Yarn, yarn, and yarn...and more yarnishness

I was so charmed by this little guy that I totally forgot to look for a sign indicating his breed. 

We attended the Mother Earth News Fair at the Western NC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC a couple of weekend ago. It was a bright, sunny day, but the wind almost blew us away!

Momentarily shielded from the wind in the cab of a big John Deere tractor, she looks perfectly at home with those cowgirl boots!

Mom and I discovered that EchoView Fiber Mill and Farm (located just up the road in Weaverville) had a booth in one of the buildings...

We picked up two skeins of 100% Merino, 2-ply fingering in "Seafoam," one skein of 100% Alpaca, 3-ply sport in "Fusion," and a batt (called "Midnight," if I remember correctly) of 95 Merino / 5 "other" (probably Tencel). That wee little multi-colored skein (purples, greens, natural) was a freebie that we were able to pick out.

This picture shows the colors in the batt better. Gorgeous blues, greens, and maybe some purples.

The day after the fair, our guild's monthly meeting was devoted to a panel of local fiber farmers: Marcia Kummerle of Good Fibrations Farm, Elizabeth Straub of Hobbyknob Farm, and Barbara Vassallo of Mountain Lady Farm.  And these guys had to come home with us...

 

They are both balls of roving in a mixture of Mohair (from Marcia Kummerle's Good Fibrations Farm) and wool (Corriedale in the big ball). Mom chose the little one with the beautiful blues, plums, and mauves. I couldn't help but get the gigantic fire ball! I love the pops of gold in the rust and clay reds.

Plus, Rik Schell of Purl's Yarn Emporium was there with offerings from the store. Obviously, the fiber couldn't go home alone...

These are all skeins of Mirasol's Nuna (40 Merino / 40 silk / 20 bamboo-sourced viscose) and they are sooo silky slippery. Mirasol is a Peru-based company that benefits communities and local textile traditions.

Ummm, and then I received a message from KnitPicks that the emergency extra yarn for Dad's sweater (because those skeins just look so small and the sweater is not so small) was back in stock, but who can order just a couple skeins when some more added to the cart would mean free shipping? Duh. And I'd never tried their Palette line before...

Hare Heather, Iris Heather, and Mineral Heather 

Tidepool Heather, Rainforest Heather, and Opal Heather

Palette is 100% Peruvian Highlands Wool (a hardy mix) in fingering weight, available in a 150 colors (hachacha!), and each 50 gram ball has 231 yards. It is perfect for color work, like complex stranded sweaters that I'm not quite ready to tackle. But, dang, it is nice stuff. 

What is all this yarn going to do in my possession? I think we'll be seeing a lot of multicolored shawls on shoulders this coming fall fashion season...