It is that time of year again! We are headed to the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival, where we have 350 skeins of Border Leicester yarn to sell along with many other fiber goodies.
For starters, both my Northern Borders and Derby Line yarns have been selling well. Even though the Montpelier Farmer’s Market isn’t an ideal venue for selling an item specific to the small part of the population that knits, the yarn colors and the tactile joy of touching yarn draw visitors in. In fact, I have sold enough yarn that I need to consider dyeing additional yarn to round out my color availability. My concern is not having the right amounts of the colors people want most. Sales at the farmer’s market have depleted some of my colors!
Another significant offering this year is hats. Specifically, this Kep design that my mother has developed. Keps are a traditional slouchy Fair Isle hat that features our Northern Borders yarn nicely. Mom has cranked out six hats, while I am still working on hat number one. She is really a knitting powerhouse.
I also have gobs of BFL wool that wants dyeing and final touches. Good thing Great British Bakeoff is available again!
The to-do list for the sheep is no shorter. Ten lambs ship on 9/27, breeding groups need to be arranged next week, and everyone gets a Selenium shot because our soils are very deficient. That is a whole lot of work!