unique Sheep (this was a free sample!)
- Two silk “hankies” for spinning in bright blue from Misty Mountain Farm in VA
- A gorgeous skein of handspun laceweight alpaca in a peachy cream color from Frostglen in Tennessee
This last item is my favorite of the bunch. It is beautiful yarn, and something I could not—yet—spin myself. Moreover, I had a lovely conversation with the owner, Sherry, who spun the yarn herself from the fleece of what was clearly a favorite alpaca named Flower (she and her husband raise alpacas). I can’t wait to make this yarn into a beautiful shawl/scarf.
Last but not least, I bought two bundles of alpaca (for a really amazing price!) from Asheville Homecrafts. These were a source of great fascination to Luna, who supervised the photo shoot, as you can see:
Luna and the alpaca
You readers may be relieved to know that the alpaca and my other goodies all underwent the rigorous battery of canine olfactory inspection that my husband and I call The Sniff Test. The goodies passed, thankfully. Now I just have to decide what to make first!
You came home with some great stuff! Have fun playing with it all!