Judges

Terry Kunst: From Central Pennsylvania, Terry Kunst of Twin Ponds Fiber Farm, began her fiber adventure in 1994 with two Angora goats.adding over the years to build a herd of White Angora Goats, Giant and Giant hybrid Angora Rabbits, and hand spinning sheep including Border Leicester, Finn, Lincoln,! Merino/Rambouillet, Teeswater, and Tunisinspiration is never in short supply.! In addition to fleeces, mohair, and Angora rabbit hair, she creates roving blends, unique handspun yarns and hand-dyed yarns, hand knit one-of-a-kind garments, as well as Its Knit to Be Square knitting needles.! When not caring for the many animals on the farm, youll find Terry washing & dyeing, spinning, and never without a pair of knitting needles!!

Kris Peters: Kris has been spinning and weaving since 1975. A retired librarian, she has been a production weaver for a clothing designer and has competed in a number of sheep-to-shawl competitions. Kris maintains a small flock of sheep, a donkey and a few fuzzy dogs to supply her fiber needs.

Fiona Powell; Growing up in England, Fiona has been involved in Agriculture all of her life-Shepherding large flocks and teaching sheep husbandry. A lifelong knitter, Fiona learned to spin and weave when she moved to Pennsylvania. She has the experience of competing on several winning Sheep to Shawl teams. Fiona now spends her time teaching young people on the joys of spinning. She also works as a radio producer and well as a folk historian and storyteller. When out telling stories; Fiona is always accompanied by a spinning wheel.

Susan Keslar Simpson: Susan has been weaving for 13 years, having taught a design class at the University of Nebraska and in the Art Department at Bloomsburg University. She is a member of the Susquehanna Valley Spinner and Weavers Guild and the Spins and Needles Fiber Guild. Susan enjoys working with a variety of fibers and particularly likes playing with color and texture in her textile projects.

Welcome to the Pennsylvania State Farm Show

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

7th Youth Fleece to Shawl Competition

10:00 AM Official Start of the Contest 1:30 PM Presentation of Awards

35th Sheep to Shawl Competition

3:00 PM Official Start of the Contest 6:00 PM Presentation of Awards

6:30 PM Auction of Shawls From Both Sheep to Shawl & Fleece to Shawl

*** Auction of wool fleeces follows shawl auction***

Schedule of Events

7th Youth Fleece to Shawl Competition

10:00 AM Official Start of the Contest Judging of the Fleeces Spinning & Weaving Begins 11:00 AM Question & Answer Time 1:00 PM Judging of the Shawls 1:30 PM Presentation of Awards

35th Sheep to Shawl Competition

3:00 PM Official Start of the Contest Shearing of the Sheep Judging of the Shearing and Fleeces 5:30PM Conclusion of the Contest Judging of the Shawls 6:00 PM Presentation of Awards

6:30 PM Auction of Shawls From Both Sheep to Shawl & Fleece to Shawl *** Auction of wool fleeces follows shawl auction***

Definitions

Fleece: The covering of wool clipped from a sheep in one shearing.

Carder: A person who combs the fleece to clean and straighten the individual fibers in preparation for spinning.

Spinner: A person who twists the fibers into yarn by use of a spinning device such as a spinning wheel.

Weaver: A person who forms the fabric by interlacing warp and weft yarns on a loom.

Loom: A device used to hold one set of yarns taut (the warp) while weaving other yarns (the weft) over and under the warp yarns.

I would like to thank the following people for their tremendous help:

Tom Knisely: Coordinator Joanne Evans: Coordinator Laurie Hubbard: Announcer Sara Bixler: Timer, Photographer Olivia Knisely: Model

