Saturday, April 27, 2013

Review of the Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta

Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta
I went to the 2013 Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta in Seguin, TX recently...

I must say that I prefer the Kid 'n Ewe fiber fest to this one, but I did enjoy myself here.

The facility, Seguin-Guadalupe County Coliseum, where the fiesta was held was very nice!

Yellow Rose Fiber Producers FiestaIndoors and air conditioned. Although the day outside was beautiful, it was a bit windy, and fiber blows away in the wind.  So, it was nice to be indoors.  Nice clean restrooms and a snack bar as well.

Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta

I think the main purpose of this fiesta was to provide classes. Unfortunately, there was no place where people were setting up looms and wheels. I was disappointed at that since I brought my wheel. But luckily, Suzanne Baker of Cibolo Creek Alpacas was there again, and she let me sit by her booth and spin.
See my previous post on how to wash alpaca fiber.

There were also vendors of fiber, yarn, and fiber paraphernalia.

Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta

Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta
Unfortunately, this fiesta was held during shearing season, so my friend Gabi, from Shear Diligence, couldn't come since she's out and about shearing camelids.

Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta
Suzanne tells me that next year the fiesta will be in June, towards the end of the shearing season.  It's possible Gabi could attend then.  It also makes more sense, since fiber producers would have more time to process the freshly shorn fleeces.

Felting machine
I saw this machine at the Kid 'n Ewe.  It's a felting machine.  You put in raw fiber, and it comes out in a flat rug.  You can process it more than once to get different layers of colors and fibers.  They charged by the pass through.
Colorful Mohair Fiber
I bought some very colorful mohair fiber and learned how to spin it so that it's still curly when knitted.
Silk Fiber
I also wanted something a bit more exotic.  There was a booth that sold odd fibers.  They even had Australian Possum, but that just didn't sound very appealing to me.  So I bought some gorgeous silk.  Its staple is very long and smooth, so it's different from spinning wool or alpaca.

Meanwhile, my husband wanted to go kayaking in the Guadalupe river, but due to the drought and low water levels, he couldn't find a boat launch that wasn't too steep.

He did not want to hang out with me at the fiber fiesta.  He said he was afraid of growing boobs.

Instead, he went to the nearby Texas Ladies Championship Chili Cookoff. He walked in and asked where could he buy some chili, and an old cowboy with an almost handle bar mustache, asked him to be a judge.  He got to sample and judge 12 different chilis and drink free beer. Yep, he was pleased at that.

All in all, we had a great time in Seguin that day.  I give the Yellow Rose Fiber Producers Fiesta 4 buttons up.


Update:  I spun some of the mohair and plied it with the alpaca.  I spun some more so it'd be curly for a nice trim for whatever it is I'm going to make.


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