Annie (Ruth Ann) Stewart of Cedarville, OH, passed away June 18 after several months of illness. Annie and her husband, Kurt, were active participants in the Midwest Festival of Fibers and A Wool Gathering, organizing the llama and alpaca exhibits. Annie was an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of llamas. She was a director of SOLAC (llama association) and advisor for the Greene County Camelid 4-H Club. Her positive attitude and her love for her animals inspired others, and her many activities to educate the public about llamas will be continued by her children and her friends. The Stewarts' responsibilities for A Wool Gathering are being met by Janine Hickey, a friend of Annie's. She can be reached at cjhickey@voyager.net. We're adding at least one craft offering to our popular paper-plate weaving and CD drop spindles: we'll be making felt pictures in zip- lock bags and marveling at how new technology (the bags) simplify a traditional craft so it is less messy and more accessible! There are possibilities for additional make-it take-it crafts; all it takes is an idea and a little preparation. Your suggestions are invited, and your help is always welcome! Once again we'll raffle a handspun, hand- woven throw. JoAnn Molk has created a beautiful twill lap robe from a variety of hand spun yarns. Handmade throws or coverings of any kind are wonderful ways to add value to our fiber products, and we're sharing a few ideas inside this newsletter. There'll be more ideas on display at the Wool Gathering–for example, Bob Millikan has found a mill to make blankets from his fleece. Look inside this newsletter for a full list of vendors as of June, and keep checking our web site for up-to-date information about the Wool Gathering. You can find us at our web site, www.awoolgathering.com Back to top of page Many sheep, llama, and alpaca shows and exhibits of handspun, knitted, and woven articles. No Sheep to Shawl show this year, but hand-spinners' fleeces will be judged and displayed, and the llama/alpaca fiber fashion show will follow the llama drill team competition August 15, 7 p.m. Michigan Fiber Festival, August 17-18. Allegan County Fairgrounds, Allegan, MI. For more information, write to PO Box 744, Hastings, MI 49058, or visit the web site, www.michiganfiberfestival.org. Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, October 26- 27, Western NC Agricultural Center, South Of Asheville, NC. For information, call 828 649-1906 or visit the web site, www.saff.org. Back to top of page We asked Gene Haudenschield's wife, Evelyn, to send us some background on him. Gene has sheared sheep at every Wool Gathering to date, and we look forward to seeing him again this September. And if you're interested in watching a shearing competition, you can watch the Junior and Senior Shearing Contests in Brown Arena at the Ohio State Fair, 10 a.m., August 4. by Evelyn Haudenschield  Gene Haudenschild of rural Kenton, Ohio, has been shearing sheep and buying wool for fifty years. He will tell you it isn't an easy job, but one he enjoys.
Gene and his wife, Evelyn, have nine children, six girls and three boys. He taught the boys to shear sheep by the age of 10, and they all became State and National champions. Gene and the boys have won many county and state awards. Gene has sheared sheep all over the state of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. One of his proudest moments was when he taught his granddaughter to shear sheep, and she won the Ohio State Junior Contest at the Ohio State Fair at the age of 12. Her Uncle Chuck won this title at the age of 14, but he didn't mind seeing her win. She holds the honor of being the youngest contestant to ever win at the Ohio State Fair, and she is the only female to win at the Ohio State Fair Gene retired from United Aircraft Products after 37 years of service, but he still farms 300 acres of ground and shears sheep which he plans to continue until he's 75 years old (if he can keep going!). Back to top of page ..the ones used by manufacturers SLIVER - Fiber that has been prepared by the carding process. Cottage industry sliver varies in thickness according to the fiber type. This is the common preparation for handspinners. This is a "woolen" preparation. ROVING - Fiber that has prepared by carding, combing, drafting and the addition of a quarter twist. Sometimes it is reduced to "pencil" thickness. This preparation is the precursor to commercial spinning. (Pencil roving may also be used, without further processing, for knitting.) Thanks to Faye Evans for these! When you shop at the Wool Gathering, note that what is commonly called "roving" is really sliver. Back to top of page
Back to top of page Lois Pelekoudas Another idea is to have wool processed into batts sized for comforters. Both Zeilinger Wool in Frankenmuth, MI, and Ohio Valley Natural Fibers in Sardinia, OH have equipment that will produce large batts. Kathy Zeilinger will even help you design and complete a custom made comforter (check the web site at www.zwool.com). Old comforters can also be rejuvenated with the new batts. The Alpaca and Llama Show Association (ALSA) sanctions over 144 llama shows in North America. ALSA has more than 2700 farm memberships and 589 youth members. Shetland wool has a fiber diameter range of 20-25 microns, with a staple length of 2 to 4.5 inches. A fleece usually weights between 2 and 4 pounds. Shetland comes in one of the widest range of colors of any breed. Wool colors include white, black, moorit (red