All about my day at the Sheep and Wool Show, 2022! This was my first time attending 'spendigo' and I had to keep adjusting my expectations. But I also walked away with very happy purchases and memories.
01:27 About the Show
03:01 How my day went
17:13 My shopping mindset
23:29 Purchases - on the list
42:01 Purchases - off the list
55:43 Thanks!
Transcript
Greetings knitting neighbours and crafty comrades. I'm so glad to have you join me for another episode of Bobolog. My name is Bobbie Olan and I am a knitter and fibre crafts explorer in Victoria, Australia. I live with my partner on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people and I would like to acknowledge them and pay my respects to their Elders past, present, and future.
A little housekeeping to get us started today. You will find links in the YouTube description below to all of the company's, items, etc., anything that I discuss. If I have missed any, please let me know and I'll do my best to include them and update that. You can also find me on Instagram @PlatypusKnitting and on Ravelry under my own name, BobbieOlan.
This episode is going to be a bit of a departure from the norm. I am not going to be going through my usual segments because I am going to be talking about the Sheep and Wool show. I was going to say festival but it's the Sheep and Wool Show, which I attended for the very first time this past weekend.
About the Show
So that is the- It's an annual event. It is largely an agricultural event as you can probably guess from the name. It's the Sheep and Wool Show not a fibre and yarn and knitting festival. So it is mostly about the sheep, which is of course lovely, but they have a lot of the byproducts that come from sheep. So they've got you know, like Ugg boots and workwear for farmers and tractors and- and wool and yarn of course and fleece and fibre and all those sorts of goodies.
So, it is something that I had heard of a few years ago, but I just never got around to attending it. And then of course the last- last year and possibly the year before as well - I'm not 100% sure - but it hasn't actually taken place. So this is the first year that I have actually attended it. I did buy a ticket to go last year, but it was cancelled last minute. Really, literally last minute. All the stallholders had gone and set up a day before that- it was gonna start. It had to get cancelled which was really sad.
But it's back this year and I really enjoyed myself. So I thought I would start first by talking about my day and and how I got there and how I got around.
The show takes place in Bendigo. So if you look up on social media the hashtag "spendigo" - it's not a nickname I'd been aware of before but I've been seeing it a lot in the lead up to this one. So I thought that was a bit of a cute nickname for it.
How my day went
Anyway, so it's in Bendigo. It's a two hour drive from where I'm living and I wasn't sure how long I would want to spend there. I assumed that I'd be there the whole day. So it goes from 9 to 5 each day that it's on. It's on over a weekend so - well, a bit more than a weekend. It's from a Friday to a Sunday. So it's open 9 to 5 each of those days. So I wanted to get there at 9 when it opened and I assumed that I would be there until 5 o'clock when- when it was done for the day. So I woke up very early. I set my alarm for 6 in the morning, and I got up, made some coffee and I drove there and then I just stopped somewhere in Bendigo to pick up some breakfast before heading to the show.
So I had pre booked parking. I think that was a good idea. There was plenty of parking on site and whence- once- once I managed to actually find the gate to the entryway, they had people directing you where to go so it's not like there's just huge open spaces and you park anywhere willy nilly. They were really directing cars where to go so that they were filling up the space in the most efficient way possible. So that was good. Parking wasn't a problem.
When I first got there I did turn down the wrong street initially because my GPS was telling me that the entrance was down some other street and that kind of just led to a dead end. But there were a lot of cars just parking along that road that it had told me to go down and there were a lot of spaces left there. So I guess if you are planning to go and you're planning to drive and you want to get there early, I'm sure you'll still be able to find plenty of free parking spots close enough to the Prince of Wales Showgrounds which is where it is.
So anyway, I thought that was really good that they were directing people where to park. But after- after that- beyond that there was no signage, and I didn't really know where to go. It's not like there were huge masses of people that I could follow from the parking lot heading in. There were a lot of people walking in. So the cars drive through the same gate that the pedestrian foot traffic enters from, so if I had parked elsewhere or if I had gotten there by some other means and walked in I could follow the crowds and know where to go. But because I was in the parking lot and there weren't a lot of people moving in at the same time as I was, I got a bit lost.
