Sheep show shopping
In spite of family sadness, other events of this past weekend were quite encouraging. Of course, they did involve bringing home a little fibre…
So, Fibre-Friend-Holly and I, along with two of her feltmaking friends, jumped into the car for a 2-1/2 hour drive to Northern Ireland for the first-ever Festival of Sheep and Wool 2006. Thankfully, good conversation makes time go by much faster!
By US standards, the show was small, but the quality of fleece was good and prices acceptable, even if they were in British Sterling, where the US Dollar usually takes a beating.
The goodies I chose…all very reasonable I’d say…included one smallish fleece. A Gotland-Merino mix. Do I know what that is? Of course Merino. Yum. Soft. Gotland? Don’t know much about it. Sounds like a goat breed with a typo. After a little research and here’s what I know:
Also Known By: Swedish Fur, Swedish Pelt The Gotland is found throughout Sweden. It is kept for its pelt and meat production. The Gotland were developed from Gute selected for curl and color beginning in 1920. The breed is primarily gray.
Well mine is a bit whiter, having been bred with a merino, I suppose. And thus my knowledge of fleece ends. Full stop. Other than that, to me it is soft and I’m envisioning some super socks coming off my needles.
(And here is where I have to divert…..)
I am in awe of those spinners who understand the various sheep breeds and what that means, the length of the fleece and what that means, how the fibre reacts and interacts and what that means, the best spin to put into it and what that means, the intricacies of plying and what that means! Know what I mean?
Perhaps I should want to know all of that, but I don’t right now. I’ll stumble through and end up with acceptable yarn to knit my warm, soft socks. And I’m happy and content in my ignorance… Ironically, it’ll probably be that this is some rare type of breed and I’m handling the equivalent of fibre gold where other spinners are reading this in abject horror at my casual approach to this treasure. And such are the inequities of life…. So, I’ll carefully soak the fleece today (as Holly says it felts easily) and see where we end up with it.
Other than that, a hook for the spinning wheel found its way home with me. As I said, reasonable wouldn’t you agree?
The ride home was certainly quieter as the fatigue of the early morning departure and the day’s overstimulation set in. But it was a contented quietness.
Your “Topics of Conversation” on the side bar is great! I like the cloud formation.
Very interesting about the Gotland. Isn’t that what they used for the Lord of the Ring cloaks? I look forward to what you think about it.
29 Aug 2006 at 3:26 pm
See what I mean? How do you know these things, Leigh? I’m in awe…
29 Aug 2006 at 8:15 pm
You might be able to hear my wails all the way from Belfast…there was a sheep and wool festival in Antrim? I’ve spent the last few months desperately trying to find information about spinning classes, equipment, resources, or people in Northern Ireland and all I’ve found is a single workshop at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum which was cancelled because only one other person wanted to go to it. I really hope this thing is annual! Now I’m over the shock this is good news - thanks!
29 Nov 2006 at 10:50 am