Yes, I think it’s spring, or at least a good attempt at spring.  We have had thunderstorms, loss of hydro overnight, more rain, the daffodils have joined the crocus, scilla and lungwort and now the trees are budding! Even the portable forest has started its spring migration! (it’s sneaking a pot or two across the driveway, finally arriving in its summer location.)

In the yearly calendar of fibre festivals near Ottawa, we have had in February, the Chesterville spin in, which is a fun, small event to help get us through the remains of winter and top up our fibre hoards, if they have started to dwindle. In April, the Peterborough Weavers Guild holds a large fibre festival that is about a 3-hour drive away from Ottawa, but is worth the trip. This year, I was out of commission for both of these and was very disappointed not seeing fibre friends or topping up the fibre hoard.

1 poster for the Spencerville fibre festival 2025 (they have a Facebook page if you want to contact the organisers)

The third fibre festival this year was in Spencerville, a small town well south of Ottawa, almost to Highway 401. It’s in the Drummond building, so we will meet you there.

Glenn grabbed the book he was reading, and we headed off.  It usually feels like not that long a drive, but this year the seat belt and one of my incisions were arguing loudly by about 20 minutes out and just got more livid with each other the farther I drove. I also think they moved the town further down the highway, it seemed so much longer a drive than I remember. (Good thing I didn’t try to go to Peterborough)

2 Front of the Drummond building in Spencerville, where the fibre festival takes place.

We arrived early and found that there were already a few cars with people waiting to go in. As Glenn pulled out my walker and camera, everyone else got out of their cars, and we all headed in to line up inside.  (I was more interested in the washroom.) This is not a big hall, but the sale had a good selection of finished goods, equipment, Yarn and fibre. There were also demo tables from the Kingston Weavers Guild and the Knitters Guild. Most of the aisles accommodated stopping and chatting with friends you haven’t seen in months, but still not blocking getting into the booths.

3 Let’s pay our $5.00 entrance fee and head in to see what the vendors have brought for us this year.

4.1- As we entered the hall

4.2 Luna Spinning has woodworking, spun yarn, fibre and crochet tools

4.3 Janet Whittam does weaving and basketry, you may remember her work from other shows too!

4.4 This was Krys Dallaire’s first time selling and had a very nice booth. She was selling Ile de France cross North Country Cheviot (close up showing crimp), Bluefaced Leicester cross North Country Cheviot (the bag being purchased), Fin (the dark fleece that came home with me) and North Country Cheviot (bags on the shelves). She was also selling maple syrup!!

4.5 Yvieknits Yarn had lots of yarn and a bit of fibre; she also had these lovely examples of knitting with her yarn.

4.6  You have seen Top of the Whorl spindle at a few past festivals too. They had some new spindles, spindle cases and lazy Kates for spindles. This is also where I found Naalbinding needles.

5 at the Top of the Whorl, a drop spindle lesson was happening.

There was a vendor selling punch tools,  including a couple of images set up as a “Try Me” sample. Ann, Carlene and I all tried it, I wonder if either will add a new fibre art to all they do?

6.1-6.3 Ann and Carlene try the sample. The loops are created on the back of the side you are working on. The different punch tools make different-sized loops. It was a bit like needle felting but with less need for band-aids.

7 Ann was interested in the rug hooking techniques, which gave a lot of textural elements depending on what was used with the rug hook.

Let’s keep looking around, ooh, do you see this hiding on the floor in the next booth?  It is mostly yarn but has some wool wash, wool pellets for the garden and plastic project bags, but hidden beside the table was a lovely fleece.

8 It’s labelled as a fleece of Gotland Finn Cross, it was so soft to touch, I was very tempted.

Let’s keep going (before I buy it without seeing all the show)

9.1- I missed the name of this booth, but it had a mix of tools and supplies for weaving, felting, and knitting. Ann seemed very interested in the knitting pattern cards. I wonder if we could do that for felting? Maybe shapes of resists or book resists for the wet felters?

9.2 Pretty String Yarn Co., lots of colours to entice you into knitting

9.3 Sheeps Ahoy. They have the most beautiful patterns that remind me of Philosophers wool who closed many years ago. I wish I could knit

9.4 Crazy about yarn, they use themes to create their Colour ways.  I think the purple was one of the galaxies, and the ones behind her are part of the planets series.

9.5 Studio De laine Cactus Yarn Studio, did you see the support chicken kits? She always has such interesting packaging.

10 We spotted Carlene and compared loot. We also saw a few others who showed off their finds.

There was a nice mix of things for sale, it was nice to see the new vendor with 3 different breeds of sheep. I had been hoping for the Lady who had the 3-D printed spindles at the Almonte fibre festival, but no luck on those. They’re not as pretty as the ones from the top of the whorl, but I would not want to leave one of their pretty ones in the back of the car for emergency spinning, but the 3-D printed one would work perfectly for that. Each spindle has its purpose, or just because it’s pretty and you really like it! That’s a good reason to get another spindle, too.

By early afternoon, I was wiped, and it was time to head home. Last year, we had seen the mill by the river, and I wanted to stop and take a few shots before the long drive home. I was captivated by the reflection in the river and the architecture when something large swooped past my camera.

11 Reflection of the barn in the river water

We drove around the mill building to see what it was.

12.1 Great Blue Heron waiting for lunch to come over the dam and be delivered to him or her.

12.2 Heron, waiting to select the entrée to dinner.

12.3 Spencerville Mill, the Heron is in front of the trees on the other side of the river, just left of the concrete at the far end of the dam.

We stopped in Kempville to have a very late lunch, and so I could take my meds. We finally got home and brought in my bags of loot! 5 paper bags and one big plastic bag. Yes, someone else bought the grey Gotland/fine,  but one of the black fin fleeces followed me home, it was just too nice and soft not to buy it! She said she will be shearing soon, in case you desperately need one too!

13.1 My purchases that followed me home.

13.2-13.3 It was definitely a fibre-focused shopping day, and there seems to be some similarities in colours too. I was trying to push out of my comfort blue, but seem to have only shifted over one to mainly green with a bit of red/orange and of course blue.

So what did or would you have gotten today? I probably overdid it, I am extra achy and about to face plant the keyboard, but it was so much fun to see everyone and add more fibre options to my hoard. But now it’s time to crawl back into bed in hopes I will be able to make it to the guild meeting on Monday. If you are in the area next year, you might want to add the Spencerville fibre festival (The Forecast Calls for Yarn and Fiber)  to your places to visit. I will hope to see you there!

PS Monday, I made it into the guild and opened the library, I even got some work done, but didn’t last all the way to the meeting. I am wiped and quite sore. I am heading to bed now. I hope you have enjoyed this shopping trip! If you saw anything that you really want to track down, check with the event organiser. I fear I may have missed a booth, but I really am too tired to figure that out, so before I do face plant the keyboard, it is off to bed. Have fun and keep felting… maybe a heron?