Yesterday we traveled to Waynesburg, PA, to attend the annual Sheep & Fiber Festival. On the way there we almost hit a turkey vulture that was trying to get airborne. It had been on the side of the road eating roadkill.
I’d been expecting a gathering akin to a county fair, with lots of varieties of sheep in barns. This was a street fair in the historic district of town and the streets had been roped off. There were vendors with rovings, skeins of yarn, finished sweaters, shawls, scarves, and bags made from pure wool, wool/angora goat, wool/angora rabbit, and alpaca. There was a Waynesburg potter making crocks and mugs. There was a gourd artist and several booths with handmade beaded jewelery. The girls liked the two alpacas that were on display. We missed the sheep-shearing, arriving in time to see only the fleece on the street, the sheep having been returned to its trailer.
There was one huge tent set up for children’s activities. The two girls we brought got to make a bracelet, get their (free) picture taken with two black-faced lambs, and have their faces painted. After a picnic lunch in the local park, we returned to the kid’s tent for the weed weaving. A man warped a nailed board and showed the girls how to do “over and under.” They got to chose weft materials from boxes of multicolored dyed wool, raw wool, synthetic yarn, pine cones, shells, weeds, and feathers.
I was amazed at how quickly the children grasped the way to weave, and also by the number of boys that were captivated by it. I think the informality of the set-up (you could work sitting, standing, or on the ground) and the presence of the genial (adult) male weed weaver contributed to its popularity. The girls we brought enjoyed it and had a finished wall-hanging in about twenty minutes.
We got everyone’s business cards and bought some peach jam from a local sustainable (and organic) farmer. On the way back, we saw a red-tailed hawk cross the road in front of us, very low. It was a beautiful day and the view from Wind Ridge (PA) was amazing.
Filed under: New Vrindaban, birds, environment, life, nature, place | Leave a Comment
No Responses Yet to “Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Festival”