This was the weekend of the Meander..the Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl. There are over 45 different artist studios to visit from Beardsley to Granite Falls, MN. In past years I have traveled the countryside for three days taking in as many studios as I can. This year, I stayed in one place, the
Big Stone Apple Ranch for the Harvest Festival. It was a new experience for me as a vendor. The Apple Ranch is located 15 miles north of Ortonville, MN. It is set on the shores of Big Stone Lake.
The the Harvest Festival ran both Saturday and Sunday. There was lots of good food and fun. Live music and face painting added to the festive atmosphere. The Apple Ranch grows several varieties of apples, including Honey Crisp, Fireside, Cortland, Haroldson, and others. They also have fresh pressed cider, pies, jams, jellies, and a lot more. There were lots of goodies to eat, including a lunch wagon. Other vendors were selling home made cookies, pies and donuts. Mmmmm! There was lots of fresh produce, and lots of other items for sale.
Logan Johnson of
Chasin' Alpacas was on hand from Rosholt, SD. He brought along a few of his friends. The kids (and adults...) had fun watching and feeding the alpaca. Logan had sells alpaca yarns as well as rovings. The yarns were beautiful. The rovings had my name all over them...
I am explaining to my friend, Nancy, just how lovely theses alpaca rovings are...demonstrating the wonderful softeness. I can't resist. One of the joys of working (did I say working...I should have said 'playing') with fiber is feeling the fiber...
I had a lot of yarn on hand and some finished items for sale. It is always fun to talk to all the people who come to the booth. Many people have never seen a spinning wheel or seen anyone spinning before. I love talking about my craft. I also like to let others take the wheel. Men and children are the most interested in trying it out. This young lady was the best new spinner on this particular day. I was amazed at how quickly she picked it up. She was a natural!
She tells me there is a spinning wheel in her grandmother's attic. I hope she gets it working. I gave her my number if she wants any help getting started.
The weekend was a success. Lots of people came to the Ranch to look around and buy things. I was invited to demonstrate at a craft sale on November 1st at the Ortonville Community Center. Sounds like fun. Check out my facebook page (Arachne Yarns and More) for a complete schedule of up coming events.
