Rodney and Mojo, two handsome sheep from Wilson Creek, nearly upstaged dozens of talented fibre artists at a gathering presented by FibreShed and the Coast’s Spinners and Weavers Guild last Sunday. The sunny weather drew a big turnout to the yurts at FibreWorks Studio and Gallery in Madeira Park, where visitors watched while shepherdess Wendy Gilbertson led the two wethers (male sheep) to be shorn of their thick, lanolin-rich wool.
Sheep shearer Joanna Walker of Langley gave a talk about what to do with the mass of fresh wool, which fibres to discard (or use in your garden) and which fibres to spin into yarn. She works with BC4H club in Langley where she teaches enthusiastic kids woolcraft and fibre arts, and she encouraged Coast residents to form a chapter here.
On the FibreWorks premises, spinners and knitters had set out their work. Shirley Hall spun dog fur, combed from a Bernese mountain dog, while others spun alpaca and llama wool or demonstrated the carding machines.
The highlight of the day was a Scottish tradition known as waulking, in which a group of blanket weavers, members of the Guild, marched behind John Webb, bagpiper of the Pender Harbour Legion Pipe Band, carrying their creation. At a table the women kneaded and slapped the wet woolen blanket in order to soften and align the fibres. As they worked, they sang the Skye Boat Song or chanted in rhythm. The blanket is woven in a twill pattern using fibres of sheep, alpaca, llama and dog, all locally sourced, and it will be the Guild’s entry into a show in Victoria. (See: www. scswg.wordpress.com or www.sunshinecoastfibreshed.wordpress.com.)
Most visitors took the time to see the current FibreWorks Gallery show from artist Shamina Senaratne. It is a display of meticulous work – 420 hand-cut, hexagonal shapes, each one different, fused onto organza. The show will be up until the end of April. Phone 604-883-2380 for hours and location.