And I found one pavilion and I went through it. That particular one didn't have any yarn stuff. And then I got to the other end and outside and it was still just like open spaces, and I couldn't see where else to go. So I did a fair bit of wandering around before I found where there was actually stuff to look at. And I think I ended up following back the path where I had driven. Which isn't going to make sense to a lot of you because we're not looking at a map and I can't point things out and it's all in my head and you can't see what's in my head and what's in my memories.
So anyway, I found my way to the actual stuff and I started wandering around. So I went through one pavilion that had yarny goodness and lots of other things too and I had a good look through there.
It was really great to see so many you know indie dyers and yarn stores and just names that I have seen online here and there that I had never seen in person so that was really nice. There were others of course, that I have seen in person. The first stall that I saw when I walked in was Little Woolie Makes which is a yarn store in Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula. I have only visited them once because it's not really my area. But I- yeah. I went there recently and it was a really lovely little- little store so it was nice to see them there.
And yeah, so I just I walked through that one and then once I got out of that one, there was another pavilion next door to it so I went through that one as well. And I think those were the two sort of main pavilions for that kind of shopping. And then when I exited that one, again I felt lost and I didn't really know where to go and I kind of just wandered around a bit.
There were a whole lot of booths outdoors in an outdoor arena and I walked through there but they were mainly things for farmers. So there were huge ones that were just selling like boots and socks and like I remember like one had, you know, sign- a sign at the front that was like, I don't know, 12 pairs of socks for $100 or something like that. It was all your mass produced stuff. And I didn't look at any of those. I wasn't there to shop for that kind of clothing or anything like that. So I kind of just you know, had a look at them as I was walking past but didn't stop at any of them.
They had food vendors and not just- not just you know food trucks and things but- but like local producers of like teas and honeys and spices and salami and all sorts of different things. They had stalls for tools and- and machinery and equipment and- and there was like an area that was full of tractors. And that was really cool to see. But I just like kind of looked at it. And I'm like, 'Yeah, I don't understand this stuff, but that's really nice.' So I didn't stop at any of it.
And there was a point where I found a map that they'd put on the [fence] that was you know, showing- it was a sitemap and it was saying like this is this pavilion, this is this pavilion, this is that, this is that. But it didn't have like a 'you are here' thing. So I kind of had to guess where I was and I sort of figured out - I've been to these two pavilions here. There are these other pavilions here that I don't know what they are. So I- I went that way. I went the other way, towards the other really big pavilions that I hadn't been to and those ones were full of sheep, which was really cool.
I have never seen a sheep up close before. And I was really surprised by how big they were. So I'm a short person. I'm about 4 foot 9. I'm around like 145 cm or something like that. I haven't- I can't remember when I last measured my height. But anyway, I'm a short person and I swear like there were so many sheep that were up to my shoulders. They were huge.
And I just- I had a bit of a laugh at myself because there was a point in time where I was thinking, 'You know, I really like all of these knitting stuff. I really like all of this wool and yarn and fibre stuff. I wonder like if I could ever be a sheep shearer.' And I knew that, you know, that was just a complete fantasy and it's never something that I- I could never actually see myself doing it but it popped into my mind- my mind at some point and then I saw how big the sheep were and it was just like, nuh. Like if they're standing on their hind legs and kind of upright, they're gonna be a lot bigger than I am. I'm not going to be able to handle an animal like that. But yeah, it was really nice to see them.
I you know, was looking at- around at all of the different breeds that it was saying, but I really don't I sheep well enough to- to look at one be like, 'I recognise that as a- as a Corriedale,' or whatever. And it's not like by the end of it, I was able to start recognising them. As a complete newbie, a lot of them still look very much the same as each other to me. The differences were when you- there were rams with horns that were you know different sizes and going in different directions and that kind of thing. But it still couldn't tell you what's what. But that was- that was a lot of fun.
I patted one sheep. And I like- I didn't inspect them but I could see other people going around, you know, and like pulling the wool apart and seeing like, what the fibre looked like underneath the surface. And you know, I walked past one judging thing and- but again, you know, I didn't really understand what was going on.
