I Went to Maryland!!!!!!!!!!! You wanted someone who went to spill? Well here is my feeble attempt to describe it in words.(or a word) OVERWHELMING! To help put it into context I must explain that I am an Alaskan spinner/weaver/knitter and former shepherdess. I flew 4,000 plus miles one-way to attend the event. I am still reeling from the sensory overload. There is no possible way to see all the displays, entrants and businesses not only due to the shear number of booths etc...but due to the ENORMOUS CROWDS!! Living in Alaska I am not accustomed to shoulder to shoulder herds of people. It was quite uncomfortable. I must say that most people were very polite, but the vast quantity of bodies in the limited space was a force to contend with. I volunteered to help (fleece toter)in the fleece judging which was a fantastic experience. I have volunteered at the Washington state Shepherds Extravaganza Spring Fair(fleece division), The Black Sheep Gathering(fleece division), and I am also the Fleece Judge at the Alaska State Fair. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and packing fleeces around for Judith Mackenzie. She is an exceptional woman of great wisdom and wit. We had over 5301 fleeces entered in the MSWF. Not all were entered to be judged. There were 3 main divisions. Judith Judged the Purebreed fleeces to breed standard, and the other 2 divisions were non-purebred fleeces for judging(a separate team of 4 judges who judged to handspinners standards) and sale. And the final division was fleeces mixed and purebred for sale only, not to be judged. Entrants in the judged division could opt to Not sell their fleeces, which amounted to about 2 dozen fleeces. Judging was done between 5-9:30PM Friday nite. Saturday morning at 9 am the Fleece sale opened it's gates. There were about 25 folks who lined up in advance. It wasn't as bad as I've seen it at the WA State Shepherds Extravaganza. Everyone was again very polite. I forced myself to only buy one fleece, but I got my tactile fix by helping with the fleece sale.
Other than the fleece sale, my favorite event was the Spinning/Weaving Equipment Auction. We do not have antiques in Alaska. An antique is anything pre-1950 to 1900. I was in tears over the items auctioned for such reasonable prices. I had to limit myself to something that could be dismantled in packed in a container that would fit as baggage on my airlines. I ended up with a solid oak weaving bench. It dismantled and a fellow fiber friend helped me build a cardboard and duct tape suitcase to haul it back to Alaska in. It arrived in tip top shape. I also met with some folks in the Sheep show and made arrangements to purchase a beautiful Border Leicester Fleece. The sheep was still wearing the fleece when I left Maryland, but it should be sheared this week. I had a tremendous time, next time I go(if the opportunity is presented) I will opt to only volunteer on Friday, so I have more time on Saturday to buy and stroll around before the crowds get too enormous.....p.s Another up-side of volunteering...Lots of new friends, new knowledge, and a free MSWF t-shirt, plus a beautiful mug and tote bag. I'm sure I'm leaving loads of info out, but it escapes me now. Marjorie in the sunny 42: Knik Glacier Valley outside Palmer Alaska. "Love,love,love....that is the soul of genius." Mozart To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
