Sheep in Highland County, VA

Pasture out near the sugar farm tours

Went to the Maple Festival in Highland County, Virginia.

Saw sheep.  Didn't get a photo of the lambs, a great pity since some were all black and very cute.  For the photo above, I am no shepherd so I don't know but I suspect lambs are due soon there.

Saw two craft show vendors knitting and another weaving on an inkle loom.

Bought half a pound of local DorsetXHampshire roving from shepherd Theresa Wagner at Wool Becomes Ewe in Monterey.  Wagner says she plans to raise Rambouillet in the future, including some with natural colour because she knows that's desirable to handspinners and knitters.  One of the bumps of roving I bought was naturally dark.  That and the fact that it was raised locally may help you understand why I uncharacteristically bought down breed wool.

outside Wool Becomes Ewe shop

Breathed the ambrosial smell of slightly burnt maple sugar at one of the sugar farms.  When I say maple festival, people usually ask me where the maple festival is.  I tell them, follow route 250 all the way out, almost to West Virginia.  It's the sort of place where the local cafe's window displays a spinning wheel with a bobbin full of plied yarn on it.