They have a lot of events on throughout the day. Most of them are to do with sheep so there's all the judging competitions. And then you know, they've got shearing events and then they have all of these different talks like there was you know, estate planning for farmers. And I don't know, all sorts of things that were really focused on the sheep farming side of things. They had a few other things going on as well that I would have been interested in like- like fashion parades and stuff, but I think because I had gone into it expecting that it would be such a huge, huge, massive event and I wouldn't even get around to all the stalls, I didn't plan to go to any of those other things.
So when I was walking past the judging, for example, I didn't really like stop and try to pay attention to what was actually happening as part of the judging process. I kind of just walked around and looked at the sheep as I went and then walked back around to get back to the start of it and- and that that was kind of it.
And then when I left the two really big sheep pavilions, I was kind of like, 'Is that it? Like is that all there is to see? Am I missing something?' Like I thought there would be more. And that's not to say that what I had already seen wasn't a lot because I had definitely already seen a lot. I think it's just that I expected more.
And then I was thinking about all of the posts that I'd seen in my Instagram feed and I realised that, 'hang on, this isn't all because there are definitely companies that I'd see post about their stalls that I haven't seen yet. So I just have to figure out where they are.' So I found the map again, and I looked at it and I realised you know, there were all these other sheds and things that I missed.
So I went back to the very start. And they were- they were there. They were in another direction but they were right there where I had started. But because they were in smaller pavilions - they were in what were called the industrial sheds rather than pavilions - I missed them because they didn't look- I couldn't tell that that there was stuff in them. Which is a bit of a dummy thing, or maybe they just hadn't completely set up the stuff outside of it when I had first arrived and started walking around because they did have like big, you know, banner sign things saying Woolcraft outside and I just somehow walked right past them.
Anyway, so there was still quite a few sheds that I hadn't looked at so that was great. There was plenty more to see and I was very happy.
My shopping mindset
So before I go ahead and show you all of the things that I bought, I kind of just talk- wanted to explain my mindset going into it. So when I had gone to the Coburg Yarn Market earlier in the year, I had bought one skein of yarn there, and I had said that I actually found it a little bit stressful trying to choose a skein of yarn to take home with me from all of the stalls that were there. And I wanted to do it because I wanted to have a stash that was a bit more playful and not as like you know, you've got this sweater quantity here that was purchased to be a sweater, to be something specific. And you've got this here that was meant to be this. And like, you know, they're really hard - because I had so many things earmarked for various projects, it's hard to bring things together and play around with things.
So I went- when I went to the Coburg Yarn Market, I was thinking, 'I want to get yarn to just have fun with and when- and for the times when I just want to like cast on something new and I don't know, do whatever.' But then I found it a bit stressful trying to choose like because there were so many beautiful yarns, and there were so many that I loved. It's not like there was one that was like, 'Ooh, that's the one. I have to have that one.' There were so many that were like, 'Oh, I would love to have that. And I would love to have that. And I would love to have that.' So choosing was really hard for me.
So when I was driving up to Bendigo for this one, I sort of decided that I wasn't going to buy yarn unless it was something that I had gone there intending to get. So I didn't want to put that pressure on myself again. So while I was walking around, I did stop at all of the different yarn stores and have a look around. But I had an expectation that I wasn't really going to buy anything just because I thought that it was really pretty. I just wanted to get the specific things that I wanted.
So I didn't spend as much time at each store as I probably could have because of that mindset that I had put myself in and while again, there were so many gorgeous yarns - so so many gorgeous yarns - it's that same problem of, 'Well, how do I actually choose one?' Because if I was- if I was letting myself buy yarn I would want to buy so many and I think even though I had said earlier this year that I don't necessarily like always just buying yarn because there's a specific project I have in mind that I want to make, I think that that way of thinking just actually does work better for me. So yeah.
So I was looking at all the yarns. And- And you know, I'd see some that were nice, but then it's like, if I- if I actually wanted to get it then I'd have to pull out my phone and check my Ravelry queue and figure out like, well what would I actually want to make with this yarn. And I just wanted to be there and be present for the show and not be you know, on my phone trying to figure out all of those logistics. So I did buy yarn. I- There was one yarn that I bought that wasn't planned but the other two that I bought were things that I had gone there hoping to- to find and to take home. So yeah that was kind of the mindset that I was in.