Harry Bachman: Auctioneer Brittany Truax, Assistant

Judging Criteria Sheep to Shawl means just that- a shawl created from the wool shorn from a sheep, spun into yarn and woven into the finished garment. Each team is comprised of a shearer, three spinners, a carder and a weaver. The judging is broken down into the following categories: Shearing: The shearer is judged on even shearing, uniformity, and lack of second cuts (shorter lengths of wool). Fleece: Cleanliness, condition of fleece, luster and crimp. Spinning: Spinners are judged on their individual spinning as well as how their spinning relates to the design of the shawl. The members try to spin very evenly to produce a uniform team product. Weaving: The judges will look for evenness in the weaving, checking closely for errors. The selvage edges are examined for evenness and lack of pull-in. The finished shawl must measure at least 22 inches wide and 78 inches long or points are deducted from the score. Design: The design and appearance of the finished shawl counts for a large percentage of each teams score. Judges look for originality in design, difficulty of weave, color coordination between warp and weft, softness and drapeability, and execution of the finished fringe. Speed: The teams are awarded a bonus for finishing their shawl first, second, third, etc. Speed combined with quality is the goal of each team.

Fleece to Shawl

The Twisted Sisters Dauphin County Madison Shaw - Spinner Rhiannon Fleming - Spinner Hailey Wolfe-Spinner Angela Villanueva-Weaver Cami Emerick-Carder

Crazy Crayon Colors Crazy Crayon Colors are the inspiration for the Twisted Sisters shawl. Thinking outside the box and coloring outside the lines, the girls have all selected their own unique color to express their personal flair. They have worked hard to prepare their warp by washing, carding, spinning and then hand dying the skeins to achieve just the right colors. The fiber for the warp comes from the Leicester Longwool sheep of Madisons family farm. The fleece they have chosen to use in the competition is a Border Leicester from a local Pennsylvania Sheep farm. To continue their concept of uniqueness; the girls have worked together to create their own design for the weaving pattern. All proceeds from the sale of the shawl will go back to benefit their 4-H clubs.

Fleece to Shawl

Sugar Valley Shepherds Clinton County Shanin Butler-Spinner Destiny Marshall - Spinner Alyssa Shock Spinner William Raudabaugh-Weaver Desire Weigel-Carder Carrigan Keller - Alternate

PA Wildlife Ever changing colors and textures, leaves blossoming and falling, serene flowing waters, an abundance of diverse wild animals; it is these elements in which we are fortunate to live, learn, create and grow. With this beautiful environment in mind, we recognize we are responsible for the protection of our natural resources. Therefore, all of the proceeds from the auction of our shawl will be given to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The Shepherds are using commercial, American made, Harrisville Highland yarn for the warp in rich shades and tones of brown, rust, umber, hemlock, lilac, navy and orange which represents nature. The weft; a beautiful soft cream, is from our Shetland sheep, Petunia. Our weave, creatively designed is symbolic of natures varied and numerous patterns and will be a combination of tabby and twill. The result is a completely unique and custom designed shawl highlighting elements and qualities of both nature and the PA Game Commission.

Sheep to Shawl

Time Warp Montour County Carl Geissinger - Shearer Emily Kephart - Spinner Ivy Allgeier - Spinner Katherine Dashner - Spinner Libby Beiler - Weaver Jeff Johnstonbaugh - Carder

Pollocks No.18, 1950 In August of 1949, LIFE magazine published an article about an artist who, at that time, was virtually unknown, but a New York City art critic hailed Pollock as possibly the greatest American painter of the 20th century. For this years Sheep to Shawl competition, our team has been inspired by the work of Jason Pollock, specifically, a painting entitled No.18, 1950. Pollock worked on canvas that was stretched out on the floor rather than on an easel, dripping and splashing the paint to create his art. The warp for our shawl was dyed using this same method, and the crammed and spaced weave structure reflects the ebb and flow of Pollocks work. Our warp is handspun Border Leicester and the weft will be provided, once again, by Donovan, a three year old CVM/Lincoln cross wether, bred by Lydia Piper of Gurdy Run Farm in Halifax, PA.

