Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

LuLu, it was great to see you at the MS&W. Temperature AND humidity in the 90s, but it didn't seem to slow us down--there was simply too much to see and do: 1000 sheep, 250 vendors, and who knows how many people. Maybe 25,000 on Saturday? There was a wonderful feeling of camaraderie; fiber folks are just fine, friendly people.

Last year, I bought 5 pounds of the most GORGEOUS Corriedale fleece. The sheep had been blanketed all year so it was very, very clean. It was a challenge, squishing it down in a plastic bag, to a size I could take aboard the plane. Even after an initial washing, the wool is still loaded with lanolin. It went from a glowing golden cream to a glowing golden white. I can hardly bear to spin it.

This year we found an equally wonderful black Romney fleece. Clean, wavy, nice long staple. Here I am, crouching in the sparse shade of a building -- it was so incredibly hot! By comparison with the Corriedale, the Romney has much less lanolin. But it's light and springy, and will also be a joy to spin. Thank you for splitting the fleece with me since I can't possibly spin all that wool AND knit along on the R&J coat!

I'm no authority on wool and sheep, but I'd guess those red/brown tips mean this sheep is middle-aged, since black sheep wool tends to lighten and gray as the sheep ages. Just like grandmas.