If it's the 3rd weekend in September then...

It's time for OFFF! But before I get to that...drumroll please...I finished two sweaters! Ok, so I cheated a bit and knit the majority of them on the knitting machine. But before I get razzed about using the machine to knit, let me preface it by saying I really don't like using the knitting machine. I.Really.Don't.Like.It. But fall weather came unusually early and several of the grandmunchkins had outgrown last year's sweaters. So urgency made me get out the dratted machine. And use up stash. Here's the second sweater. Knit from Debra Norville yarn from JoAnn's. Knit on the machine in one day. Hand knit the neck edge and hem edge. Here is sweater number one. The model makes the sweater cute. Knit in two days because I was relearning how to use the machine. The cuffs, neck edge, and hem are hand knit.

Easy to knit, sort of, not too time consuming. So a great playground sweater.

Ok, Now on to OFFF, Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. A three day event at the Canby fairgrounds. This is my third year going and I still enjoy it. Everywhere you look is fiber in some form, be it on the animal, the fiber from the animal waiting to be carded, spun, dyed, or the roving ready to be spun, or my personal favorite...Yarn! My first stop is always the Blue Moon booth for Rare Gems. I didn't get any last year but I did this year. Ahem, yellow and green for, ahem, a certain Duck fan in our house. I looked for some green and black so I could maintain platypus standing but couldn't find any. I did find some peppermint candy (that's what I'm calling it) for a Christmas shawl.

It was a beautiful day and much of the festival is outdoors so sunny weather made it that much better.

See what I mean? Yarn and Roving and whatever else a knitter/spinner/weaver might need. This is another favorite booth, Abstract Fiber. Both Blue Moon and Abstract Fiber are local and when I go to this festival I try to support local businesses.

Animals that have wonderful fur or wool that make wonderful yarn are everywhere and are part of the fun of the festival. The attendees are encouraged to pet and touch, even the youngest ones. Miss R was admiring the angora bunny from the restriction of the cage wires and the owner kindly brought him out for closer inspection. Miss R was also without anyone but Auntie S to compete for attention today and throughly enjoyed her moment in the spotlight.

Alpacas. More shy and skittish than a 3 year old!

Hi there Mr. Bunny!

We ended the festival this year as last year, by picking out finger puppets to purchase. Can you believe a lady knits these and sells them for only $1.50?

so much more than yarn

Today was OFFF!!! Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, Oregon. This is only my second time and I enjoyed it even more than the first. Quite possibly because I had TWO daughters to share it with and 3 delighted grandmunchkins. No, really, they were delighted. There is so much more to OFFF than just yarn and fiber. So much so that I didn't even take a picture of my stash enhancement. Could also be I don't want any incriminating evidence. But trust me, I got a few skeins of beautiful yarn that I hope will show up soon as WIPS and FOs. But I do have pictures of the other things that make OFFF fun for all ages. There are hand knits everywhere. Even for sale. These adorable little finger puppets sold for $1.50. What Nonny could resist. And funny thing is, they all wanted a "woof woof". Mr. W wore his all the way home!

There were herding demonstrations. Usually the dogs herd sheep but I was glad it was ducks when we saw them. The little ones love ducks. What's not to love?

Of course there were sheep! Tall, small, with horns, without, black, white, and somewhere in between. They liked the sheep. Until the sheep tried to start a conversation with his deep "baaaa".

The "bumbies" were a huge hit! This guy was having his fur combed and his owner was a wealth of information about the different rabbit breeds and their coats. At one point she told us if the bumbie doesn't meet the right standards he's lunch.

As I said, hand knits for sale. The lady selling these plopped one on Mr. B's head hoping I think we'd buy but we're knitters so we'd prefer to make our own. Um, also, Mr. B was less than impressed. And he likes hand knits considering how often he wants to wear his Duck Soup. So maybe it was that fact Mommy or Nonny hadn't made the hat that left him less than impressed.

There was togetherness time too. Auntie S is one doting Auntie. And Mommy is a doting Mommy. These were the memories I'm taking from OFFF, in addition to the yarn fumes and eye candy of course!

While we were getting high on yarn fumes our church family and family was moving our daughter in law into her new home. The Lord provided that she could buy a house closer to us. The Lord also provided a church family and family that loved her and showed up en masse to help. I am looking forward to her being closer and her children being in our neighborhood school. I am also thankful for a new place to see her. I've not been back to their house and grateful I do not have to go back. I think the Lord gave me that as well. One day at a time. But some days are easier than others. I'm grateful my daughters and grandchildren took me away for the day. My daughter needed to breathe elsewhere today as well and what better air to breathe than yarn fume air.

sheep and stash enhancement

Fall is here! I thought it had arrived last week with the cool weather but today and tomorrow are supposed to be in the high 80's so fall has not quite made it's appearance weather wise. However, events in the area suggest otherwise. I found honeycrisp apples in the store today! And this weekend is OFFF, Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. A festival of all things wooly and what they add to our lives. S and I went for the first time and next time we're taking the hubby. There was yarn, and roving, and knitterly or spinnerly goodies with which to use the yarn and roving, and all brands of wooly animals: sheep, alpaca, llama, bunnies. No camels or yaks or muskox though. There was a lamb cookout and sheep dog workouts and, of course, sheep shows. S was particularly interested in the sheep shows especially after I began to do more than watch and sign everything that was happening and being said to her. She now knows, uh, um, how to tell the difference between a ram and a ewe. Ahem. We spent the majority of our time inhaling the wonderful aromas of hay and wooly creatures and I, listening to the musical bleating. I was a farm girl and raised sheep for my 4-H projects so it was a wonderful return to my earlier days. Hmmm, between that and grandmothers who knit, is it any wonder I like it so much? Of course, we started the "girls day out" at our favorite place! S with her hot chocolate and me with my Venti triple shot, 190 degree, skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte! We ran into an old friend while here and did a little catch up before heading out.

While S was primarily interested in the sheep, I was interested in stash enhancement! However, one of these skeins is destined to be socks for S. She picked out the yarn. Guess which one? Hint, hint: she is a huge Oregon Duck fan! The orange called my name. Ok, so it was Blue Moon STR and every skein calls your name. But I love fall and can't wear oranges or yellows so I picked up the orange to make a leaf scarf. Not too close to my face but fall colors. And the last skein is for a "trout" vest for grandsons. My husband said it should have more grey but this jumped out at me.

Look! Wool! Lovely wool!

Sheep Judging in front of an enthralled audience.

I didn't take anymore pictures but trust me, there was lots going on! Vendors, and shows, and animals, and people, and demonstrations, oh my. I now know how to plan for next year!