On both Friday and Saturday, Geri and Joli will discuss the qualities inherent in a variety of fleece types and how those qualities relate to the type of yarn to be spun. They will have a whole fleece on hand for demonstration and will lead a walkabout through the Fleece Tent following the talk to showcase the many varieties of fleece available in Maine. On Friday only, Pam Harwood of Longwoods Farm Alpacas will be sitting in. She will field questions that might come up about alpaca and then continue on with a talk focused on alpaca at 11:00, with a walkabout in the tent to look at alpaca fleeces.
In this collaborative two-hour presentation, Peter and Nancy will discuss their work in connection with the Navajo Churro breed. Through Peace Fleece, Peter has formed a partnership with Native American sheep ranchers called the Black Mesa Wool Project. The goal is to support these ranchers’ traditional pastoral way of life by working with them to improve their soils and grazing patterns and receive a better price for their wool. Peter is involved in a similar project working with Lakota sheep farmers in South Dakota. Nancy, who serves as vice president and secretary of the Maine Sheep Breeders Association, is working here in Maine—through the Sheep Preservation Project at the University of Utah—to bring back the Navajo Churro from near-extinction. The Churro breed is now present throughout the United States. For more information about the Black Mesa Wool Project, visit www.peacefleece.com.
On both Friday and Saturday, Geri and Joli will discuss the qualities inherent in a variety of fleece types and how those qualities relate to the type of yarn to be spun. They will have a whole fleece on hand for demonstration and will lead a walkabout through the Fleece Tent following the talk to showcase the many varieties of fleece available in Maine. On Friday only, Pam Harwood of Longwoods Farm Alpacas will be sitting in. She will field questions that might come up about alpaca and then continue on with a talk focused on alpaca at 11:00, with a walkabout in the tent to look at alpaca fleeces.
Pogo, who raises angora goats and runs a custom fiber processing mill at the farm in Monmouth, will discuss the wonderful world of blended fibers. Did you just buy a fleece? Do you have more than a few fleeces at home? Would you like to learn what happens when you blend some of that gorgeous wool—considered the universal blending fiber—with exotics: alpaca, llama, angora, mohair, cashmere, pygora, and cashgora? Each type of wool and each type of exotic fiber has its own unique qualities that can be enhanced through blending. Figuring blend percentages, general guidelines for blending, and labeling requirements for resale of yarn and finished goods will all be covered.
