I just thought I would check to see if anyone is going to the Maryland Wool Festival this weekend. I am planning to go on Saturday and would love to hook up with any of you who are also going. I have been waiting for two years to go to this. Last year I wasn't able to go because of a prior commitment so I have been waiting. I am anxious to learn more about sheep, shearing and spinning. I want to get some sheep in the future but for now am just in the learning and research phase. I am also interested in raising llamas or alpacas. This would just be only for my own use and enjoyment.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), May 02, 2001

Answers

I'm going on Sunday I think. Don't you love the picture of the jacob sheep on the front of their book? My neighbors have a llama and giant angora rabbits. I love to weave and knit (gotta learn to spin next!) Sorry I won't be seeing ya there! Have fun! (I hear the lamb sausage there is great!)

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), May 02, 2001.

Toooo far to go from Bama for me but I sure would love to go!!!

I raise Angora rabbits and hope to soon have some Angora goats and perhaps some of the longer-haired sheep. Can you give us a report on what you see and learn saturday?????????????

-- Suzy in BAma (slgt@yahoo.com), May 04, 2001.

Like you, I have been waiting for 2 years to go also, and will be going tomorrow. I began raising Angora rabbits a year ago, and took a beginning spinning class at "Mannings" in East Berlin and am really looking forward to learning more. We had sheep but they weren't good "woolers", so I am eager to learn more about sheep as well. I'll be the lady trying see everything at once, pushing an umbrella stroller, and controlling bored kids...all at the same time! I can't wait!

-- Laura (lbaumgardner@blazenet.net), May 04, 2001.

Oh Fooey. I should have been checking the forum more often. I would have known to look for you two! I was there Saturday. I saw lots of stressed out ladies with strollers.

All year long I look forward to going to Sheep and Wool. This year my "dh" got Orioles baseball tickets for the same day. Soooo, I dropped him off at the Metro station in Owings Mills and then drove to Sheep and Wool for a wonderful day of browsing all by myself.

Not that you'd remember me but I was the lady in the gauze/plaid/sleevless dress with a white shirt underneath and a straw hat with a silk sunflower on the back of it.

One of the neatest things I saw was a loom for knitting rag rugs. It was about 4 feet wide and made a rug about 3 feet wide. The loom is a larger version of a small plastic one that we got in a craft kit once. The one from the kit makes the nicest scarves because it knits in two interlocked layers. The rug does the same thing.

Did you hear the announcement about the lady looking for her little girl? It was arround 4pm. I was headed back out and happened past the information tent just as the mom and daughter were reunited. It was just too much....I cried. Others were crying.

Besides the gyros and lamb kabob, YUM!, all I bought was one skein of yarn. I'm hoping to knit a wearable pair of socks. My first attempt was 1/2 success, 1/2 failure. One sock looked great, the other needs to be unraveled and I don't have the patience to do that. :}

-- Heather in MD (heathergorden@hotmail.com), May 07, 2001.