This weekend was one of the Knit Picks staff’s favorite festivals – Oregon Flock and Fiber! I think pretty much all of us have gone every year to drool over pretty yarn and fiber and this year was no exception. And after a gloomy dark Friday, Saturday was full of gorgeous sunshine (but still cool enough for some knitwear!) so it was a perfect day to drive out the Canby Fairgrounds.
This year, since I’ve gone to a lot of yarn festivals this year, I actually was more interested in seeing the cute animals! Several of us met up before the duck herding demonstration to watch the herding dogs show off their skills.
I think there’s just something inherently funny about watching ducks waddle around. The two dogs doing the demonstration were great, and gave us a good idea of how hard they work at keeping all the animals in their flock together – whether it’s sheep or ducks.
Next we headed to the barns where we got to see Llamas and Alpacas!
I keep trying to convince my partner we should get one but unfortunately, we don’t have enough room in our backyard!
We got to pet them too (so soft!) and watch them do an obstacle training course to test if they are ready to be pack animals. The most fascinating fact we learned from a llama owner is that a llama (or an alpaca) can fit into a mini van. Unfortunately we missed that segment of the test – that would have been interesting to see!
Next we had to see the bunnies:
They were so tiny and cute! We tried to convince Hannah that her two rabbits, Linus and Fiona, needed a new friend but, sadly, to no avail.
There were also tons of goats and sheep (of course!) but I actually didn’t get any photos of them. Also, like last year, the Irish Wolfhounds were back with an event next to Oregon Flock & Fiber! I love those big friendly dogs so much.
Believe it or not, I didn’t buy any yarn. I think it’s a first for me actually! I’ve just gone to a lot of yarny festivals this year, not to mention placing way too many KP orders for projects – I’m getting a bit stressed out at how big my stash is getting. But I did make a few purchases.
A big favorite vendor of the Oregon shows is Kruger’s Baskets, who have these gorgeous woven baskets in several sizes. I have a large one at home (that I use all the time!) but decided I needed a smaller one for single projects. And I have a love affair with funky buttons so finding One of a Kind Buttons was awesome. Now I need to find some fun projects for them – especially my favorite one:
Let’s see…it’s green, it has a bike on it, and the name of my favorite city (and home). Yep. Perfect for me!
Anyone have a suggestion for some fun knitting/crochet projects that uses one big button? I love my Brattleboro Hat so I’ll likely make another one but I’d love to hear some of your favorites in the comments below!
