Central New York Fiber Festival 2017

The Annual Central New York Fiber Festival, hosted by Central New York Fiber Artists and Producers, was this past weekend in Bouckville, NY (about 1 1/2 hrs NE of Ithaca NY). Since the weather was going to be in our favor we, my husband Jeremy and I, decided to make a weekend out of it and went camping the night before at Charles E. Baker State Park (just 1/2 hour away from the fiber festival) with our friends Nilay, Zach, Ela, and Sandra.

This is where  the adventure began: We didn't get on the road until much later than we had anticipated (arriving at the campsite at 9pm), the last 4 miles to the camp site was a rutted gravel/dirt road, and then minutes after arriving Ela got bit by a dog. ugh... While the rest of the crew set up camp in the dark, Ela and I drove back down the rutted gravel/dirt road to the nearest hospital about 1/2 hr away. While in the waiting room my husband messaged me saying he couldn't find our tent poles and I immediately started wondering what else could go wrong, poison ivy? Luckily...

Ela didn't need a rabies shot (I did have my whits about me enough to get the tag information from the dogs owner), Jeremy found the tent poles, and there was no poison ivy to be seen. Surprisingly everyone was still awake (at 12.30 am), and the fire was still going, when Ela and I returned to the campsite.

The rest of our time at the State Park was spent as hoped, a few minutes at night by the fire with a beer and friends, and a lazy morning with pancakes and camping coffee. I was even able to get in a few minutes of sitting by the fire with the fleece I had brought with me, to pick through for vegetable matter, before everyone woke up in the morning.

By noon Saturday everyone was packed and ready to go, our next stop: Bouckville, NY and the CNY Fiber Festival.

This was my first time to this festival, and I was truly pleased. It was small, as I expected, but it had such a wonderful mix of vendors. The focus this year was spinning, and sure enough in every tent (~7 total) there was a spinning area of wheels and stools and anyone could pop down for a spin (wink).

I'm not yet interested in spinning wheels, as I grow more and more fond of drop spindling, so I was on the look out for spindles. This is the second festival now that I found myself gravitating toward the Spinning Bunny booth. Jim is from West Danby, NY, a retired cabinet-maker he took up wood-turning as a hobby after retiring, and  he took up spinning because he couldn't turn in the house. He is talented at both for sure. His spindles are amazingly balanced, it is obvious that the spindles are made by someone who understands the intricacy of their use. All the different bowl shapes, and variety of exotic woods he uses makes it easy for any one to find a spindle they will enjoy using for years to come. Rosane (pictured), a dear friend of Jim and Marie's, joins them at many of the fiber festivals. She is an expert spinner and is more than happy to demonstrate (and teach) any one who is interested and stops by the Spinning Bunny display.

The highlight of the fiber festival was Prado De Lana, a sheep farm run by Amanda and Alberto Barcenas out of Chester Co, PA. They specialize in Romney and Lincoln pure wool blends. Their yarns are not dyed (though Amanda is considering doing some natural dyes), and mostly worsted spun. OMG, the drape is amazing!!!! Holding their yarn in my hands and just feeling the weight, watching it fall. It was so hard not to buy enough for a drapy hap, scarf or a winter-y pull-over. I look forward to buying more of their yarn in the future and keeping tabs on what they are up to.  I am sure I will write a post in the future just about them, their farm, and how they got to raising rare breed sheep. (A taste: Amanda studied animal science, Alberto studied Agronomy, and they are currently care-taking a gentleman's farm in Chester Co. PA where they raise their sheep).

This is what I love about fiber festivals:

• Everyone their is just as in love with fiber and fiber related activities as I am (and we all love to talk about it). 
• All the interesting people, hearing how they got doing what they are doing. 
• Learning through conversations and demonstrations. 
• So many things to touch and new things to see.
• Being outside, on a beautiful day, in a beautiful setting.
• But most of all,  meeting new people, and making new friends through our shared love of all things woolly.