Sheep to Shawl

I am a member for the Hangtown Fibers Guild.  We're a group of fiber enthusiasts meeting to enjoy and promote fiber arts. We are weavers, spinners, knitters, crocheters, basket makers and more.   The website here.

One of things we enjoy is participating in  Sheep to Shawl competitions.  These are held at some county fairs and at wool shows and festivals.  Yesterday it was Lambtown in Dixon, California.

What is a Sheep to Shawl competition?  Teams gather from various guilds to make a shawl from minimally prepared fiber in four hours.   Apparently many years ago, the event would be much longer and would start with a sheep.   So shearing, skirting and washing the fleece (they may have skipped the washing) teasing the fiber, carding (getting the fiber to go in one direction) spinning, plying and finally weaving.  We start with washed and dyed wool.  Ours was Romney from Mendenhall's in Loma Rica.  Want an amazing, very high quality fleece?  Here you go.

 Just getting set up. It's about 0900,  the competition starts at 1000.   The loom at center.  There are 5 teams.  We are setting up our info table.  Sometimes the judges also note the decorations and teams uniforms.  They are not really uniforms, but unifyers.  We had hats, aprons and some guild logo shirts.

We have on mascot, Loretta, in front.  She is a pack sheep with her pack saddle and gold pan.  We are The Fiber Miners. Go Miners.

This was my first competition on the team.  I don't spin or weave, but I can card.  However, I was the educator.  The educators job to answer questions from the public so the team members aren't stopping to answer.  The educator can not do anything to help the team. 

You can just see 2 spinners getting started. The educator is up front.

Here you can see the weaver, center stage.  We were all so thankful for the shade.  It was 93.

You can just see the carder's elbow on the right.

 The weaving in process.  It's lunch break.  Note team hat on chair.

We were first off the loom, but much finishing to so.  Don't you love the color?  The team is checking for error, winding the fringe and making the last tweaks before turning it in.

I'm sorry to say I have no photos of the other competitors, or their shawls.  That's really too bad as they were all very lovely.  

I'll just close by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed my part in the Lambtown Sheep to Shawl competition.  And . . . . 

We got first place!

Alas no photo of the prizes or the whole team.  Some were taken, but not by me.

To be quite honest,  I did not think about a post for the blog at the show yesterday.  I just took some pictures.  Now I realize the starting fiber would have been nice to see and maybe some of the other teams.  I'm sorry it's not very complete.

Changing the name

Hello, my name is Susan and I'm hopeless at finishing things.  Therefore  I am thinking seriously about changing the name of my blog to "Whatever".  Then I can write about whatever I want to and perhaps throw in some finished projects whenever.  Maybe it should be called  "Whatever Whenever"?

On March 9, I posted a picture of my next project.  Another baby dress, remember?

I took it out of the bag again and found I had it partially sewn, but today I wrapped it back up and am sending to the the Hospice thrift shop in hopes someone will make it up.  There are also two blouses I have cut out and they are going too.

I am sorry to say that I no longer have any interest in finishing those things.  There are some others I will finish.  Maybe.

I am so thankful to the Lord that we are given second (3rd,4th 5th etc.) chances.  The new goal is to clean and tidy my sewing room. Weed out and replant some of my fabric (it is the first day of Spring) and see what grows.

I belong to the Hangtown Fibers Guild and every month they have a raffle.  I'm donating yarn and knitting books to them to make room.
And you know what, I'm not going to buy any of it back.  Did you see the photo of my loom?

I bought this at the Guild campout auction 2 years ago.  Someone had donated it.  I'm thankful they did.  Perhaps others will be thankful for the things I donate.




The weather is so lovely now.  Chilly in the mornings and evenings, warm and pleasant in the afternoons.  I've been planting seeds and digging weeds so I can try once again to have veggies and potatoes. I haven't a photo of this year's efforts, but here are some from last year.

 I love my enclosed, raised bed garden built for me by Buddy Crook who is also the one who put the new siding on my house so the woodpeckers --who plagued us for years-- now leave us alone.  He also built my new deck to replace the 28 year old one dying of dry rot.  Mind you, he did not do it gratis.  Never-the-less, I am thankful to him.

My sister likes her socks. And I am needling along on my second yellow sock, here is the first one, which fits well and feels so good on my foot.

I love socks I only wish I could knit faster.  So I could make more socks.  Do you remember my sock post?  Well,  what can I say?  I love socks.




Here's what going on with the Finnish towels.

I've knotted the ends into bouts and tied the bouts onto the back apron bar.  Soon, maybe tonight, I'm going to wind on so I can get ready to weave those lovely (sigh) towels.  Stay tuned.

It's Spring and lambs are being born all over the place.  These were born at Meridian Jacobs and are darn cute.  They are too.  Photo credit to Robin Lynde, the owner of Meridian Jacobs.

For more great photos and other interesting stuff, go  here  for Robin's blog or here for the website.   That's all for today.  Happy Spring.