A Happy Thing

At the end of April this year, there was a food/wool festival held in Wales.
Although I would love to visit someday, it is a good third of the world away from where I live, in Michigan. It had something special, though. Something that makes me happy whenever it comes to mind. It was mentioned in the Autumn issue of Vogue Knitting magazine, and intrigued me enough to do a little research and share it with you.
They held a contest, called 'Wonder of Wool"
In brief (quoted from the festival site):

"Designers, artists, knitters, spinners, makers and craftspeople are encouraged to get creative with the theme of “bubbles” for an exciting competition to celebrate the creative and imaginative uses of Welsh wool.

Winners’ entries and the best of the rest will then go on display to an audience of thousands at Wonderwool Wales 2008, which for the first time this year will be a stand-alone event, held all under one roof over the weekend of 26^th and 27^th April at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Powys"

Cool contest, but what really touched me was the winners of the contest:
(quoted from Vogue Knitting Autumn 2008, pg 26, links created by me)

"This year's Wonder of Wool contest winner, displayed at the Wonderwool Wales show in April, was the bouyant Bubbles Felt Rug, made by Elizabeth Saunt, David Poole, Linda Rybak, Carl Morris and Shannon Wesley, stutdents of the special-needs school Ysgol Delyn, in collaboration with Cittaslow Mold, a sustainability project for the town of Mold, North Wales.
The teenagers got the idea for the rug while blowing bubbles and executed their design in locally milled wools dyed by area felting artist Helen Melvin. "Everyone who saw it felt that it was the winning entry, : says Beth Ditson, Cittaslow Mold Project coordinator. ""

If you happen to be in the area next year, and would like to attend, details may be found here. WONDERWOOL WALES