Fluffy things and pretty colors: Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival.

My first year in Wisconsin, I had a blast at the 2011 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. Last year, I missed the event in favor of a Madonna concert in NYC with one of my best friends (let's face it, Madonna always trumps sheep). Given that it had been two years since my last Sheep & Wool, I was really craving some sheep time.

I went to this year's event with two goals:

1. Hold an angora rabbit.

2. Don't buy yarn.

I'm on a yarn diet right now. Urban dictionary says this happens when crafters go broke, but in my case, what happened was a hiatus from knitting due to fractured trapezium, thus causing my yarn stash to take up space and not get used.

Surprisingly enough, I accomplished both goals!

1. I met an angora rabbit:

He didn't have a name. Let's go with the obvious... Fluffy it is!

2. I didn't buy any yarn. I "showed good use of restraint," to quote one of my favorite college design professors. But... I did buy soap:

Mint Medley from Heaven Sent Home Spun, who came all the way from Gerald, Missouri for the big event.

Now, to the sheep! This year, I sat in the bleachers and watched a sheep show (think American Kennel Club for sheep), where judges were awarding ribbons for the best in show.

All lined up and ready for the judge.

I also wandered through the barn and made some adorable new friends, big and small:

But Sheep & Wool isn't all about the sheep...

It's also about kitsch (like this fab sock monkey and ram duo).

And of course, YARN! I opted to focus my photos on rainbow hues. Just so pretty:

And of course, there was a Wisconsin touch:

Green Bay Packers yarn, anyone?

Fluffy things and pretty colors: a perfect day for an animal-loving craft addict like myself.

For my report on the 2011 Sheep & Wool Festival, click here.

Got Yarn? Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival!

My Wednesday night knitting group keeps me updated on Wisconsin happenings, and they had me quite excited for the 2011 Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival in Jefferson, WI. After weeks of anticipation, it finally arrived. Anxious to meet sheep and buy some awesome yarn, I drove a car full of knitters to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds for the event.

I met some very friendly animals, bought beautiful yarn, walked through a farm equipment auction, watched some blue ribbon sheep win prizes, and I ended the day by watching a sheep shearing demonstration.

To start things off, let's take a look at some first-class fairgrounds Americana:

The festival had two enormous barns set up as "country stores," where merchants were selling yarn, wool, and other craft supplies.

A tree full of beautifully dyed wool: I was home!

On the car ride to the festival, I mentioned that I was hoping to see angora rabbits today. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. I arrived at Jane Killpack's booth, where she was selling some gorgeous angora rabbits. I asked if I could photograph them for the blog, and before I knew it, I was snuggling with a new bunny friend:

Meet Ziggy, the angora rabbit!
Somewhere underneath the fur, he indeed has a face.

My friends and I then proceeded to the barns where there were many sheep enjoying the festival:

The knitters and I made many furry friends:

Bronwen befriending the baby sheep. 

Kat petting a super-fuzzy sheep.

Then, I met what is possibly the world's friendliest sheep. I reached over to pet her (I honestly don't know the sheep's gender, but let's call it a she!), and she did everything in her power to try and come home with me. She really wanted a human friend:

She loved being petted and embraced every opportunity to nibble on my purse.

She didn't mind posing for the camera, and I think she is quite photogenic.

I was quite impressed by the frocks these sheep were sporting. Here are some sheep who really knew how to rock their 'dos:

Does this sheep remind you of Whoopi Goldberg?

Rocking the "just got outta bed" look.

That's quite a set of curls!

The barnyard animals were everywhere!

Little lambs with their mommy!

I met a nice sheep getting groomed before the show, so I decided to wish her luck:

Looks like a blue ribbon winner to me!

With so much yarn to chose from, it was tough to make a decision. I finally settled on two skeins from Interlacements Yarns in Abrams, Wisconsin and one skein from Creatively Dyed Yarns in Greer, South Carolina (yup, I found another Carolinian at the festival!):

The two large skeins will one day by a vest.
The one small skein will one day be gloves.

I will definitely become a yearly festival visitor!

Swinging from trees on a Thursday night: Cycropia!

Summer is the season of festivals in Madison, Wisconsin. The Orton Park Festival started on Thursday, and my friend Mackenzie invited me to watch the Cycropia aerial dance performance. What is aerial dance? Think Cirque du Soleil meets modern dance, adorned with costumes that would earn Lady GaGa's seal of approval. Win.

The Cycropia show included aerial performances on silks, chains, trapeze bars, steel hoops, and ladders (all of which were hanging from a very large tree in Orton Park). Because of the constant movement, it was nearly impossible to photograph the event, so I took some videos and made a YouTube playlist. Enjoy, but please don't try this at home:

A taste of Cycropia:

For my playlist of 6 Cycropia videos, click here!

By the way: this event, like many other fabulous things in Madison, was totally free. Also, now I've been living here long enough that I actually had friends to sit with at this awesome event:

Mackenzie, Rebecca, Kat, & me enjoying the Cycropia show.