scenes from the PA farm show

you can take a girl out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the girl!  each year we go to the farm show in harrisburg.  we started taking the boy when he was a year old, and we missed last year becos we were all sick.  this year hubby and i went as a "date day".  we didn't want to tackle the crowd with a stroller (or two) and i didn't get a permission slip for the boy to miss school.  next year, hopefully i'll be on the ball and get that slip in before the holidays.  i felt bad that we didn't take him with, and i think he felt bad too.

i am probably the only person on earth who goes to farm show to buy yarn stash.  to wit:



the butterscotch and brown hank is from cloverleaf alpaca farm; the tan and brown hank is from cottage criations.  the varigated hank is 50/50 mohair/wool from twin ponds fiber farm.  i really like the fact that i can buy beautiful quality yarn from local farms.  i'm not sure what i'm going to do with the yarns but i can guarantee that i'll have fun dreaming about projects for them!




there's a good chance that my yarn came from these beautiful alpaca.  i just want to bury my face in that fleece.




there's a good chance that one of these ladies even washed, carded and spun my yarn.


one of my knitting goals is to enter a project into exhibition at the farm show.  i'm not sure how i can do this - i looked online last fall about a premium book but could only find information on livestock or produce.  i think this fall i'll actually email the office about getting a premium book sent to me.  i think i remember reading somewhere that i don't even have to drop my project off - just mail it to the complex.

there was a small assortment of knitting and crocheted projects - it seems that there are more sewn projects entered:



i had trouble finding blue ribbon winners.  it seemed like the oddest things win ribbon (remember the knitted flip flops from two years ago?)   these were my favorites, and sadly they didn't win at all:



this reminded me of annie modesitt's twisted float circular shrug.  i think it should have placed.



isn't this child's intarsia halloween sweater adorable?  and it didn't place either... it should have!

i wish i took a photo of the wedding dress that had a camo panel in the back, on the train.  only at the farm show will you see a camouflage wedding dress!


i also like buying spices and bee products at farm show.  here are a few of my favorite stands:





no visit to the farm show is complete without a view of the butter sculpture:



don't worry about the butter going to waste - it will be converted to bio fuel after the show's completion.




hubby bought salsa, mustard and a paint bucket of wine.  i bought a small box of club sandwiches - i can find them in coal cracker territory, but it's hard to find them in my neck of the woods.  now i don't have to hoard them!

this was the first year we ate at the farm show (outside of the free samples we can snarf up).  hubby got a steak, egg and cheese sandwich, a trout sandwich and a kraut dog.  i got a chicken sandwich and two pickled eggs.  we split a stick of fried cheese:




there was so much food to pick from.  if you walk away from that place hungry, it's your own fault.

we also brought home chuggers of milk for the kids.  the milk is sold in vending machines.  only at the farm show can you find vending machines of milk!




hubby and i had fun on our date day.  it felt funny to not be there with the kids.  next year, hopefully, we can go as a family.  i try to emphasize the importance of farming to them.  the little ones won't get it, but i want the boy to understand his family's agriculture heritage.