Minnesota State Fair

Yesterday I got the chance to go to the Minnesota State Fair on its first day. Naturally, my biggest motivation? Yarn. I got to see some other cool stuff, like baby pigs and 4-H kids' artwork (it took me back) but mostly the yarn was why I went.
My favorite yarn stop was the Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers Association. One of the women who was selling yarn was there spinning, which only increased my unholy desire to get a spinning wheel and learn how to do it. (OK, that and the fact that raw wool is way cheaper than yarn). Here's her website. She's responsible for the handspun yarn on the far left. I'm not sure what the weight on it is, but I'm fairly certain it's in the DK range. It's 50% llama, 25% wool, and 25% mohair, and it's incredibly soft.

Next up we have some gorgeous merino from Fleecewood Farm, another local producer. It's undyed and also "DKish" in my opinion. Still need to do a wraps-per-inch test on it though.

Finally, there's another (I think) undyed, 100% shetland wool, which I'm pretty sure is worsted. It's from Honey Gold Acres.

Anyway, the excursion highlighted one of my favorite parts of knitting--knowing where the materials come from. Especially since these were very local yarns, I really enjoyed the connection with those around me (seeing the farmers, spinnres, etc). I've made it a goal of mine to stop buying fabrics/clothes that I don't know the source of. This should be easier once I get my sewing machine unpacked and working, but for now I have some fun yarns and cool future mittens/socks.