Yeah, maybe next time I'll try to be a bit more open because I feel like- I feel like because I was in that mindset, I didn't spend the time looking at everything as much as I could have. Because I was like, 'Well if I'm not buying then I'm not really going to like browse too much because then what if that makes me want to buy everything.' And- And I didn't necessarily want to do that. But I should still allow myself to enjoy just like seeing the yarn and feeling the yarn and you know, talking to the stall holders.
That was something else that I wish I had done more. There were definitely stalls that I went into and I had talked to very briefly to the people manning the booths. But it was also very much like... I'm an introvert and I'm very shy and there were moments where I was like, 'I want to like introduce myself to them and find out who they are and really like you know, start a proper conversation.' But I don't know, I was just too shy. I was like, would that just be weird for me to be like, "Hey, I'm I'm Bobbie. What's your name?" And like, you know, "Hey, I'm Bobbie, and can you tell me more about like, you know, I mean, I really like all your stuff. Can you tell me about it? (But I'm not gonna buy it)." So I don't know.
I feel like I- I would like to get over that shyness and coz- because I do want to- I do want to like become more involved with the community. But if I can't even introduce myself and if I'm too shy to talk to people, then how do I really immerse myself in the community?
Anyway, that's a lot of like musings and ramblings about the show.
Purchases - on the list
Let me actually show you the stuff that I got. So I'm going to start with things that I bought that were on my list of stuff that I was looking for.
Crystal Cat Stitchery
So first thing is this gorgeous bag here. This is a project bag by Crystal Cat Stitchery. So this is actually my first actual project bag. Everything - Oh, that's not true actually. I just remembered. My- My crafty aunt- Oops. We'll look at that later. Put it elsewhere. Stay.
My crafty aunt had made me this project bag before. And that's the only bag that I had had that was specifically for knitting. All of the other things that I use - So this basket for example, it was just a nice basket. And I have this tote bag here. I've got lots of tote bags that just have projects in them. And that's what I've been using. None of them are specifically project bags for knitting.
So I really wanted to get one for myself at the Show and I had seen Crystal Cat Stitchery on Instagram before and I really loved her bags so I was hoping that she would be there but I didn't actually know because I didn't look up. But I really wanted a project bag and I was hoping to get one of hers and she was there so I am so super happy with this project bag here. This sheepy design that she had, she had in a few different colours. There was I think a white, a black, and a grey. Yeah, but anyway. I- I had to get the sheepy design of course. Like her other- other prints that she had were beautiful. But sheep. I had to get sheep.
So this is a great bag. It's- You can tell that it's really like sturdily made. It's well put together. So you know, you've got your handles here. You've got a front zip pocket. I hate sewing zips myself. And then there's another pocket there. And then inside is a drawstring closure and then it also has an inner pocket- inner pocket there. So it's such a great bag. It's so well made I am so happy. So happy with it. I'm really glad that I got it.
I did also buy stitch markers from her. So stitch markers were also on my list. So I got these ones - this set here. So they're this- this beautiful stone and then of course it's got the one that is separate so that you can use it to mark a beginning of round or whatever. And they are lobster clasps.
So I do have some of those progress keepers that are those little tiny lobster clasps that are like the ones that are in normal jewellery. And I actually find them really hard to open and close. I find them really hard to use. So while I do also have a whole lot of stitch markers that are on like, earring clasps - so they're- they're big - I don't always like using them. There's something about the way the metal clasps slides along my wooden needles that I just don't like. So I tend to only- I try to only use them when I'm using my metal needles.
But I wanted to get some other ones that I could use on my- on my wooden knitting needles and this- this metal looks quite smooth and nice. It's a nice big opening. Really easy to use closure there, so really happy with those. So those were the two things that I got from Crystal Cat Stitchery and they were on my list.
