Why We Should All Be Going To Lambtown

It’s been a week, and I can’t stop thinking, “We should all be going to Lambtown.” By that I mean that the West Coast knitting community, the fiber arts community, the crochet folks and the weaving folks and the spinning folks … we should all be going to Lambtown. Especially if you live in the Bay Area or within driving distance of the Dixon/Sacramento area… we should all be going to Lambtown.

I’ve been to Rhinebeck, and I’ve been to Maryland, and last weekend at Lambtown I was looking around and realized that we’ve got all the pieces of a Rhinebeck or a Maryland right here in our own backyard. It’s not as big as either of those festivals — not yet — but I believe it’s got all the components to someday be the kind of draw for fiber folks that those festivals are. If you’ve never been, you might be pleasantly surprised. And if you have been, then you know what I’m talking about.

Lambtown takes place in the Dixon May Fairgrounds in Dixon, California the first weekend of October every year. It’s a pleasant, open fairgrounds with lots of green grass, some shady trees, barns, lanes, and classroom buildings. There’s a stage where musicians play and competitions are held. There’s an arena with sheep herding and shearing demonstrations. There were two buildings and one barn full of vendors: everything from our Bay Area hand-dyed yarns and shops to local farms’ yarn and fiber to carding equipment, buttons, bags, etc. There was a sheep-to-shawl competition and a sock machine crank-in. There were knitting and dyeing and spinning classes from some of the top national teachers. There were terrific food trucks. There was plentiful, close-in parking. And there was room to grow.

Yep, Dixon in October is sometimes hot, and last weekend was the hottest I’d attended. I made liberal use of my friend Ron’s cooler full of drinks and ice and the festival’s cold water refill station. I wore a giant hat. And I took refuge in the fleece judging building for a while on Saturday afternoon, because it had the best air conditioning.

Instead of a warm Rhinebeck sweater made of wool, I wore a cool Lambtown tank top knit from cotton. Instead of cider donuts, we lined up for street tacos. Instead of the hill, we met up on the meadow. And all of it was awesome.

If you didn’t already have this festival on your radar, now you do. And if it’s not already on your calendar for next year, mark off October 4-5, 2025 for what might just be the best fiber festival the West Coast has to offer.