Fiber Fest (a.k.a. "Alpaca-rama")

So I dragged Micah to Santa Monica for Fiber Fest. I had a nice time. He liked the alpacas. I saw something I was really interested in (besides all the yarn, of course!). It was called "Bison Gals" and it's yarn & fiber made from buffalo wool. I looked for B.G., but to no avail, but I found American Buffalo Designs. Buffalo wool is sort of pricey due to it's limited resource. I found the reason for it heartbreaking.

There are close to 600,000 bison in the United States and Canada. The American Buffalo Hair Industry will always have a limited supply of hair collected each year not an unlimited supply.
Close to 60,000 bison are slaughtered each year in the United States and Canada for their meat. It is from these animals that the hair which was once wasted product is now a new industry.
There are by-products of the American buffalodown yarn industry that are being researched and developed as the industry grows. Some of the hair now is being used in felted hats.
The American Buffalo Hair Industry is a niche industry but a very unique and exciting one.

This is the sort of thing I get interested in. Nearly 10 per cent of a species on our continent was killed off for meat. THINK OF ALL THAT HAIR THAT WENT UNUSED!! (I don't know for how long, but in 10 years, that's a lot of unused animal left. I'd have to look into what "endangered" number would be.) I wouldn't be able to buy a lot of the yarn, but maybe for a nice hat or gloves...

If anyone knows any other buffalo yarn website/companies, please let me know. Thanks!

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In other news, I'll be going to Colorado tomorrow with Micah, his sister (Heather) and her husband (Karl) for Micah & Heather's grandpa's 90th birthday. It might be nice. First time meeting all of that side of the family, except for their dad, step-mom and a cousin. I'm nervous. ("What if they don't like me?") Oh, well. If they don't like me, Micah will still. That's all that matters. It'll be a 15 hour drive, so I'll probably get my skirt mostly done! That'll be awesome!

In knitty love,
Alie K