Ashford
The very first purchase that I actually made was something that was sort of on my list, sort of not. So if you've been watching my episodes for a while then you'll know that I've really been getting into spinning lately. And I have been wanting to get an actual niddy noddy because when I wind my handspun on my swift I feel like I can't trust the meterage that I get. So I- there have been a couple of times that I have opened it up to- to a metre circumference using my measuring tape and I marked on the- on the post where that was so that I didn't have to measure it out each time. But I did it twice and the markings on the post were very different spots so I just felt like I couldn't trust it. So I've been wanting to get a niddy noddy.
So my plan or my hope was to get a handcrafted niddy noddy but the very first one I saw is actually by Ashford and the reason that I got this is because it is the sample size. So it is a very small niddy noddy which is great because as a beginner I'm still doing a lot of sample spins. And I have a lot of samples spins so they'll be smaller skeins of yarn that won't go around a larger niddy noddy as well. So a smaller one is much more suitable for that. And I got this Ashford one because it was on sale. So I couldn't go past that.
And I feel a bit clever. I have some washi tape that's like a- a measuring tape design - a vintage measuring tape design. So when I got home and I measured around it, I got that washi tape and cut out the numbers to put on there so I know the distance around one full round of this. So the packet that it came in said that it was - it's 90 cm around. I've measured 94 cm and that's what I put here. I will probably - when I wind yarn onto it, I will probably round down to the 90 cm just you know to give myself that extra bit of leeway in case you know things aren't quite right. Or, you know, if the yarn is being stretched around this and it's going to like shrink - it's going to pull in a bit once it comes off So that- that just gives me a little allowance for that.
This is great as well because it does come apart. One of these ends goes on a lot tighter than the other. I'm gonna leave that one but it actually came in the packet separated, so in three different pieces. And so if I ever want to travel and take it with me, this would be a good one to take because I mean, not only can I twist it so that it comes- it can be flattened, but I can pull it apart completely for extra portability. So that's- that's one thing there.
Bendigo Woodturner's Inc
Since you already saw it, I'll show the other niddy noddy that I got. So this was actually the only other niddy noddy I saw that was- or I should say, it is the only niddy noddy I saw that was hand crafted, which was a little disappointing.
That is one of the things - I was hoping to see more handmade tools and that kind of thing and they just weren't there. For example, I had said that I was hoping to find a- a yarn gauge for spinning. There just- there wasn't one. There just wasn't one at all there. There wasn't one that had the twist angle stuff that I- that I wanted to have. And anyway, that's an aside.
This is the other niddy noddy that I got. And it is- I do think it is beautiful. It's got my washi tape measurement there. It does have a few rough finishy bits. Like you can see around the washi tape there, it's just a bit... I don't know. The glue or the stain or something like that. This one doesn't come apart, as well. And... You can see like they missed a bit of the wax there or something. Anyway this one doesn't come apart. But it's a nice big one. I think that the wood is beautiful and it is from the Bendigo Woodturner's Incorporation. So you know, they had some- they had some- some other nice things. But I was after a niddy noddy so I got that one.
It's made out of Tassie oak and finished with wax and this was 31 bucks. So I thought that was a steal. I had seen commercial niddy noddy's for double the price. So I thought that was- that was- that was really great. And I was hoping to find something that was you know, hand crafted. And I mean, this- this would have had machinery involved, but you know what I mean. It wasn't commercially manufactured. Yeah. So- So I'm really happy with that niddy noddy there. And that one measured 189 cm going all the way around. So I'll probably assume 185 to give me that allowance for differences. So that's that.
I got one other thing from them. Again, partly because this is- this was the only hand crafted version of it that I saw there. Let me show it to you. It's this.
So this is a wraps per inch tool. So I haven't actually measured but you can pretty easily guess that that's half an inch, that's one inch, and that's probably two inches. So you wrap your yarn around and depending on how many strands you could fit in that inch, it can give you an indication of what weight yarn you've got. So it is nice.
This one I feel like I might want to give like a- a bit of a polish to. Or like maybe even just some linseed oil or something like that. It doesn't feel like it has the same finish as- as the niddy noddy. It feels a bit rougher. But the only other wraps per inch tools that I had seen were, again, commercially made ones and that wasn't what I was after, going to the show. So yeah, I am- I am really happy with that one.
I have considered drawing my own twist angle guide on that but part of me also just wants to leave that as is and leave it pure. So yeah. Yeah happy with that on there.
