Saturday we took advantage of the lovely weather and drove up to the Maine Fiber Frolic. It took us about three hours each way (OK, a little longer on the way back, but only because we stopped for dinner) and we had a lovely time! I did manage to take lots of pictures this time, and created a Picturetrail album for them. Click on the link, and scroll down the page to the album labeled "Maine Fiber Frolic 2004".

DH and I had ulterior motives in attending. We have been discussing finding a few inexpensive alpacas - they're unbelievably cute, have incredible fiber, and the barn and fencing is already suitable and in place! They would also help keep the grass down in the paddock. We have found out that they need less care (and far less feed!) than horses, and apparently make great pets. Price is definitely a factor - I can understand raising them as a business (which is apparently what the majority of people do), but we certainly can't afford $1500 to $2500 per animal just for pets. We've found a couple of breeders, though, with some promising prospects, and I've asked lots and lots of questions about basic care and maintenance. I'll probably post more info about this after our trip to Florida at the end of the month.

And when I got home, I found a package crammed into my mailbox! It was my spindle from the Spindlers exchange! In lieu of dragging my digital camera out again, I've stolen the picture that Nannette, the exchange hostess, posted:



It's made entirely from recycled materials (the whorl is oak), and is heavier than my usual spindles - great for making something other than my usual laceweight! Wonderful balance, too. This one was made by Pia N. in Nova Scotia - thank you, Pia! It came with some very brightly-dyed locks that will be a lot of fun to spin up, along with some merino roving from Nannette that's perfect for feeding my laceweight fetish. Thanks for doing such a wonderful job as hostess, Nannette!