Wisconsin Sheep & Wool 2016

Today didn't start as expected. I woke up in Kansas City, after spending 7 hours on the Amtrak train from Chicago to KC yesterday. I was hoping to see my grandmother one last time, but very early this morning (around 3am), I'm told she passed peacefully while all of us were sleeping.

I thought about postponing this entry until next week, but my grandmother actually read my blog regularly (with the help of my mom) and she would have loved to see this post, especially all of the sheep photos. So after debating all day, I am finally posting what I wrote on the train ride down here. 

One of my favorite fall traditions is the annual trip to Jefferson, WI with my upstairs neighbor, Lauren, to attend the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. My husband had the weekend off and decided to join us this year, and all three of us hit the road on Saturday morning. 

There were a lot of the usual suspects at the show, along with some new faces, too. Every year, I look at the Jennie the Potter booth, but this was the first year I purchased something from her. I know there is quite a JTP cult out there, and I’m told that she sells out within minutes at Rhinebeck. This is why I love our sleepy little show - no lines, no pressure! I chose a pretty ornament for my Christmas tree and this adorable mug with a bear juggling balls of yarn and wearing mittens. 

My friends Carl & Eileen from Bijou Basin Ranch were also there, as always, and I was really excited to see all of their new yarns and colors in person (and also visit both of the samples I’d recently knit for display in the booth!). I knew I wanted to get a skein of their limited edition Big Bijou Bliss for the Laura + Maddy KAL.

I was pretty happy with my purchases, few though they were, but I did end up impulse buying a skein of fingering weight Suri Alpaca yarn on my way out the door. I’ve worked with a lot of alpaca in various forms, except Suri - it seems like it’s time to cross that one off my list. 

While the shopping aspect is great, my favorite part hands-down is looking at all of the sheep; here are some of the friends I made this year: 

Perhaps my favorite favorite part is walking through all of the barns to hear the chorus of baas:

The food at the festival leaves a little something to be desired (well, if you like fried food and endless amounts of meat, you are in luck - but vegetarians/health conscious people such as myself are a little SOL), but Tyler was quite excited to get himself a fried Twinkie:

Since VK Live is in Minneapolis rather than here in Chicago this October, Wisconsin Sheep & Wool is my final yarn/fiber festival I’ll be attending this year, and I have to say, it’s quite a high note to end on. No complaints here, though! 

I have a special treat planned for you this Friday since I don’t have any FO’s - I hope to see you back here to check it out.