White Rabbit Handmade
What else was on my list? Oh, so I don't have any stitch stoppers. And in all of my years of knitting, I had never felt like I needed one - until this year. I think- I can't remember what project that was for though. But I feel like in the past year, there have been a couple of instances where I've wanted stitch stoppers so they were also on my list to find and these were the ones that I picked up. I think that they're so cute.
These guys had a whole lot of different adorable designs. But I was only going to let myself get one so I got the hot air balloons, which I absolutely love and I'm looking forward to using those. Yeah, they had some really cute animal ones. They had you know, yeah. They had all sorts of like flora and fauna and they also had a whole load stitch markers and yeah, a bunch of really cute stuff. That was my favourite so that's the one that I picked up there.
Tarndwarncoort
Next is... I think the only other things that were on my list were yarn. So surprise, surprise - I wanted to pick up some Tarndie. I actually hadn't intended on picking up any of their yarn because I still have quite a bit of their yarn in my stash. And I have just finished a big project with their yarn. So I've been thinking that I should branch out into other yarns for a while and try other things.
But anyway, I saw recently that they had laceweight yarn - which is great for weaving - back on their online store. So I told myself, 'If they have it at Bendigo I will pick some up.' And they did, so I did. So it is this gorgeous, gorgeous, undyed, really beautifully finely spun, laceweight Polwarth. And they had sam- a sample there ofd it woven. And when I was chatting to Tom and Jason, I think it was Tom that told me that it was actually woven by Judith - who was at the same natural dyeing course at Tarndie with me and had given me some of the yarn that she had dyed, which I used to make a beanie. Anyway, so I thought that was really cool that one of the samples that they had was- was by Judith. And I thought that was really neat.
I got this. So the thing is, I bought it and my intention for it is weaving. I want to try naturally dyeing, maybe half of it, and then weaving them together in some project. But after I picked it up I'm now just looking at it thinking like I want to use it in knitting. So now I don't know. I'm also really not sure that my loom - my loom - would work well with yarn that is fine. And I'm not interested in buying another loom. So we'll have to see what this ends up being. But I was super happy that they had that there.
Fairfield Finns
The other yarn that I purchased that I had intended on buying was some Fairfield Finns. Here it is here. It is a huge cake. It is 200g of 4 ply, naturally dyed. I'm kicking myself because they told me what they used to dye all the different colours and I cannot remember. Very annoyed at myself. This might be peach leaves. I have a feeling it's not though. I may have to try getting in touch with them and sending a photo and asking if, yeah, if they could let me know what that one is. But it is mostly green. It has you know, it moves into some sort of teally bluey shades so maybe it was partially dip dyed in indigo or something like that. I'm not- I really have no idea. I'm really kicking myself for that.
But I've been wanting to try their yarn. And I am also kicking myself because my original intention was to get two different colours. Because the thing that I am wanting to use the yarn for uses two different colours, but I wasn't expecting a huge ball. Yeah, so if they were just like 50g balls of yarn - 50g cakes or even maybe if they were - I mean they did have - okay, so they did have smaller cakes. And I could have bought two different 100g cakes. But whenever there's a giant ball of cake, I just - a giant ball of cake? - Whenever there's a giant ball of yarn, I just can't resist it. But then because I did buy such a big cake I felt like, 'Oh, I shouldn't go over and buy another- another- another colour.' So I'm not really sure what I'll do, if I will pair this with some other 4 ply that I've got or if I will try over dyeing some of this or if I will just try doing the thing that I'm planning on, using one colour. But yes, that is the beautiful hand dyed Finn yarn that I've got there that will eventually turn into something.
Yeah, so that's- that's it for the planned yarn.
Purchases - off the list
Kaalund Yarns
For unplanned yarn, there's one that I bought that I just I could not walk past. So it is handspun - I believe it's mostly handspun yarns - by Kaalund Yarns. And they had these mixed yarn florettes that I just could not walk past, and here it is here.
