Fiber Festival of New England is Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011 - ongoing in spite of the recent storm and outages.
Sheep, llamas, alpacas, rabbits (fiber animals) are scheduled to be there; sheep shearing, sheep dogs herding, demonstrations, spinning, knitting, felting - plus workshops, yarn and much more. Presented by Eastern States Exposition and New England Sheep & Wool Growers Association in the heated Mallary Complex, West Springfield, Mass. Note: Battenkill Fibers Carding & Spinning Mill will offers a hands-on workshop will begin with a look at how yarn is made and an overview of the structure of various types of fiber and weights of yarn. Instructor Mary Jeanne Packer, owner of the mill in Greenwich, New York, will share first-hand experience complete with fiber and yarn samples and images. Packer is also the owner/co-owner of two yarn shops-Finger Lakes Fibers in Watkins Glen, New York; and Green Mountain Fibers in Rutland, Vermont. Fee is $25; materials required include knitting needles in several sizes; yarn will be provided - or bring some of your own). Admission, hours, list of vendors and more details, call (413) 205-5011; visit the FFNE site or find them on Facebook.
