This weekend has been a fun one. Yesterday I took the family to Sheep and Wool Day at Springton Manor Farm, and what a treat! I had been to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival a few years ago, and while it is considered the sine qua non of sheep-and-wool events, I actually found it too crowded and chaotic. It was also quite large and sprawling, a difficult scale for me to navigate with a husband and three sons in tow – and just too much driving for a family day trip. So even though we’ve gone before, and even though that sort of thing should be my bag, baby, MDSW is just not. The Springton Manor Farm day, though – what a pleasant difference! There were plenty of things to see and do, all kinds of fiber arts and livestock and all of the things that make my heart happy, but on a smaller, more intimate and enjoyable, scale.
One thing I learned at the event yesterday was how to spin yarn using a drop spindle! I’ve had a drop spindle for about two years now but never really figured out how to use it. After a quick visit with the Lancaster Spinners and Weavers Guild yesterday, though, I’m on my way to fiber fabulousness. Here’s my first yarn:
Much chunkier than I like to knit with, but I don’t think it’s too bad for a first attempt.
I did my usual baking today – substituting in stollen for bread since I’d just baked our weekly family bread on Friday. I was going to take it easy with baking today, but the Mr. requested stollen (his favorite baked treat) and I couldn’t say no:

I make sourdough stollen using this recipe. I’ve been big into fermented/live foods and have been getting a kick out of using sourdough in almost everything baked. I use it in my weekly pizza dough, too!