Nothing is worse for a blogger than loosing their mojo.
Nothing like getting both writer’s and crafter’s block, at the same time. It’s coming back to me slowly, though so hopefully I’ll be able to get back to speed fairly quickly. I used to have piles of stuff in my draft folder for times like this…then I stopped and now I realize that I really need to get back to that habit again.
What have I been doing, then?
I went to my first fiber festival in three years this weekend. The Central New York Fiber Festival in Bouckville is in its fourth year this year, and this was my first year attending. And man, I fell in love this fair.
The pros of this festival: it’s small, but it’s very well stocked. There were somewhere in the 50-100 vendor range. All vendors were in tents-which was nice because it felt much more like Rhinebeck weather than the middle of June. There was a very healthy breed range represented from Jacobs to Baby dolls. There was a TON of spinning fiber-I seriously don’t think that I’ve ever been to a show that was this spinning fiber heavy, it was a thing of beauty. The prices were amazing. Other than some hand dyed Lincoln locks, I think that I didn’t pay more than $2/oz for anything-though there were certainly more expensive fibers but the prices were much more reasonable than Rhinebeck.
These are all local producers as well. One of these producers lives across the lake from my grandfather. I can go visit these alpacas when I’m at home (and I was invited to). If you like to shop local, then this is the type of show to go to.
And it was much smaller than Rhinebeck. Which is to say I wasn’t fighting the people who seem to think that bringing their largest baby stroller to the biggest fiber festival in the state to use as a shopping cart is a wonderful idea, the rest of the shoppers be damned. Or the people who seem to think that stealing fiber out of a person’s hands so ‘they could have a complete dye lot’ is acceptable social behavior (that happened to a friend of mine). And you could actually see the fiber. What this meant in the end is that I actually ended up spending a lot more money and getting a lot more fiber than I ever do at Rhinebeck anymore.
The cons: It’s a smaller show, so if you’re big on using ‘big name producers’ then you’re not going to find them. These are much smaller producers, so you’re not going to get as much of a range per vendor. It’s not Rhinebeck so you’re not going to get the people who everyone raves about on Ravelry. You’re also not going to get the fiber range. Don’t go expecting a 100 piece fleece sale, or quivit, or the fried artichoke guy. It is in the middle of nowhere and Bouckville, while cute, isn’t the touristy nightmare that Rhinebeck proper can be. However, you’re not that far from Cooperstown. Which as much as I have a love/hate relationship with Cooperstown, is actually cuter as far as I’m concerned and has less traffic. And Cooperstown doesn’t allow fast food in the city limits, so there’s that.
This show makes me want to find the other regional shows I’ve missed.
Bloggers-I have started a new group board on Pinterest. Open to all DIY, craft, food, or other creative blogs, I would love to have you join. Joining instructions are posted on the board-join here.
Please, stop by this week’s Inspired Weekends!
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Horrific Knits 