At this year’s Fibres Plus Sale, hosted by the Sunshine Coast Spinners and Weavers Guild this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 14 and 15, two special shawls will be on display and available for purchase.
The wool for these garments came from Olivia, a little white sheep who lives in Roberts Creek. What started as a bag full of dirty, greasy fleece, was transformed by several dedicated fibre artists who saw its inherent possibilities and decided to bring out its best qualities.
One guild member spent a lot of time washing, rinsing, picking and teasing the dirty locks of wool until they were free of vegetable matter and dirt, resulting in three bags full of soft, white, fluffy fibre. Two experienced spinners, when they saw the fleece’s transformation, took the wool to card, spin and ply into seven beautiful skeins of yarn. It wasn’t long before knitting needles turned this yarn into two lacy shawls, one of which is now a soft blue, having been dyed with homegrown indigo.
These “sheep-to-shawl” garments — made of local fibre, dyed with local plants, and fashioned by local artists — along with myriad other handmade fibre treasures, will delight everyone who attends the sale at the Seaside Centre in Sechelt, from 3 to 7 p.m. this Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
