Spencerville fiber festival, For the Love of Fibre, 2024
Ann suggested you might want to go shopping again. This time we are going a bit closer, only about 45 minutes south of Ottawa, to the small town of Spencerville Ontario. As she mentioned, this one was called “For the Love of Fibre” (but it’s basically a fibre festival with lots of distracting things to look at!) it’s a much smaller hall than the one I showed you in Peterborough but it is also a lot closer to get to (it was even closer for Ann since she is starting south of Ottawa!) So now that you know where we’re going today, let’s meet in the parking lot just before it opens at 10 am. From where you get off the highway (the 416), there are small (ok, Tiny) signs directing you to the hall, in the fairgrounds so you won’t get lost. If you get there early, there is one outdoor vender, we can check out first.
1) When you reach the building, you are greeted by this banner, (so you know you have found the correct location).
Somehow, we got there before Ann, so Glenn and I sat in the car and were ready to wait a bit. I watched vendors going in and out with last minute stuff. I noticed a tall, black, fluffy, dog, taking himself, or herself, for a walk. The dog was mellow, friendly and quite happy to be wandering around on its own. The dog also watched various people going in and out of the automatic door to the building. After considering for a moment, the dog strode up to the door, it opened, as it had for the person who had just entered, and the dog proceeded to wander in. ah, well, maybe the dog has some shopping to do? By this point, if they were letting dogs in, I probably should go in to line up and Ann would find me.
Glenn started getting the walker out of the car and I noticed a panicked-looking person looking around franticly. AH, the dog’s lost owner? Yes, I pointed at the door and said the dog had gone shopping so she hustled off to collect him/her before he/she could spend all the kibble money on fibre and yarn! The Dog, now accompanied, emerged looking resigned, I guess the shopping trip had been cut short.
2.1-2.2) Here is a picture of the missing dog, who is being sent back to work In the outdoor booth with all the lovely bags and baskets. As well as a close-up of the bags
It was at this time I realized something Horrible!! My camera battery was almost dead (the guild meeting had eaten the life out of one on Monday…. did I recharge it when I got home? Because this second one is now dyeing… no the backup is totally dead. Oh no….. this could be a very short blog post… So I asked at the entrance if they had an outlet I could borrow. Why Yes let’s go in and see if we can find one. Luckily, Janet Whittam had one at her booth. She had a power bar for the lights to illuminate her booth, so I shared her wall plug. Now don’t let me forget it!!!
3) Three shots from Janet’s Booth, she has garments, rugs, placemats, and basketry.
It was fun to watch the vendors finishing set up for a moment, but I better leave the battery to recharge and go back to start the line to pay and go in. Just in time, there are more people arriving! But still no Ann! A bit before the 10am the organizers let the Hordes enter!! And we are off!!
Across from the entrance was Kelly’s booth, you will like Kelly she has nice sheep. She is also a member of the Ottawa Guild. Check out her beautifully painted Louet Spinning wheel!
4.1-4.2) Kelly’s booth, Yarn, Fiber, pelts
The next booth was also Ottawa Guild members, they had turned yarn bowls (check out the little blue one that is being admired!) there was also weaving, handspun and shall pins as well as a few second-hand books.
5.1-5.3) Luna booth, woodworking and weaving
Across the aisle, looking back towards the entrance, was a booth of Yarn, lots of colour and seemed quite popular. I was looking for felt ground and interesting fibre so enjoyed looking for a moment then continued on.
6) Crazy About Yarn booth
On the other side of the door is a booth you may recognize from the drive out to Peterborough, Twin Pines Alpacas. There was that lovely sample you saw last time, some fibre I had not noticed, the palm washboards, some interesting batts as well as stitch markers and yarn.
7.1-7.2) another colourful booth, Fiber, yarn tools and stitch markers
Oh, do you see what’s in the next booth? It’s the booth with spindles that was at the Guild Sale and Peterborough! They had lots of different drop and support spindles, more Naalbinding needles, support bowls, spindle cases and Fiber!
8.1 8.2) Top of the Whorl had spindles, nalbinding needles, spindle cases and rolags
As I turned to check out Jane Macmillan’s booth with artwork (lots of Cute Sheep!) and cards. I found Ann. She had turned Right and I had turned left when I entered.
9) Paintings, prints and cards
Ann and I checked out what we had found so far
10) Ann has been shopping!! She has a Star Wars shirt since it was May the Fourth Be With You day!!
Ann had found a couple of very nice sky /water bats as she had wandered around in the opposite direction than I had. She showed you them in her last post. I wonder if there are any more of these blue batts, and where did she find them?
We zipped past a few more booths, I took a few shots (I don’t zip as fast as I used to but Ann still does!) let me show you a few things that caught my eye
11.1 –11.4) Ann spotted this tiny emotional support chicken it’s for really small issues
We found the booth, Alpaca Tracks T(h)read Lightly, which was the source of the pretty batts Ann had purchased.
12.1 Felted Purse There were felted purses that looked like they were made on a ball.
12.2) There was a selection of dyed yarn but I was quickly distracted by the batts on a shelf next to them
12.3) There were a couple interesting ones left but not as sky-like as I had been hoping for.
Ann spotted a selection of Maori short fiber carded fiber in colour collections. Each is labeled with their colour name so I can get more if need it.
12.4)Maori short-staple batt sample packs different shades and tints of a single colour
Now much more encumbered with packages we moved on. Look! Black Lamb’s booth was directly in front of us! I checked to see if she had more of the size of thick felt backgrounds I wanted, but no luck the pieces here are not the right shape.
Oh, those tempting balls of hand-dyed super wash merino, the colours are so enticing.
