# Took the crew to a fiber fair today :(



## DYngbld (Jun 16, 2009)

Was very disappointed...

Started out bad. Lady taking the money was quite rude and was advertising her sexual preference, and political stance. Needles to say I was turned off and nearly left. (If i hadn't driven 45 min with a car full of yarn addicts I might have). Every vendor was rude, and snotty. Most of the patrons were as well. Looks to me like it too much of a business and not enjoyable. Prices were outrageous! We spent an hour or so walking around and left empty handed and quite disappointed.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

DYngbld I'm sorry your first experience was so bad  Was there anything positive you could take from it? Which fiber fair was this?


----------



## DYngbld (Jun 16, 2009)

Fall Fiber Festival - home 

Had a huge crowd, great weather. We enjoyed the drive (top down on the convertible) 

Way to snooty for us. We are come as you are, what you see is what you get, kind of people. 

We did like looking at the animals, I do want angora bunnies now.


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Aww, that sucks.

I will say that I have been less than impressed w/ the couple of smaller fiber fairs I have been to here too.

A few of the vendors were great, but for the most part people had sour faces, poorly displayed stuff, 
and the ladies would glance up from their wheels briefly to assess your affluence (or whatever) 
and if they didnt 'know' you or you weren't fancy-seeming they barely gave the time of day.

I was in one booth where the sign said they had Shetland sheep. 
On the ground were grocery sacks with hard knots tied in them.
I pried one open and was hit by the smell of a very moldy fleece. :yuck:
The sign said $15 per bag. 
I never tried another bag, just skedaddled out of there quick.

Lots of poorly prepped fibers and less than quality spinning and grouchy people.
I felt like I had wasted my time. 
Same thing with the guilds here. :shrug:


----------



## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

WIHH, I have read enough of your writing about your fairs to believe you. 

The thing is, it is the same here for farmers markets.
I lived in NM for years and vended at beautiful and diverse markets there.
Creative happy farmers with amazing produce and all with their best faces forward for the customers.

HERE you get nothing like that.
The market scene is just lame by comparison.

Mostly I see a lack of pride in product and zero social skills.
It really does suck.


----------



## Oma2three (May 5, 2012)

What a shame your trip to the fiber festival wasn't a happy one. My daughter and I go each year to several in Indiana and each time has ben wonderful. I am not excactly shy and talk to the different vendors, much to my daughters dismay. They always are eager to chat and be helpful.It's amazing many remember me from year to year.Ha ha Having an accent probably has some thing to do with it  Certainly hope your next one will be a great one.


----------



## DYngbld (Jun 16, 2009)

There is a fiber farm down the road a couple of miles from us. My wife bought so yarn from them in the store. She sent an e-mail telling them we were neighbors and was excited to find out the wool came from so close and was asking if she could come and photograph one of sheep to send with the shawl she knitted. They told her "the farm is only open to the public on Thursdays and it is $25 to visit". 

I guess I should not have expected anything different.

I also didn't know spinning equipment is so expensive. $500 for a small carder, I didn't see a wheel for under $900. Ouch. I want to buy my wife and girls a wheel and carder, but good land that is expensive. 

I want to add Angora rabbits to the farm in the spring, so I will just save the wool (clean) is bags until I can afford the spinning equipment.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

WIHH you have to include Michigan in your tour. I'm sure Wisconsin has some good festivals too so work your way over here 

Hand cards are about $50 or more drum careers are lots more than that. You can get some good wheels for about $300 on up and used ones are around.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Well, you do have family in the area


----------



## Caren (Aug 4, 2005)

WIHH if you come to Michigan please let me know! I live about 2 hours away from Marchie!


----------



## PollySC (Jan 17, 2006)

What WIHH said, plus this. You can start playing with the fiber with very little expense. A pair of dog slicker brushes will work as carders (last I checked, about $4 a pair from Jeffers Pet online) and there are lots of sources for inexpensive hand spindles, even plans for making your own. I know some don't agree, but I really think spindles are the best way to learn how spinning works. Some spindlers are as fast as wheel spinners, too, there was a contest written up in a SpinOff a couple of years ago where spindlers beat wheel spinners in quantity and quality. You might want to check your local library for resources, and that's where I found another spinner in my area. 

So don't pack away the wool -- play with it!


----------



## DYngbld (Jun 16, 2009)

I have never seen a used wheel, I just thought you gals must keep them forever  

My wife and girls are on Ravelry, I will have them look for one, when I get the extra cash.


----------



## Annie in MN (Oct 15, 2002)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> In fact, I am attending a small, new fiber festival next Saturday :teehee: - the Cambridge Fiber Festival - about 2 hours from here. I am traveling with 4 others from my knitting group and we will be joining up with two others once we are there.


Woohoo! I'll be a vendor there, be sure to stop by!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Hey if you see Deb Peterson, Old ManWool Farm, tell her I said hello!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Deb and I are friends from long ago. She is the one I got my ewe lamb from and all my spinning fleeces. She has the most wonderful spinners flock full of mutts.


----------



## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

Goodness! Well, now I'm nervous. I'm planning to go to the fiber fair in the Asheville, NC, area the end of this month and probably by myself. I'm a novice, although I plan to shop for a wheel and fiber. Should I expect to be ignored?

Are any of you planning to be there?


----------

