Saturday, Grace and I went to the Fiber Fair at the Pioneer Bluffs Ranch in Matfield Green, KS with two very lovely ladies, Alice and Sue. Alice is the Goddess of All Things Fiber, so I was tickled that she wanted to go with us. Grace and I had spent the night with Sue on Friday, in preparation for our early morning trek up north. Unfortunately, our poor judgement forced us to stay up until 12:30 working on a ridiculously difficult Rosie the Riveter puzzle, so the early morning was none too well received. Bleary eyed, Sue and I poured a quick cup of coffee down our gullets and we all hit the road.
We took the scenic drive through some breathtaking countryside, and as we arrived at the historic homestead where the Fiber Fair was being held, the K-State extention team was gathering interested parties outside to demonstrate the proper pruning of fruit trees. Susan bee lined in that direction while the rest of us explored the old buildings that dotted the homestead, looking for the elusive fiber artists that were supposed to be giving lessons and demonstrations on their nearly forgotten craft.
One by one we eliminated old, preserved historical buildings, and of course found what we were looking for in the last building; the old farmstead house. It has been restored beautifully into an art gallery on the first floor (with some art that they are quite reluctant to part with, judging by the prices), with some classrooms on the second floor. In one room a lady was using a spinning wheel and had her hand spun, hand dyed wool for sale. She too wanted an arm and a leg for her wares, and even so I was tempted; it was so pretty (photo above). I am drawn to piles of yarn and fabric like a moth to a flame!
In the next room was a lady demonstrating her technique for rag rugs, in another room two people were using various shapes and sizes of looms, and in the last room we visited, Gracie got to have a hands on lesson in using a drop spindle. She is an old soul, and for an 11 year old she took to it very quickly; we had a hard time getting her to leave, but with Alice's promise of giving Grace her own spindle and wool, we were able to depart peacefully.
The four of us had a fantastic time that we will never forget, had chicken fried steak for lunch at a little country cafe in Cottonwood Falls (with no nap afterwards I might add), and made it home in time to meet the rest of the family back at Sue's for dinner. Most important to me, however, is that we created a memory for Grace that will last her a lifetime. What a perfect day.
We took the scenic drive through some breathtaking countryside, and as we arrived at the historic homestead where the Fiber Fair was being held, the K-State extention team was gathering interested parties outside to demonstrate the proper pruning of fruit trees. Susan bee lined in that direction while the rest of us explored the old buildings that dotted the homestead, looking for the elusive fiber artists that were supposed to be giving lessons and demonstrations on their nearly forgotten craft.
One by one we eliminated old, preserved historical buildings, and of course found what we were looking for in the last building; the old farmstead house. It has been restored beautifully into an art gallery on the first floor (with some art that they are quite reluctant to part with, judging by the prices), with some classrooms on the second floor. In one room a lady was using a spinning wheel and had her hand spun, hand dyed wool for sale. She too wanted an arm and a leg for her wares, and even so I was tempted; it was so pretty (photo above). I am drawn to piles of yarn and fabric like a moth to a flame!
In the next room was a lady demonstrating her technique for rag rugs, in another room two people were using various shapes and sizes of looms, and in the last room we visited, Gracie got to have a hands on lesson in using a drop spindle. She is an old soul, and for an 11 year old she took to it very quickly; we had a hard time getting her to leave, but with Alice's promise of giving Grace her own spindle and wool, we were able to depart peacefully.
The four of us had a fantastic time that we will never forget, had chicken fried steak for lunch at a little country cafe in Cottonwood Falls (with no nap afterwards I might add), and made it home in time to meet the rest of the family back at Sue's for dinner. Most important to me, however, is that we created a memory for Grace that will last her a lifetime. What a perfect day.
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