Colorado Wool Market

Colleen J.'s group booth at Colorado Wool Market

Laura B. shared photos taken at the Colorado Wool Market in Estes Park. 

Lynda G. and Polly H.'s booth

Jeny from Jeny Originals - Laramie, WY

Laura also took photos of a booth that she felt was exceptional:

Thank you, Laura for sharing your photos for this post. 

Sheep to Shawl Competition

Laura Brewer shared photos she took at the Wool Market Sheep to Shawl competition in Estes Park, Colorado. 

carding the wool for spinning preparation

carding wool before spinning

Laura wrote: For the Sheep to Shawl, there were 2 teams. Team #1 had a CVM fleece using plain and twill weaves for their pattern. That was the brown/cream shawl. Team #2 used a Jacob fleece, black and white, with a Swedish lace pattern.

team members spinning

Each team, of 5, with an alternate, scoured their fleeces prior to the contest. They were allowed to use that to card, spin and then warp their looms. On the day of the contest, they (all 5) picked, and carded
the fleece. Then one lady began spinning. When the carding was finished, the other 4 spun the rovings.

one person on each team was the designated weaver

weaving in progress for the purple team

 Then, one lady plied what was spun and gave it to the weaver. So, there were 4 spinners supplying the weaver.

weaving in progress

The contest was from 8:45 AM until 2:30 PM.

tying off the ends and finishing the shawl

finishing the shawl

 When the cloth was finished, they cut it off the loom, twisted the fringe on the ends, and then washed it in hot soapy water, rinsed, fixed any mistakes, then they were done.

washing the shawl 

Team #1 (wearing the green shirts) won the competition, by one point. The judging was open, so we got to watch as she gave her reasons.

Thank you, Laura for sharing your photos of the event. 

Calculating Remaining Yards in a Skein

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Kate P. asked a question at the May guild meeting about determining the amount of yarn necessary for a second sock.

Interweave Yarn Hacks prepared a tutorial in a recent post that answers the question.

Calculate the Remaining Yards in a Skein

Meeting Reminder

Carrying Multiple Wefts

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Ask Madelyn on Interweave presents a photo tutorial for carrying multiple wefts along the selvedge.

Buying Sheep Fleece

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If you're tempted to purchase a fleece online for spinning, check out the helpful advice on this Interweave post.

The article explains the topics to consider (weight, lock, ping, breaks, color, stains, vegetable matter, and skirting) before making the purchase.

Breaking in New Handcards

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Most handcards don’t come with operating instructions. Even under ideal conditions spinners face a learning curve to creating the airy rolags coveted for woolen spinning, but maybe there should be a warning label on new handcards: “Failure to break in handcards may lead to frustration when operating!” To make carding easier from the start, two carding experts offer tips for breaking in new handcards in this Interweave article.