Clermont!

The official name of the festival is The Chancellor's Sheep and Wool Show. It is held at the Clermont Historic Site and, in the fiber community, is known simply as Clermont. With 30 vendors (plus or minus) this event is tiny compared to Massachusetts Sheep &Wool (Cummington) taking place next month, or New York Sheep & Wool (Rhinebeck) taking place in October. However, In the capital district, this is the first fiber show of the season and the gaiety surrounding it far exceeds the size of the show.


We arrived early, at 10:30, for an 11:00 am start. This proved to be a great idea, as we got the first parking spot that was not designated handicapped. It's a bit of a hike to the grounds from the parking lot, and I could feel the excitement building as we got closer.

First, we couldn't ask for a nicer day. After seven months of winter, we in the NY State we get really excited at the site of flowers:

A view of the river that is not frozen over and surrounded by snow:


Even if the trees are still bare, the grass is green.

And then, of course, the first sight of the house itself, majestic and white:

Then, as we made our way down the path, the festival grounds open up:


The excitement builds. If we weren't lugging a picnic lunch, spinning wheel, knitting, chairs and blankets, we might have started to run. However, we were, so we had to content ourselves with taking pictures as we made our way deeper into the grounds.

And this is what we saw:

Spinners

Vendors:


More spinners:



Friends, Jess and Risa

Wendy (who spun for the first time, and Tina who taught her)


Llamas


We got to ask questions:


And last, but not least, we got to shop:

Now, being that we need to stuff more spinning fiber in our 700 square foot box (I mean town house), we kept the shopping to a minimum. However, we couldn't turn down the lovely, light and lofty Shetland being sold by Hudson Valley Sheep and Wool:



The delicious, buttery Cormo offered by Blackberry Hill Farm

Yummy Wool and Alpaca from Sandy at Longmeadow Farm (who doesn't have a website and really should)




Or the deliciously soft Shetland and Llama blend from a farm that did not have its name on their tag (but was tied by a black ribbon, and if anyone knows who they are, please let me know in the comments)



Although the temps were near 90 degrees, and no one was prepared for it. It was with joy that we, the fiber-addicted, got to shed our winter gear and dive into the 2009 fiber festival season. A wonderful time was had by all (even if everyone did feel the need to go home, take a cool shower, and nap.)