By CINDY LADAGE Illinois Correspondent PORTLAND, Ind. — This was the 16th year for the Jay County Fiber Arts Festival, March 8-10, during which visitors had a chance to attend demonstrations of several varieties. The event was started by Gyneth Ausgburger, tourism director for Jay County, who explained, “I raised sheep as a kid.” French Angora rabbits were a big hit at the show. Blueberry, a lovely angora from Kanichen Farms out of Kalamazoo, Mich. – where they raise both Silver Fox and French Angora rabbits – took in a lot of attention. David Kanichen explained a little about angora wool to those admiring Blueberry: “Angora is eight times warmer than wool. It is almost too pure and warm to use alone.” That Saturday, Barbara Ruden of Those Yarn Rabbits from Fort Wayne, Ind., was set up with her French Angora rabbits demonstrating how to pluck angora right from the animal and spin it into yarn. “The pluck is called a cloud. You can pluck wood every three to four months,” she explained to passersby. She started raising rabbits as a way to know where her fiber comes from. Currently she has seven, and has had as many as 20. The featured artist for the festival was Kate Larson, who raises Border Leicester sheep on her family farm in Alexandria, Ind. She teaches hand-spinning and knitting in central Indiana and around the country, and at the festival she lectured about the fascinating history of Dorset buttons and how these led to a cottage industry in England. Several breeds of sheep were represented at the festival. Sheryl Meacham of Gwenyth Glynn Longwools of Sellersburg, Ind., raises Wensleydale and Teeswater, which originated in England. “This group of sheep (produces) … the most lustrous and rarest fiber in the world. We have our wool hand-dyed for us,” she said. She was teaching a knitting class using the unusual Teeswater locks at the show, which offered an array of other classes, like a chance to dye raw fiber. Set up directly behind Gwenyth Glynn Longwools was a sheep-shearing demonstration; kids were especially interested in this. For those wanting to get into fiber arts, materials from yarn to looms and spindles were available. These were smaller versions of some of the looms and spindles that take up a huge space, as well as more affordable for the beginner. At Susan Markle’s Trading Post for Fiber Arts, she was selling wooden spindles used to wind yarn. A young woman named Nelly demonstrated how to accomplish this. Kay and Charlie Story of Kaleidoscope Treasures in Rushville, Ind., also offered two different types of looms for sale. The inkle loom, Kay Story explained, “makes guitar straps, show laces, and headbands, belts, et cetera. And the Din loom makes squares.” She had a lovely quilt laid out with squares from the Din loom to demonstrate exactly what the completed work looks like. Both looms could fit on one’s lap. The award-winning Tracy Burns of House on the Hill Rug Hooking Studio of Connersville, Ind., also was set up with her loom and showed how to hook rugs. The kids’ area at the festival had demonstrations of quilting, hand-hewn wood carving, a storyteller, and more. Next year the event will take place on March 13-14. This event is a great educational tool that tells the story of farm to cloth; learn more at http://fiberarts.visitjaycounty.com |
