The Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival is this weekend!

Good morning, and happy Wednesday! Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Come check out the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival (formerly the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival) at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich.

Why the name change? As per their web site, “the change to the title of the festival was made to represent the additional artisans that the festival is host to. Artisans and vendors include pottery, body care products, healing arts, jewelry, culinary arts, craft beverage producers, leather, paper crafts, photography, printmaking, sculpture, wood arts, and more.”

I think the first time I attended this fiber festival was 2011, when it was in its third year. I met Susan and Jim of Susan’s Spinning Bunny that year, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. The following year I began working for them in their booth at the festival demonstrating Jim’s beautifully made drop spindles and my very finely crafted Hilltopper spinning wheel, giving spindle spinning lessons, and keeping the bins stocked with the beautiful variety of fibers dyed by Susan.

This year will be bittersweet because it will be my last working with my dear friends in their booth, but I will continue to see them next year and in coming years with the guys from our new Northeast Men’s Fall Knitting Retreat. I broke the news to Susan and Jim a couple of weeks ago before the first public announcement was made about the new retreat. They were a bit sad to be losing me but they were also incredibly happy for me at the same time, and I will continue to work for them at as many other fiber festivals as I can. In fact, I will be in their booth on the Sunday of the Fiber Festival of New England. A couple of years ago I made the trek out to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival which I really enjoyed. I’d love to do it again, but I fear that it being so close to the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival might present some difficulties for me in last minute preparation for the retreat the following weekend. So for next year, I’m going to make an effort to go to the Central New York Fiber Festival in June. I haven’t been to that one yet, and if Susan and Jim need me, I’m more than happy to help them out for the weekend.

That’s all for this morning. I have coffee to drink, some spinning to do, then it’s off to the day job. I hope to see you this weekend at the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival!