Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

It was a beautiful day for a sheep & wool festival. It was sunny, temps in the upper 70's, and lots of sunshine. As you can see there was a sea of cars and a sea of people.

Lots of food and lots of lines. In the Showcase Tent: Navajo Men Who Weave sponsored by the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, AZ. Their work is so amazing. Master Weavers Gilbert Begay, Ron Garnanez, and Roy Kady.

The session "Men Who Weave" led by Clarenda Begay, the Navajo Nation Museum Curator, was very interesting. She discussed the Navajo clans and showed a video about the Navajo men who weave and the story about the Navajo-Churro sheep. The breed was near extinction and is still a rare breed today. In 1977, Dr. Lyle McNeal started the Navajo Sheep Project to genetically preserve the breed and return it to the Navajo . The Navajo Sheep Project also established the Navajo Lifeway to encourage the art of weaving using the Churro wool. Dr. McNeal was one of the lecturers at the festival.

I did not see any FLAK'ers. I waited at our appointed spot but did not see anyone. I did purchase some gorgeous handcrafted glass buttons for my FLAK sweater from Moving Mud. The buttons cost almost as much as the wool to knit the sweater but they were just too perfect to pass up.

Ann & Eugene Bourgeois of Philosopher's Wool. I purchased a Tradition kit in Blues and Purple . (It's the sweater next to Eugene's head on the left.)

Here are some additional pictures from the festival.