Best Handspun Yarn at Pagosa Springs

This past May I entered the skein competition at the Pagosa Springs Fiber Festival in Colorado. Pagosa is a small festival but they run an excellent skein competition with prestigious judges. This year was no exception, featuring Joan Ruane and Ric Rao at the judging table. I was thrilled not only to receive very thoughtful and detailed comments for my entry, but the Best Handspun Yarn award as well:

Both the skein and garment competitions award a pewter medal and a braided horsehair necklace to the top entries. It’s a beautiful piece and lists the honors on the reverse:

I’m really happy with the outcome, but I also learned a lesson about cross-border shipping. Although I included return USPS postage, the competition organizers decided to ship it back to me via UPS, presumably to reduce the chance it would be lost in the mail or sit for ages in a warehouse during the Canada Post lockout. While I appreciate the intention, I ended up paying an exorbitant brokerage fee to UPS to get my package delivered. Next time, and for any future competitions, I’m including a note asking the organizer to send my skeins back via USPS only.