Barn to Yarn in Hopland

A couple of weeks ago I went to the UCCE Field Station at Hopland to participate in their annual Barn to Yarn event. I brought display items and gave a talk about Jacob sheep and my friends did a Sheep-to-Shawl demonstration.

Barn to Yarn display

Handspun Jacob wool shawl on left, mostly handspun Jacob blanket in center, handspun Jacob scarf on right along with other woven items, yarn, buttons, etc.

Locally grown yarn

Yarn dyed with coreopsis, black walnut, hollyhock, and weeping willow.

Lineate hat

Lineate hat, a kit using my yarn, soon to be on my website. By the way I just looked up “lineate”. “Marked with lines or stripes.” An obsolete definition is delineate. Now the name makes sense to me.

Horn buttons
Rigid Heddle loom
Rigid heddle loom warped with wool.

I brought two rigid heddle looms that I was working on…

Child working on rigid heddle loom.

…and another for other people to try.

Prepping wool for spinning.

The sheep-to-shawl team uses this event as an opportunity to try out new ideas before the Lambtown competition. This year there was an ambitious plan to weave a v-shawl. First, the teasing.

Spinners at sheep to shawl demo.

Next, the spinning and plying.

Spinning wool in sheep to shawl demo
Weaver in sheep to shawl demo.

Alison was the weaver and master-mind of the plan.

Finishing handwoven v-shawl.

Many hands finishing the shawl once it was off the loom.

Finished v-shawl in sheep to shawl demo.

The finished piece (before final wet-finishing). This is a triumphant accomplishment in the time given. They spun fine yarn and wove at 16 ppi.

Sheep to shawl team

Way to go team!!!