Thankfully my husband wanted Alpaca poop .....

What an amazing day! After waiting what seemed like years the day finally came to go to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival. I have been anticipating this ever since I first started spinning and I was not disappointed. We left early and arrived shortly after festival opened. I had a plan, plenty of money (or so I thought) and bug spray. Good thing I brought the bug spray because we needed it right out of the car. Once in the fair I made a beeline for the fleece sale as my main purpose for going was to get my first raw fleece. I was so glad I went early as I pretty much had my pick of everything. I wanted Cormo as I had heard wonderful things about its softness. My first pass I didn't see it, then as I was turning around to look through it again, there it was hiding behind other fleeces. I ended up with a beautiful 4 pound bag of white Cormo. Best of all it is mostly clean - very little VM. Then DH decided he really liked the darker fleeces and he talked me into a 5 pound dark grey/brown Romney/Corriedale fleece. Ok - it didn't take too much pushing to get me to buy the second fleece. So within 10 minutes of arriving we were headed back to the car 80 bucks lighter but carrying 9 pounds of wool.

As you can see we even lucked into pretty weather! No rain!

After depositing the fleece into the car we headed back in to start looking around. Because I wanted to stay in my budget and I knew I had several items to look for I decided to make the rounds of the place first before buying anything. This ended up being my saving grace. I looked at wools and silks in all kinds of pretty colors. Yarns was hang

ing everywhere. Spinning wheels and drop spindles had me wishfully thinking how I need to win the lottery. The variety of knitting needles was almost overwhelming - and I thought my Harmonies were pretty. It was a fiber lovers fairy land. 

Finally, at the very back of the fair behind the Alpaca fest I found what I needed most - the restroom. I badly needed to wash the bug spray off my lips from where I wiped the cloth on my face. Good for keeping away bugs. Bad for tasting. Yuck. Thi

s is where the magic started. As I was off "powdering my nose" my husband was wandering the last aisle of the Alpaca area

 and found Alpaca poop for sale. When I came out he took me over as he was seriously considering spending some of my precious fiber money on Alpaca poop!!!! 

And then I saw

 it ....... sitting there, so lonely, so shiny on the table next to two of the cutest naked Alpacas ...... a Louet Drum Carder with a tag saying $75.  After asking if it was for real (it was) I eagerly handed over the rest of my money and walked away with my very own drum carder. I think I shook for the next half hour with disbelief and excitement over this find! You have to understand, drum carders retail for between $400 and $50

0. This model is the big one, 8 inches, and retails for $525 new. I have looked all over 

for a used carder but have never seen one below $350. To find one at this price, and in such excellent condition was unreal. And as a bonus, the fellow offere

d to give my husband all the Alpaca poop he wanted if he c

ame up to visit the farm. For free. 

We headed back to the car to drop off the carder and headed back into the fair for some more.

 At this point I was out of cash but happy as could be! Th

ankfully the vendors took plastic so I was able to buy the few other items on my list. I finally got a WPI measure with a Diz, which I have been wanting, and some silk hankies. I also got a handful of pretty dyed silk cocoons which make a fun sound 

when shaken. These will probably stay as is as they are so pretty on their own. 

Overall, if you don't count the carder, I actually stayed within my budget.  We looked around a bit more, watched the spinners and weavers and even got to see a sheep being sheared before we made the final trip back to the car. 

 

We got home and were happy but tired. DS stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa and apparently had been a handful all day and wore himself out. 

This is him at six o'clock. This is how I felt! What a day!