Fiber festival

Fiber festivals bring together producers and vendors of mostly animal fibers (wool, camelid, mohair, angora), as well as silk, linen, and some synthetic fibers with the growing community of knitters, spinners, felters, crocheters, dyers, etc in the Unites States. Attendees learn and see different materials, techniques, and patterns. Fiber festivals also provide a meeting place for people who otherwise know one another only from Internet lists and blogs.

There are many regional fiber festivals, including:
* The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, near Baltimore, the first full weekend in May [http://www.sheepandwool.org]
* The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York, in October [http://www.sheepandwool.com]
* The Spin Spa in Portland, Maine, in mid-February [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewEnglandTextileArts]
* The Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival in Connecticut, the last weekend in April [http://www.ctsheep.org/Programs.htm]
* The New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival in Hopkinton, on Mother’s Day weekend [http://www.yankeeshepherd.org]
* The Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival in Cummington, at the end of May [http://www.masheepwool.org]
* The Fiber Arts and Animals Festival in Marshall, Michigan on the second or third Saturday in June. [http://www.fiberartfest.com]
* The Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival in Essex Junction, in September [http://www.vermontsheep.org/festival.html]
* The Southern Indiana FiberArts Festival in Corydon, Indiana, the third Saturday in October [http://www.southernindianafiberarts.com]
* The Shepherd's Harvest Festival in Minnesota, each Mother's Day weekend in May. [http://www.shepherdsharvestfestival.org]

Among these regional fiber festivals, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and the New York Sheep and Wool Festival are the largest.