{"id":11874,"date":"2022-09-26T07:50:51","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T14:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gemtactics.net\/wordpress\/?p=11874"},"modified":"2024-09-24T14:14:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T21:14:51","slug":"fiber-at-the-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gemtactics.net\/wordpress\/2022\/09\/fiber-at-the-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiber at the Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’m always overcome by the predominance of wool at the fair as an agricultural product. I know now there are other fairs that focus on fleece, wool, yarn, etc. But this fair was the first time I saw it live. I just wander the aisles and run my fingers through the fleeces. I don’t think I’ll ever buy one because I’m not a spinner. But it is a really mystical process to me and I love being around it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fleece tent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I went to a few lectures. Two of my fiber heros, Susan Barrett Merrill and Susanne Grosjean, spoke about “The History of Spinning.” Susan talked about the origins of spinning – on a stone and on a spindle. I will give it a try. Then Susanne demonstrated the Great Wheel and talked about household spinning and the gradual industrialization. Note: they are both dressed in complete woolly goodness. It was a cold and windy morning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Susan Barrett Merrill and Susanne Grosjean, \u201cThe History of Spinning\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the fair went on around us. The sheepdog demos were behind us and the presenter used a microphone. And the bike parade passed by, making a lot of noise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interrupted by the Bike Parade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Susan explaining the origins of spinning using “mammoth” fiber<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Susanne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Susanne demonstrating the Great Wheel, Susan in background spinning from a fleece<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She said she has 40 great wheels! They call them “her herd.” I found a really good blog post from a UK expert, explaining the Great Wheel and puncturing many misconceptions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/theknittinggenie.com\/2014\/03\/05\/youre-doing-it-even-more-wrong-or-how-the-great-wheel-survived\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group known as The Wednesday Spinners is always present at the fair. Here’s an article about them from 2016: Ellsworth American<\/a>. I was told this is their last year… They line up and preside over the fair and seem to spin it into existence (in my mind, anyway). It’s almost mythological. They draw a curious crowd, many young people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Wednesday Spinners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being an agricultural fair, there are a few sheep in the livestock area, an angora rabbit or two, but also this beautiful field of flax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A field of flax<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They have erected a permanent granite loom on the fairgrounds based on Merrill’s “Journey Loom” design. (I think it used to be wooden, needing to be replaced often.) Every year at the fair there’s a communal weaving done on it. It’s in the middle of the dye garden. I think that’s the indigo patch at the lower right in the photo. The dye garden could use some TLC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Granite \u201cJourney\u201d Loom with communal weaving<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was a very satisfying experience hanging out with a lot of fiber folk and their products. Strangely, there was not a wide variety of yarn for sale, mostly worsted weight. A little hand-dyed. I don’t need a lot of yarn though, I’m more interested in dyeing cloth, paper, and thread. From one booth, I got the idea to mix goldenrod and cochineal for orange. I want to give that a try before my goldenrod fades away. My favorite dyer “Forage Color” (Jackie Ottino) didn’t have a booth this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tomorrow, another fair post, more food related. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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