13) Supper wash Merino wool
Let me pull you away from the wool as Ann and I drift over to look at the Yarn based on bird colours (what a cool design idea!) Songbird Yarn and Fibers.
14.1 -14.3) oh there is that cool hat again!!
Next was another booth of yarn, Yarn seems to be the theme this year! Check out the samples, what cool knitting.
15.1 -15.2) I have no idea how this was created, self-striping yarn? Complex colour changes? Still looks cool, and makes me think of a bed of little tulips with tiny leaves occasionally interspersed.
OH MY those tapestries look familiar. I saw similar ones being Jurried for the guild show in November. Yes! it’s the same person, I have forgotten her name, but I bet Ann will remember. She had some very pretty tapestry landscapes with fringe bottoms. I am looking forward to seeing what she has woven by the fall.
16) Booth of landscape tapestry’s
There were a few more booths, more Yarn and this one had felt key chains
17) felt Key Chains ornaments
18) By the time I got to the Husband-waiting-spot, he was reading a book (he may have been snoozing earlier and I missed it?)
It was a fun event, a bit more yarn than fiber but still lots of interesting things to look at and I did come home with 2 bags of loot. I did remember to go back and get the camera battery and charger before heading out, but I almost forgot!!
Would you like to see what followed me home?
19.1) 2 batts, a sachet of Lavender and 2 more Naalbinding needles
19.2-19.3) Dark blue batt close-up
19.4 – 19.5) Light batt
19.6 Gotland fibre Locks (Curls)
19.7 Maori short-staple fibre batts
19.8 Silk hankies
There is one more item that followed me home, but did not get to come into the house. As I was about to leave I looked again at the fleeces in Kelly’s booth, the white one had been sold but the really pretty grey/beige coloured fleece was still there. I was trying to think of who I could split it with and finally caved and bought the whole fleece. It’s out in the side yard so let me take the camera out and see if I can get you a shot. It has a lovely crimp. And the staple length looks like it will be fun to spin or felt. It is a large fleece so it will take me a while to sort and wash each section. Hummm, we have had so much rain this spring, do I really dare wash a fleece we know what happens when I try to dry fleeces!!
19.9) this is Cupcake, she is a 6.4lbs/ 2.90299kg BFL (Blue Faced Lester)/Romney cross
I have to find the little Shetland fleece that I purchased at the April (?) guild meeting. I guess this means that there will be fleece washing in my near future! (I will just warn everyone to keep the Umbrellas handy!)
PS: Ann, I see your inspirational garden Violets (did I send you the speckled ones? They look like the ones I got in Oakville) and raze you an inspirational Purple Sand Cherry Blooming!
20) Inspirational Purple Sand Cherry Blooming
Have fun and keep felting!!
10 thoughts on “Spencerville fiber festival, For the Love of Fibre, 2024”
I’m speechless (for a change!) There were so many lovely things on view, I’m going to have to keep going back in and looking again. Those alpaca art batts that you and Ann bought have really got my mojo going again. I really must bite the bullet and clear up in my workshop so I can at least see my carding machine and worktable.
Thanks for the tour Jan.
Ann
Thanks Ann, i am glad you found insperation! you never know what will spark insperation, a colour combination, an image, a story, a particular fleece, or the way light hits something? getting a drum carder out and having some fun with colour and fiber sounds like a grate way to spend the day! and a studio cleenup, you never know what wonders may be unurthed! did you see the yarn colours inspierd by birds? with all the spring flower colours thay may be of insperation colour combinations. i have been watching the volcanic eruptions in Iceland that is very scarry but might make an interesting colour combination, but not as chearful as the flowers.
Good luck on your cleen up and have fun with your carding!!
What a feast of fibre yumminess – had to look at some of the photos again 🙂 You got a lovely haul but it must have been very hard to choose from all the offerings.
Good luck with the fleece washing – there must be some dry weather soon – we’ve had a wet spring too.
The cherry blossom is gorgeous!
Thank you both! yes there were a number of drool worthy options. the yarn had me wishing i could knit socks, well just to be able to knit would be nice.
i am sure we need the rain, there was not as much snow cover or cold as usual winters. but it would be nicer if it decided to only rain at night when i wasnt wanting to wash fleeces or garden!!
since the nabours gient linden tree was seriously trimmed i have more light in my garden (well untill my red maple trys to drown it in deep shade!) so the purple sand cherry is finaly happily blooming after many years of a poor showing. i love to see all the plants trying to fling themselves out of the dirt and flower quickly before the heat of summer hits, which could be next week! weather is just so confusing lately.
i hope our wet springs will give us fabulous summer gardens and stop the wildfiers from happening.
Thanks for the tour Jan. Your dark blue batt looks like a stormy sky to me. Do you use the Maori batts for needle felting? Do you know what the micron count is on those? It looks like such fun to go shopping with like minded friends 🙂
YOur welcome!! yes i think dark batt has storm potental! the moose bag i did with the “firm butt” was maori carded batt it has a very short stable but needle felts realy firm. i dont think it would be much fun to try to spin. i think its coriedale or coridale cross for the breed. i am not sure of the micron count.
Ann is an enabler… but so am i, so we talk each other into more perchese!! lots of fun but i am not sure its safe to send us out to go shopping together!
Thank you for a very entertaining recap of your trip to the fibre festival. I did enjoy reading it. Lovely buys too.
Thankyou! its fun to window shop, and can isnpier too. (its also cheeper than shopping in person) i think i shuld have bot a cuple more of the Maori colours maybe at the demo in June i can pick up a few more.
Great post Jan, It is a lot of fun shopping with a like minded friend even if it is more expensive. I was very tempted by the Maori batt sample bags.
Oh Yum Jan. I love the variations in the batts and all the lovely stalls. I wish I could spend money this time. thank you so much for sharing.
Helene x