brown), shaela (silvery grey), fawn, grey, and dark brown. There are 11 main colors as well as 30 markings or patterns, such as krunet (white crown), katmoget (dark belly), and gulmoget (light underneath). The wool is high quality for handspinning. At one point Shetland sheep were classified as a rare breed but their numbers have increased and they are now viewed as a minor breed. Another sheep whose color stands out is the Jacob, a primitive sheep whose most out-standing fleece characteristic is several colors on the same animal. Jacob fleece is white, black, and anything in between. Jacob sheep can have two, four, or six horns, and the horns can grow to 30 inches. Jacob fleece weighs from 3 to 6 pounds with a staple of 4 to 7 inches. The micron count is from 28 to 32. There is great difference between individual fleeces; breeders who are also hand-spinners have worked to produce soft, spinnable wool. Colors from the same fleece can be carded together to produce a soft grey, or they can be separated as they are spun with Navajo plying used to preserve the separate colors. The Jacob is classified as a small to medium sized sheep, with mature ewes averaging 120 pounds. Jacob sheep were on display at the 1st and 2nd Wool Gatherings. A different color pattern is seen on the Tunis sheep. The Tunis has a reddish brown head, but the fleece is a solid color cream or ivory. The wool measures 25 to 28 microns and has a staple length of 3 to 5 inches. A fleece usually weighs between 7 and 12 pounds with well developed crimp. The Tunis is a medium sized sheep. They are a rare breed, but there are several flocks in Ohio, New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania (more than 30 Tunis were shown at the National Show and Sale in Wooster, OH, Memorial Day weekend). We hope to have representatives of these old, colorful, rare breeds at our 2002 Gathering. Back to top of page If you're interested in bringing llamas to the Wool Gathering, please contact Janine Hickey, 1167 Ankeney Rd, Xenia, OH, 45385, (937) 429-5153, cjhickey@voyager.net. If you are interested in bringing sheep or goats to the Wool Gathering, please contact Ruth Ann Rahim at 2556 Snyder-Domer Rd., Springfield, OH 45502, (937) 969-8587, rutharahim@yahoo.com. If you're a volunteer demonstrator or wish to help with make-it take-it crafts, or have other questions about A Wool Gathering, please contact Lois Pelekoudas at 2734 Hustead Rd., Springfield, OH 45502, (937) 325-7781, Lmpelekoudas@erinet.com. Knitters and crocheters love yarn...all yarns, whether natural (wool, cotton, alpaca, llama, silk) or not so natural (acrylic, rayon). Most of us do not go beyond the generic make-up of our yarn (it's cotton...or it's wool) to consider the subtle differences in breed or individual characteristics. There are differences, and these are increasingly recognized by commercial yarn manufacturers as well as by the breeders who produce the raw material. Many breed-specific yarns are now available in a variety of colors. In an article in Inter-weave Knits (Winter 2000/2001), Sarah Swett mentions Ashford Tekapo (Corriedale), Colorful Stitches/Earthtone Jacob, Berroco Wensleydale Longwool, Berroco Blue-faced Leicester, Rovings Polwarth, Jamieson & Smith Shetland, Strikkegarn Spelsau, S.R. Kertzer, Ltd. Perendale, and Reynolds/CA Lopi. Most yarn shops have 100% Merino yarn and a good selection of exotics - llama, alpaca, mohair, Angora, and silk - and blends. Opportunities to buy special yarn abound on the internet, as breeders have their fleeces custom processed. Another possibility is to buy the raw material and find someone to spin it to specifications...or, better yet, learn how to spin and make the yarn you've always dreamed of. The Wool Gathering provides the opportunity for you to see and, most important, touch different fibers. Our vendors carry raw fiber, natural and dyed rovings, blends, handspun yarns, and finished items. You will also find patterns and tools for processing - everything from combs to crochet hooks. Our demonstrators (and vendors) will share techniques and will answer your questions. Back to top of page A Wool Gathering newsletter comes out twice a year, and submissions are always welcome. Contact Lmpelekoudas@erinet.com. Lois Pelekoudas The Dayton Knitting Guild creates lap robes for the Veterans' Hospital in Dayton. They prefer acrylic because it washes easily, but the same "pattern" can be done in natural fibers. With size 8 needles, cast on 3 stitches. Row 1, knit. Row 2: K2, YO, K to end of row. Repeat row 2 until the piece measures about 36" wide from needle to starting point, along the side. Knit 1 row even. Next row: K2, YO, k2 tog. K across row to last 4 stitches. K 2 tog, K2. Repeat last row until there are 3 stitches left. Knit 3. Bind off. Crochet around, do I-cord border, or one you desire. If you're a new weaver, try a weaving kit for a scarf or a blanket. Kits are available from several sources, including Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins (Boulder, CO) and the Yarn Barn (Lawrence, KS). Another possibility is to knit or crochet a throw one square at a time. Knitter's magazine has featured the Great American Afghans with individually designed 12 inch squares. The patterns are available for the Aran GAA starting in the Winter, 2000 issue, and for earlier throws in XRX books (on line at www.StitchesMarket.com). You can design your own squares (24 of them make a fullsize throw) and carry them with you as a portable project. Back to top of page |