Doesn't that just look like so much fun? And the colours are so lovely. My favourite yarn - and probably the reason that I picked this florette - well a) because it's green and I love greens - but this is just so much fun and so beautiful. This is gorgeous handspun yarn here. And that colour is just gorgeous. And it's beautiful how it's, you know, it's plied like a really big single with like a really fine weight yarn. And just the variety in this- in this florette is just- just gorgeous.
They had like a whole rack thing of all the different colours and I had so much trouble choosing one because they were allm so beautiful. But yeah, I picked this one and it's just gorgeous. I think I might actually just have to display it for a while before I end up using it.
But my intention is to weave with it. So the thing is, because it's like you know, leftover bits of yarn from when they've skeined up their other stuff and what have you, they don't have like a meterage a yardage for these. It is 100g, and that's all I know. So when I weave with it, I'm going to just have to I guess, you know set up like a really long warp and know that I'll probably have some leftover warp because I have no idea how long this will go for. But I think it's going to make such a gorgeous fun scarf or cowl or something. I think it's beautiful. Yeah, so I love that. And that's it for the yarn.
The other unplanned purchases are... What are they? They are... They're kind of non knitting things, actually.
Raffia Connection
So the first is from the Raffia Collect- Connection. I always want to say Collection, but it's Connection. So they had- they had-
I really wish I'd taken more photos while I was at the show as well. I don't know. I just didn't. I didn't film there because I knew that I wanted to, again, just be present and enjoy the experience and not be like pulling out my phone all the time trying to take nice shots of everything for you guys. I'm sorry. Next time I will, I promise. But this time I kind of just wanted to take it all in and experience it all. So yeah. And I just didn't take photos either. Again, I'm kind of kicking myself, because memories.
Anyway, so this Raffia store had all of these beautiful like baskets and vases and all of these like wall hangings and beautiful things. It's not a craft I've ever considered doing myself - basketry - but their things were so pretty. And you know, one of the- the woman looking after the store was making one of the things herself and- and I don't know, it just really appealed to me.
So I was gonna buy one of their basket kits. But then I saw that they had a tub full of like extra bits and pieces that was like 2 bucks. So I ended up just getting that. I love the colours in it - greens again. And a little starter kit because she was saying that this coil for starting is the hardest bit. So I got the starter kit there. That's just the coil with some extra raffia and then I will use this crappy stuff to make up the rest of the basket.
I do think- They have a needle with it and she was using a needle to do it. But I reckon I probably- I'll probably just end up finding a- a crochet basket pattern that's like the same style - the same look - because I have seen them around. So I think that's what I'm going to do. And then also when I run out of this raffia here, I have some fabric yarn that I had made out of some old some old jeans that don't fit me anymore. So they're yellow jeans and I cut them up into some yarn and since then I haven't known what to do with them. But they did also have a couple of samples where they're- the raffia was being wrapped around fabric strips so I think- I think that's what I'm gonna do and I think that's gonna look really pretty. So that is one there.
Zawahdee
And then the last purchase - which is again really unexpected because it's not something that I had thought to- that I'd find or was looking for - but it's actually like a hair clip thing. For one thing, they're really really - I just think they're really really beautiful. This is the small size and they had a bigger size. They had a medium, a large, and then like an extra large size. And I like I like the small one.
I love these colourful beads. They had all sorts of different styles and colours and what have you - designs. But when I was looking at them, she actually offered to put one on me so that I could see what it looked like which I thought was just really great. And it really sold me on it because I was looking at them thinking that they were pretty, they were really nice. And then she put one on and it just holds so well. So securely. It doesn't feel like it's pulling at anything but everything feels really, really secure.
So as much as possible, I don't like tying up my hair and I like using those alligator clip type things. So this is just another thing that I can use. Plus it's gorgeous. And the way that you put it on is, you kind of put your fingers around like through the beads on one end of it. And then that one slides into your hair and then the fingers here can hold your hair in place while you stretch this over and then slide it in from the other side. And because it's stretchy it looks really really great over a bun. But I don't really do buns. I'm really lazy with my hair in general. So I'll just show you - sliding one end in, holding my hair, pulling the other end over, and sliding that in on the other side. It's so easy to use. I hope you can see it. I think it's so pretty. So pretty. And I love it. I was tempted to buy more than one actually but I thought that one was enough for starters.
