Australian Sheep and Wool Show 2013

Oh my goodness, I LOVE WOOL!!!!!

And I love the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo. Love it!

Last Friday was my third visit to the show and each time I think I love it more. I think I understand it more and I think I am less overwhelmed and inspired by it more.

I love it all the way from the sheep, to the fleece, to the sheep and wool peeps. I love watching them judging, handling, admiring, wearing, spectating and socialising.

I love watching the spinners and weavers and felters and dyers and knitters and crocheters too. I love the passion they have for their craft. I love watching their fingers move, the smiles on their faces and the excited way they describe what they do. I feel like I'm one of them. It makes me happy.

I love watching the way the stalls are set up. Trestles and baskets and bowls and hooks and shelves of glorious woolly delightfulness.

And I love how the shoppers shop. According to their craft, their colour pallet, their yarn weight, their yarn type, their budget.

I love the weaving.

I love the felting.

I love the yarn bombing.

I love the buttons.

I love all the different types of needles and hooks.

And most of all, I adore the wool.

On my first trip to the show, four years ago, I was so new to the wool crafts and so overwhelmed that I went home empty handed. Not so much this time. Now I know that I love organic, Australian made, naturally dyed, and 8ply or chunkier.

I had such a great time. I Love that my farmer boy did too. Taking a day off farm-work to walk from stall to stall, to chit chat with the stall holders and to carry my bags.

I'm hoping that by next year's show we might have a few woolly friends of our own living here. I'm hoping that I'll be a spinner by then too.

Oh what fun!

I'll have to show and tell my purchases another day, I've run out of room.


Did you go to the show?
Did you have a great weekend?


Happy new week you guys.

xx

All things wooly (& the winner).

Last Friday my farmer boy and I spent the day at the Australian Sheep and Wool show in Bendigo. We had the best time.

When we visited the show a few years ago I was still very new to woolycraft and was completely overwhelmed and went home empty handed. This time I felt like I had the opposite experience. I know what colours, yarns and plies I like to craft with, I know what wooly direction I am heading in next and I am just so happy to look, to admire and to ask lots of questions.

The wool show had so much of what I love, what I am passionate about and then more.

It had stalls and stalls of luscious yarns in every ply and in every colour of the rainbow.

It had needles,

and buttons,

and felt,

and all manner of haberdashery goodness.

It had activities for the kiddies.

It had fun, creative displays.

It had wool clothing and fashion parades and it had such fun crafty patterns and creations.

There was weaving and crochet and spinning and knitting and carding and felting and macrame and machine knitting.

And there were sheep and rams and lambs and wool comps and shearing comps and sheep dog comps and best breed comps.

And there was even comfy seating for those not all that interested.

There was just SO. MUCH. WOOL. 

And I LOVE wool, so I loved it.

And I'm guessing the sheep fanciers and farmers, the wool artists and crafters, the fashion peeps, those interested in cooking the sheep and lamb's meat, the families and the stall holders all loved it too. There seemed to be something in it for everyone. The farmers in their work boots, cowboy hats and blue vests all the way through to the lady standing next to me at one stage wearing a crocheted technicolour dream coat and knitting a cabled throw while making her yarn purchases.

But as soppy as it sounds, my favourite part of the entire show was that my farmer boy gave up a day of work to come with me. He walked through every stall and shed, he didn't make a face when I spent too much money, he helped me carry my three bags full of wool and chose a couple of skeins of chunky homespun for some beanies for himself. I even overheard him tell a woman that he can't get into knitting but spinning is a possibility!! Love him.

Such a great day.

And while we're on all things woolly, I must thank all those who entered the Tikki pattern giveaway. I think the beautiful comments made this giveaway my favourite to date.

And without further ado, I asked the random generator for a number between one and 201 and it gave me number 37 - Brave New Fiona!!

Congrats Fiona.
Email me your addy and the 5 Tikki patterns you choose and we'll get them to you asap.
Happy knitting!

And to everyone else, watch this space because I have another woolly giveaway coming up really soon.

So, tell me peeps, how was your weekend?
Did you get up to anything exciting?
Did you go to the wool show?
Have you been before or to one like it?
Would you like it?

Wishing you the most wonderful and happy week lovely peeps.
xx