This was my last weekend of freedom before the fall more or less. It feels like fall already, some trees are just starting to turn which is alarmingly early for it. The moon was also extremely big and dramatic last night. Friday night, I got the crossbow up and working and spent a little time testing it out on the back hill, shooting at some haybales. Let me tell you, I like it a lot better than a rifle. I need some more practice sessions and then I'm going to have at some deer. 

Saturday, was the Ren Faire day. We planned it for a weekend my sister could make but she bailed due to travel and other stuff she had going on, so in the end, it was me, my brother and his wife and my cousin who lives down that way. It was a good time! There was a threat of rain but we went anyway. I left early, had to head to an Amish place and pick up jams and jellies for the fall business. That went well and I got to the faire around 11:30. Security and entry went very fast and my cousin K was already inside waiting. We went wandering around which is one of my favorite ways to attend a faire or event. We caught up, it's been a while since I'd seen her or spent time with her in any significant way. I used to think she was kinda annoying and dramatic and she probably was a little bit, but as an adult, she's settled down a bit and is now pretty responsible. And I have a higher tolerance for stuff now too. S and L arrived around noon so we looped up to the main gate to wait for them. Did some more wandering and chatting, looked at stuff for sale, got some food. We watched the jousting which was amusing if not exciting. Those horses have done that routine so many times, they were practically sleepwalking through it. K had to hit the road, so S and L and I did some more indepth browsing in shops. I ended up with a bone pendant of a unicorn that will get hung on a wall at some point, they bought a wooden carved mushroom statue which was neato and some card deck boxes for a friend of theirs. Then we left. We could have spent more time there, but I think as adults, we just get tired lol

Yesterday, I woke up extremely sore. I think it's because I wore my new sneakers. They don't hurt my feet but my hip flexors and hamstrings are still sore today. I'm guessing it was also the pavement I was walking on. Plus the five or six hours of driving which I'm not used to anymore. I got up, did some irrigation stuff (dry again! two days of storms got us .3 inches of rain) then hit the road to the Endless Mountain Fiber Festival. It wasn't a super long drive and the route was pretty scenic. It's a very small festival, probably 2/3 or 3/4 of the size of the ADK Fiber Festival which is also decently small. Biggest irritation was that they collected payment as you drive in, so there was a line of cars sitting on the road and not a lot of people taking money. But it's a very back country road, so I'm assuming all the locals know to stay away. They parked us very close to the event, so I guess that's why they had to do it that way. I watched the sheep shearing first which featured a normal machine shear but also a blade shear by a woman who does reenactment which was neat. I chatted with the shearer afterwards and he said I absolutely should start shearing in the area. I did some wandering as you do. The vendors were set up in two animal barns and everyone had decently size booths and the lighting was good in both barns. 

I was struck by the sheer number of spinners at this event. So many people had spinning wheels at their booths, far more than I've ever seen at other fiber events and lots more roving, fiber and handspun yarn available than I've seen before. I also saw the most beautiful felted sculpture I've ever seen, it was exquisite. It was a Clydesdale horse and omg. It won grand champion in the show and it should have. It was incredible

I found two local groups, one is a fiber arts guild and it meets the second Sunday of the month from 1-5pm only 35 or 40 mins away which isn't too bad. The other is a weaving and spinning guild which is an hour and a half but also not a bad option. I'm glad the fiber arts group was there because I'd heard about them when I went to the knitting group at the library but the people weren't wildly specific on meeting days and times and locations. They don't have an online presence at all.

I bought some pretty roving and two fleeces, one a washed brown BFL and one from the fleece sale that was a BFL, Texel, longwool cross. Six inch staple, really nice crimp. I'm going to spend some time today working on my current fleece project. Lots of fleeces on my mind right now. 



Good weekend, working a half day today (more irrigation, the strawberries and blueberries set fruit at this point in the season, so watering is needed and some selling area cleanout) so I can do some fiber arts this afternoon and make casserole for dinner this week.