And I guess that is all of my purchases at the Sheep Show.
Final thoughts, and how I'll plan the next one
So I will just kind of say one more thing, which is just that I had to keep reminding myself that it is the Sheep and Wool Show. It's not the yarn and fibre show. Because I was hoping to see - or I think I had just heard so much about all of the other fibre festivals all around the world and other ones in Australia as well that are focused on the fibre arts. And they just seem like they have so much. So I think in my head I was expecting something more like that even though I knew this was a Sheep and Wool Show.
So I mean, for example, you know, there were things that I was hoping to find that- that just weren't there. Like- Like, you know, there was only one handcrafted niddy noddy. There was only one handcrafted wraps per inch tool. There were so many fleeces, as you would expect from a sheep show. There were heaps of, you know, fibres. There were a lot of people giving spinning demonstrations and selling the spinning wheels and you know, tools and that kind of thing. But you know, there wasn't like a twist angle tour- or tool. Or - You know, there were like- there were just- there wasn't like a twist angle tool that wasn't like a commercial one. There wasn't a - what was the other thing that I was hoping to find?
Oh yeah, I was hoping to find like a handmade Turkish spindle. And the only- the only Turkish spindles that was there was a 3d printed one. And the one that I have right now is a 3d printed one and it's fine but it is really small. So I'm after a bigger spindle, but I also wanted a- one made out of wood. So I didn't want to get another 3d printed one. And then the only wooden ones were from the Handweavers and Spinners Guild. And because I'd seen them at the guild store, I kind of felt like it wasn't going to be a special Show purchase if I got it because I'd seen it elsewhere. So I didn't get it. And then I also justified it to myself by saying, 'Well, if I'm gonna get an actual spinning wheel, how much would- am I actually going to spin on the spindle anymore?' So maybe I should just put that aside until I really want it. So yeah, um, I don't know.
I like- I had a- I had a really good time and I really enjoyed myself and it was like, lovely just being out there with the community and seeing everything. But I guess I did just kind of want to say there were things that I was hoping to see that- that weren't there. And I just know what to expect next time. And I also probably want to try going around to the fibre festivals in other states if I can, to see what they're like. I keep pausing my recordings whenever the heater goes on, but I'm pretty much at the end so I'm just going to power through.
For next year, I am going to plan it all very differently. For one thing, I think that a group of friends in other parts of the country are all planning to come down so we might get a place in Bendigo so I don't need to plan for a two hour drive. Whether or not that happens, I think I just want to try to be a bit more involved.
So I didn't go to any of the events because like I said, I thought that I would be spending all day shopping and not have time for anything else. But I actually went home at about 2/2:30 is when I left. And that was also because by that point I was just so tired. So if I'm planning that it's not actually going to take me all day so I don't need to get there at 9 o'clock on the dot, then I'm not going to be as tired and that- that I'll have more energy for going through and really seeing everything.
I'll also feel like I have time to actually watch some judgings and competitions and demonstrations. And I want- I would have liked to go to the shearing demonstration for once - for example. I would have liked to go to the fashion parade. They had to a student one and a commercial one, I think. I didn't plan for going to those because I thought that I would be so caught up in all of the shopping aspect of things. But now I know that the shopping side of things isn't actually going to take me all day. So I can actually relax a bit more, spend more time talking to vendors, and spend more time really like looking at everything, and I can go to the events that I want to go to.
So yeah, that's just my thoughts on my first trip to the Sheep and Wool Show - to spendigo - and how I'd like to go about it next year. And that is all I have to talk about today. It's all about the Sheep and Wool Show. And next episode I'll get back to my regular segments.
Thanks!
So I hope you've enjoyed this ramble of mine. I hope that you've gotten something out of it. And I hope, yeah. I hope you've enjoyed- I hope you've enjoyed it and I hope you come back for more. So if you are still around, thank you so much for spending this time here with me today.
I hope that you're finding time for your family and friends, for your crafting and for yourself. Take care and I'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Fare thee well.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Resources
Mentions
Ashford spinning wheels and tools
Zawahdee (African haircombs)
Yarns (from my LYS, or on Ravelry)
Tarndwarncoort yarns from Polwarth sheep