New Hampshire Sheep and Wool

New Hampshire is a lovely little show, spread out over a piney woods campground, tucked away somewhere in that beautiful state. Darryl and Kim picked me up on Friday and away we went. Six hours or so later we arrived and found my spot. I was thrilled with the space assigned to me, in a sturdy building with other top quality vendors, some of whom are friends of mine from way back. Darryl shrewdly pointed out some warning signs of water leakage, some obvious and some not so obvious, which were to prove problematic on Sunday when the skies opened up and let loose with a deluge. For the moment I was happy and relaxed, and we went about setting up Maggie's Farm in a faraway state. New Hampshire Sheep and Wool is the polar opposite of Maryland Sheep and Wool, which is on a major highway, an hour west of a big city, with free admission. When nine o'clock rolled around and there was no line of fiber fanatics waiting to get in, I though, uh-oh, what's going on? People did come and I made many new friends. The show was very inspiring to me due to the high number of artists who raise their own animals, like me, and are very proud of what they do with their gifts. My next-door-booth-mate, Steve, was not very inspiring. He does not raise the fiber he sells, but buys bulk commercial roving and yarns. YUCK! When politely questioned about raising his own fiber he replied, oh, I have a buddy who has some Rambouillets and doesn't get a thing for the wool at the wool pool. Poor boys, I thought, to dwell in a wonder-less state of fiber ignorance. To seperate the fiber from their providers is to deny oneself a world of beauty and enjoyment. Oh, well, I found many shepherds, goatherds, alpaca and llama people who were there with their beautiful critters, showing them off and the creativity they inspired. I came home determined to do a better job of getting the fiber off my animals. I saw raw mohair that was selling for $30 a pound. If only I had more help...but I remain determined to remedy that situation, somehow, someway.