Sheep! and Wool!

So, I got to go to my first-ever Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival on Sunday. It started on a bus at Nature's Yarns in Fairfax, and (in about eight rows of my Nancy shawl, which is getting near the end), wound up just outside the Main Exhibition Hall. (That's Shelldon, my Sheep Ball. He wanted to tag along.)

There were, of course, sheep - and some really nice-looking sheep, at that.




There were fair treats, and music, and bundles of soft things to explore.

There were people. Lots and LOTS of people.

(Me, included.)





Since it was Sheep and Wool, and since our bus got there very early, I got to see the very start of the Sheep to Shawl contest! One of the entrants had a child with her (Shelldon thought the little lamb was adorable.)




This was some SERIOUS sheepage.

The shearing began - the girl with the sunflower apron was FAST. Seriously, seriously fast. (She was also going to be in the shearing competition - I bet she placed high!)


This is the little lamb's mom. He was bleating almost constantly; about every twenty bleats, his mom would do a shout-back, which calmed him down for a few seconds. The first bits of mom's fleece were put just outside his enclosure, and he spent a few minutes sniffing at them before starting to bleat again.





He was quite happy when mom, all nicely shaved, was back in the enclosure with him. I think mom was happy too, but I'm not good a reading sheep expressions just yet.


I meant to get back and watch the rest of the competition, but kept wandering into as-yet unexplored parts of the festival. I did get to see the shawls at the end - and there's
photos over on the Official Site. (And an explanation of what, exactly is involved in fielding a team for the contest. It's pretty intense!!)