Yet again I was able to attend the festival of my dreams and buy enough alpaca that my partner questions if we will become drowned in the fibery wonderment.

My dear friend, who accompanies me on all of these adventures, wandered through this center of shared interest and joy.  We admired sweet animals that DEFINITELY would be just fine living in apartments, ceremoniously kneaded every yarn and bag of fiber that caught our over-grown cat eyes, and made many trips to and from the car to drop off the glorious bounty of our findings.  

I didn't take many pictures throughout the day, as I was quite mesmerized with the colours, crafts, and creations surrounding me- but rest assured it's an event worth visiting.  

I was also busy catching up with some of the very women who inspired me to be this veracious crafter that we've all come to know and casually observe on the internet.  It was wonderful to see familiar faces among the many phenomenal sellers at the festival, and be reminded that with the kind of hard work and dedication these women have invested in their businesses- a life of craftiness is possible.

At the end of the day I ended up with 4 massive bags of grey alpaca, 1 large bag of grey llama, 3 braided rovings from Greenwood Fiberworks (Check her out on Etsy, she has an eye for colour that some of us could only dream of), 2 braided rovings from Judy's Novelty Wool as well as 3 pounds of her undyed roving for future purposes (she also has some of the most gorgeous fiber you've ever seen), a couple other charmingly dyed roving braids from Spinner's Candy, a bar of soap that is so minty it makes my nose tingle, and a little knitted sheep key chain because I totally have impulse control, and don't get immediately dazzled by something cute and small...

Needless to say, I'm going to have fiercely strong calves and plenty to do in the upcoming months! 

And a relevant little side note: if you enjoy crafting, go to events like this.  This is the kind of community that will inspire you and love you through thick and thin, and will always be a second home to you.  With people that put that much love into what we do, it's hard not to put love wherever we are and whoever we're with.  

Till next time- stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.

One of the many perks of being an Oregonian is being close to the Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, OR.  Magnificent vendors come from all over to sell their beautiful creations and collectings.  It's a magical weekend full of so many of the reasons I love this brilliant crafty community.  

I was joined by two delightful friends of mine who are also quite enamored with this sweet world of creativity and absurdly adorable animals.

I started the day with the brunch of champions -- a rice and lamb stuffed green pepper that made my heart melt.  It, like the rest of the Festival, was one of those things that went far above my greatest expectations of what it would be like.  Even writing this makes me hungry for more.

After the excellent food, we set out to discover all of the wonders the festival had in store for us.

We ventured across many booths, made sounds that would make any non-crafters slightly uncomfortable, and picked out things that we simply couldn't leave without.

Our adventures also took us to the barn where all of the sheep, llamas, and alpacas were housed.

I'm sad to say that no one let me steal their alpacas.

I was heartbroken.

However, that heartbreak was quickly eased as I explored the fiber lot, which was the area where people who didn't have booths set up could sell fleeces.  There were many lovely things to behold, and I happened across one of the loveliest of them all.  

A couple was selling these massive bags for $5 each.  Oh yeah, I didn't think it was real at first either.

They recently had gone through a health scare that lead to some much needed recovery time and the need to focus on their other business instead of selling their alpacas' fiber.  They were sweet and engaging, and I of course bought 5 bags because I know what moderation is.  Before you laugh, there were at least 20 bags of fiber, and I resisted buying more.  That has to count for something, right?

I made my way back to where my companions were having lunch and we all had a good laugh when we caught each other’s eyes as I hefted around these five absurdly large bags of fiber.  We quickly dropped off the load at the car; I would be getting my workout when I carried these things to my front door.

We came back and decided to walk through the sheltered portion of the festival where I had the luck to run into two of the women that helped inspire me to continue being a part of this crafty world.  We chatted for a while and exchanged hugs, and I just couldn't resist the urge to buy one of the many gorgeous rovings they had for sale.

To top off the day we visited the angora rabbits.  It's funny how noble and dignified these rabbits look as little kids positively squeal with delight over how cute they are.  

My comrades and I decided that these rabbits in particular looked like wise sages that would only speak in riddles and rarely regard anyone but each other (we’re creative types).

The festival brought about many joys, however towards the end of our travels, we were all tired and ready to simply sit back at home and bask in the glow of the splendid things we found.

The thing I was most impressed about in this whole adventure was that people of all ages and genders were happy to be there.  I didn't see one grumpy husband or a single fussing kid being dragged around.  Everyone was engaged in the activities or just enjoying the textures, colours, and smells, and it was heart-warming in a way I'm not skilled enough to put into words.  So often I've seen some glum person that looks resentful and bored at events like this, and it makes me sad -- both because it's no fun to feel out of place, but also because they can't seem to be happy for the person they're with that enjoys this.  It was magical to see so many people just happy to be somewhere that I've always considered fun and exciting.  People were kind and talkative to complete strangers, and it makes this massive community feel like it's open to everyone. It makes it a place that people can feel at home.

Thank you for listening to my adventure.  Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.