Five of us shared the duties over three days, and brought our own hand made textiles, fleece, dyed and spun yarn to enhance the "core" display of spinning and weaving equipment.
The weather was good, and brought out the crowds - most of whom passed through the Education Tent where we had a good pitch which was easy to see and had plenty of room for people to stand and watch. Lots of interest, lots of intelligent questions (and hardly any silly ones!) and lots of chat.
Adults and children alike were fascinated by the process, although some of them think that the drive band (the bit of string which goes round and round) is the yarn that's being spun. They don't think that any more, though!
One or two brave souls had a go themselves, and one lady mastered the art of the drop spindle in seconds having struggled at home on her own for years. People came from far afield, from Mid-Wales to Cheshire and the Wirral, and we dutifully passed on details of their local Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. We may even have gained some new members ourselves.
The only downside of being so busy at a big show like Woodfest is that we don't really get much chance to look round it ourselves, but most of the usual suspects were assembled including bodgers, chainsaw carvers, pole climbers, ferret handlers, Shire horses, carriages....... makers of furniture, clogs, baskets, mirrors... the list goes on and on.
AC
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