Weekend fiber adventures

While walking Hugo this Saturday morning, I saw what I at first took to be a horse trailer parked downtown.  Of course, Hugo, with his super-sensitive nose, knew better at once–these were no horses, these were alpacas!  I immediately scouted out these alpaca people, (who were sitting on some benches around the courthouse) and asked somewhat lamely, “Are some of you the alpaca people?”  Of course, they were very nice about it and didn’t even poke fun at me for my dumb question.  Turns out, there were not one but three groups of alpaca people:  two groups who own alpaca farms in Kansas, and one group who owns a fiber shop and fiber mill in Kansas.  They were all there for the county fair shindig going on around the square on Saturday.  They had live animals, fiber, yarn, and other fiber-related goodies.

Well!  What could I do but invite myself to come sit and spin with them that afternoon?  So, at about 1:00 p.m. I trundled myself up to the square and horned in on Kay and Sally, two sisters (!!) who run a fiber shop in Phillipsburg, KS.  I took the Joy with me:

 Ashford Joy

Kay was spinning up some alpaca on her Kromski Mazurka wheel, so I happily sat down beside her and set up shop, so to speak.  Her sister, Sally, was warping a small Kromski table loom in preparation for weaving a scarf.  They graciously let me join them and even more graciously treated me as though I were an old friend.  We all sat and chatted for about an hour, and then, off to the west, some very threatening storm clouds started to blow in.  Kay and I moved in under their tent.  It started to rain.  It started to blow.  Then it started to thunder, lightning, and pour.

Soon, Kay, Sally, and I were involved in Operation “Save the Alpaca Fiber.”  We frantically threw books in their truck, tossed skeins of yarn into bins, and bundled up beautiful woven and knitted alpaca goods, all the while trying to hold onto the tent, which was threatening to blow away in the wind.  Eventually, the tent did blow away, right into the nearest store front.

Well, we did get everything packed up into their truck, more or less safely, although not before we were all absolutely soaking wet.  Actually, I think we all gave up on the idea of staying dry pretty early on.  (At least I know I did.)  The phrase “soaking wet,” doesn’t really convey how wet we were.  Sopping, sloshy, drenched, down-to-the-underwear wet comes closer.

I invited Kay and Sally to come back to my house to dry off a bit before heading home.  (It was the least I could do after having invited myself to their party…)  They towelled off as best they could and I gave them a couple of old t-shirts.  Here they are, standing in my kitchen, still smiling after everything.

Kay and Sally 

(That’s Kay on the left and Sally on the right.)

You know what the worst part of the whole day was?  I didn’t even get a chance to purchase any of their lovely alpaca roving before the storm blew in.  Sorry, ladies!  But, at the risk of sounding sappy, I now have two new fiber friends.  Thanks for the adventure, Kay and Sally!

In other weekend news, I finished this skein of mohair/wool:

mohair & wool handspun

More mohair news on Wednesday.

5 Responses to “Weekend fiber adventures”

  1. Ellen Says:

    Beautiful skein of mohair/wool blend!

    And how excellent to find two sisters in business together. What a splendid idea!

    I especially admire people who deal with alpacas. In my travels in Bolivia and Peru, I came to know them as nasty, spitting creatures. They didn’t seem easy to “train” either.

  2. Sarah Says:

    Really? Alpacas were nasty, spitting creatures? Are you sure you’re not thinking of llamas? All the alpacas I have met seem to me to be shy, somewhat sweet creatures.
    Glad you liked the yarn. You never know, it could end up being gifted to you. Then the question of what to do with it is passed on to you…. (tee hee)

  3. lorinda Says:

    Sounds like a fun day! Life is rather like a circle, isn’t it? When we are young, we think nothing of striking up new friendships with strangers. My daughter has met someone and two minutes later calls her “my best friend.” Then we go through a period of avoiding meeting strangers. We’d die before inviting ourselves to someone else’s spin-out. Too self conscious and self-absorbed. But at some point, we move past that awkward stage and into a place where we can make new friends with common interests as easily as we did at the playground. We can even play in the rain and share our clothes! Glad for you and your new fiber buddies. And your new yarn is wonderful.

  4. Ellen Says:

    Well-put, Lorinda!

  5. Nina Elsohn Says:

    The summer sweater is lovely and looks great. I am just now planning my first sweater with zero ease because of the stretch I’m anticipating in the cotton. The pattern would be welcome! Thanks for the offer.
    Nina, from the Ample Knitters List