Sunday, October 21, 2012

And So the Story Goes

I went to the Fiber Festival yesterday.  I went alone.  I thought I'd just go, buy bunnies, look around, and leave.  NUH-UH.  It was the best day EVER!!!

I can't believe how much I enjoyed myself.  It was a wonderful day.  I got there at 9:30, and went right to buy a bunny from the breeder I'd made contact with earlier this month.  The breeder brought five rabbits, one which was a Chestnut doe that I thought looked wonderful from her pictures, and would really add to the bunnies here.  When I got there and saw them all, though, the decision was not cut and dry.  They were all gorgeous, and their fiber is amazing.  I instead bought a Chocolate Agouti doe, instead of the Chestnut.  What can I say?  She called to me.  Her name is Daphne, and I took some bad pictures of her.  Here they are: 

Daphne trying to escape

Daphne's rear end

Can you see the coloration in there?  It's so had to get a picture of.  She's a light grey brown with a slightly umber banding.  Beautiful!

As I was picking Daphne, I heard someone else call my name.  This guy:



This is Daphne's brother, Buckley.  His eyes are bluey-brown, which just knocked me out.


But I didn't buy him for his eyes.  He's an Opal buck, and his wool is this amazing light pearl grey with a slightly darker banding. 


Probably the best picture of him is this one, while he's in his snazzy cage:


They are works of art, they truly are.  And I wasn't the only one who thought so.  When I went back at the end of the day to pick them up, the breeder had sold every one of her rabbits.  So yes, they were gorgeous.

I did make the rounds to the other breeders as well--there were only 3 at the show.  One had a nice smoky-colored rabbit, but I didn't like the way she/he (I never got that far) was being kept.  The cages were too small to turn around in.  Not cool, in my opinion, so I passed that one by.  The third breeder, however, had Satin Angoras, which I would not have considered, as I like the English so much.  But when I saw the color on the little ones, that went right out the window. 

Meet Camille:


8 weeks old, and a redhead.  I'm a sucker for ginger hair in an animal, I really am.  Look at her banding:


She's already got an amazing crimp, and she's as sweet as pie and feisty, to boot. 


So, yep, I came home with three, not one.  Oops.  I did say I couldn't be held responsible if I were to go alone.  And I went alone.  I did not, however, buy an Angora wether, and I could have, for a very reasonable price.  So I think, if you put it all in perspective, I did very well.

What I did not do, though, was walk through, buy bunnies, and leave.  It was such a gorgeous fair, I spent every minute I could taking it all in.  There's something very appealing to me about a craft that has tools that are as beautiful as the finished product.  I bought a pair of carding combs to work with the fiber I have already from Ygraine, some amazing roving to work with, and a pair of drop spindles. 



The one on top is a heavier spindle for wools, and the one on bottom is a lighter spindle for the Angora.  They were both hand crafted, by two different vendors.  They are amazing.  I also bought a hand-thrown yarn pot, because it's a brilliant idea.  And it's beautiful. 

In all, a fantastic day.  I haven't enjoyed myself so much somewhere in a long time, especially not alone.  It took me two hours to get home because of traffic, and I was an hour and a half late for feeding animals (and I heard about that, believe me), but it was totally worth it.  Today I will get everyone settled in the garage-barn and then maybe I'll feel all the beautiful fiber that followed me home yesterday. 

Have a wonderful day, everyone.  I leave you with a picture of the "bunny train", out in the back, while I clean out their spots inside.



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6 comments:

  1. I'm sort of torn between envious and "are you crazy, more cages to clean!". I frequently daydream about fiber animals....mostly goats, but those little rascals are SO adorable...I yearn for them for a minute or two and then I realize how many daily chores that would add to my list....HOW DO YOU DO IT???

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  2. How wonderful!! I love them all, but especially the red-head. You did very well. Next year I want to go too - K? I am having wool envy. Every single day I wonder when it will be that I will get a chance to do some spinning. Every.single.day.

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  3. Jen--You know, I just really like them. That changes things a lot. Although, I like all of my animals. So I don't mind any of the work. But it's more pleasurable when you like the ones you work with, right??

    Michaele--The redhead is my favorite, too, but only for her color. They are ALL so sweet, it's impossible to choose.

    Ok, next year, you come to NY, stay with me, and we go. Write it on your calendar. We will both go and wreak havoc and buy too much stuff and then we'll come here and spin and crochet and knit. It'll be fun!

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  4. So cute! I love bunnies. We have ducks, chickens and horses - bunnies or goats are next on my list. I would LOVE for you to come share this week at my Farm Girl Blog Fest: http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/10/farm-girl-blog-fest-5.html

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  5. Those are some gorgeous bunnies! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed yourself so much! That's the point after all, isn't it :-)

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  6. Was this the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck?

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