YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio — The Midwest Festival of Fibers saw its 17th annual Wool Gathering at Young’s Dairy near Yellow Springs last month. It is the only Midwest meeting place where fiber producers, fiber buyers and artists converge for a one-day affair.

“A show like this is a win-win for everyone dealing with animal fibers,” said Nancy Blundell, owner of Fiber Fun near Solon, Ohio. “Owners of alpacas, llamas, sheep, rabbits and other animals are learning the hair from their flock can be sold at a good price. Buyers are looking for these owners who are willing to part with that hair so they can clean and dye it to sell.

“And artists reach out to both of these parties in order to create items like clothes, blankets, ornaments and a whole lot more.”

Blundell has attended all 17 Wool Gathering shows and is witness to the growth in the interest in animal fiber over the years. “This craft is booming and small producers and those on large farms are learning that there’s a good profit looming any time there’s a shearing taking place,” she said.

“Wool is probably the most popular fiber to spin, largely because of its versatility. It is also the easiest fiber for beginners to spin. There are several different breeds of sheep, and each breed offers a different type of wool. But since the very first Wool Gatherings we’ve seen an interest in spinning hair from other animals, even long-haired cats and dogs.”

Tom Marcum attends each year to sell sheared wool taken directly from his and a neighbor’s farm near Chillicothe, Ohio.  He had four 50-gallon bags each containing Merino, Rambouillet, Dorset and Cheviot. Blundell purchased all four bags.

“The Rambouillet is between two and four inches in length and it’s difficult for beginners to spin because of its softness and short fibers,” Blundell said. “The good part is its elasticity. The Dorset and Cheviot are very resilient, but lacks luster. It’s not well suited for felting but it blends well with long-wool fiber.”

While buying and selling of the hair was taking place there were hundreds of spinners and weavers on hand demonstrating their skills. The most common spinner on display was the spindle wheel, or “great wheel.” It played an important role in the development of yarn and wool spinning for decades, but more modern-day wheels are also in use. The Saxony wheel, castle wheel, Norwegian wheel and modern wheel are the preference of today’s spinners.

Buyers of the raw wool often clean, card and dye the wool before selling it to craftsmen. Natural dyes (such as alkanet root, annatto seed, Brazilwood dust, cutch extract and madder root) are preferred dyes.

“Natural dyes are becoming highly popular,’ Blundell said. “Madder root is a powder from the nutmeg tree, which is native to Indonesia. It gives material a rust color. Artists and craftsmen love telling the buyer the color is natural.”

Owners of domesticated animals such as cats and dogs are getting into the spinning act. “Dog hair must be two inches or longer to create yarn without blending other long fibers such as wool,” Blundell said.

“With dog hair it’s best to discard the stiff, scratchy outer hairs and keep the undercoat for spinning. If you have, say, a Persian cat or other long-haired cat, it’s best to bathe and blow dry the cat before having them shaved in the summertime. The fur gathered from just one cat grooming like this can yield enough yard to knit a fluffy hat or small handbag.”

In the show’s beginning craftspeople met at the Clarke County Fairgrounds near Springfield, but soon it was moved to the peaceful rural setting on the grounds of Young’s Dairy.

“We started with one tent; now we have four large tents to accommodate all the weavers and spinners,” said RuthAnn Rahim, the show’s president “Last year we attracted more than 9,000 in just that one day. And not only are we seeing new vendors each year with new woven products, but we’re seeing people who have spun hair from collies, oxen and even buffalo.”