Sheep to Shawl

Butler County Pedalers Butler County Megan Gutekunst Shearer Linda Gross - Spinner Babeth Raible - Spinner Dawson Dibbern - Spinner Wini Labrecque Weaver Ann Malik - Carder

Pennsylvania Preferred-Made in Pennsylvania The Butler County Pedalers have chosen the theme PA Preferred for our competition shawl. The PA Preferred program is a support of products made in Pennsylvania. Our shawl is an 8 harness pattern based on a Name Draft design incorporating the words PA Preferred 2014. A name draft is a form of pattern design that assigns a harness number 1 through 8 to each letter of the alphabet. The words are then converted into a number sequence to thread the loom. Adjustments are made to the pattern for a pleasing look and balanced weave structure. You will not actually see the words in the weaving-it is all a number sequence. Check out our display board for a more detailed explanation! We have chosen our shawl colors to represent the PA Preferred logo. The logo colors of blue and yellow are shown in the warp threads of our shawl in hand spun, hand dyed, Romney wool yarn. We intend to weave the shawl using a Romney wool fleece.

Fleece to Shawl

Sugar Valley Sheep Clinton County Leah Miller-Spinner Casey Bolink- Spinner Edward Valerio - Spinner Andrew Peluso -Weaver Melanie Jodun-Carder Jacob Richardson-Alternate

North American Bats Talking about wings! Just as we have been aided by the Sheperds, we too have a desire to offer aid to the North American Bat whose population is being depleted by the spread of White nose syndrome. The Sugar Valley Sheep are using commercial American made Harrisville Highland yarn for our warp in subtle, yet rich shades of lavender, fuchsia, grey, rust, umber and black. These colors represent the colors most commonly found in the seven breeds highly affected. For our weft we will be using the beautiful marbled black and white fleece of our Shetland sheep-Oreo who is the lamb of our sheep-Petunia. Petunias fleece will serve as the weft for the shawl created by our peers on the Sugar Valley Shepherd team. We will weave this distinct marbled fleece using a combination twill and plain weave pattern to produce a uniquely designed shawl which reflects the colors of the bats as well as the beautiful natural patterns found within their wings. Proceeds from the sale of this shawl will be donated to the Raymond B Winter State Park Mifflinburg, PA) to support their ongoing efforts to save our bat population.

Fleece to Shawl

The Fibering Five Dauphin County Chloe Powell-Spinner

Alexandra Fries - Spinner Tabitha May - Spinner Elizabeth Villanueva-Weaver Amy Mayle-Carder Lisa Miller-Alternate

Ronald McDonald House-Shamrock Shake Drawing inspiration from the Shamrock Shake at McDonalds, the team has worked hard to process, prepare, spin, ply and then hand dye their warp for their shawl. The fleece for the warp came from a Leicester Longwool from Dauphin County and will be dyed using yummy shades of mint representing the Shamrock Shakes and coordinating with the off white Pennsylvania Border Leicester fleece being used for the weft. The pattern for the shawl is a birds eye twill creating a splendid shawl. Proceeds for the shawl will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House which is supported by the sale of the Shamrock Shake.

Sheep to Shawl

Friends Thru Fiber

Franklin County Dan Dailey - Shearer Darcy Maier - Spinner Jill Schooley - Spinner Julie Shindle - Spinner Michelle Lushbaugh - Weaver Joyce Mellott - Carder

How to Make a Baseball What do sheep and baseballs have in common? The inspiration for our theme this year was drawn from the Discovery Channel video, How to Make a Baseball. Did you know that every baseball made for professional ball contains wool yarn wrapped around a cork core? We decided to celebrate this fact and the love of a favorite Pennsylvania pastime by creating a wearable baseball. This shawl will be perfect to wear to a cool spring game or the fall playoffs. The white and light taupe colors of our shawl represent a worn baseball. The interwoven V-patterned red threads depict the baseballs lacing. Our warp threads are hand spun and hand dyed. The side panels are a design adapted from a Marguerite Davison pattern, Ginnys Coat, and the central panel is a name draft of the word baseballs. The weft is a Corriedale mix sheep from the flock of team member, Joyce Mellott.

Sheep to Shawl

Dream Weavers Northumberland County

Jack Smith - Shearer Abbigail Schrack - Spinner Carol Chaapel - Spinner Joanna Smith - Spinner Francie Appleman -Weaver Wayne Appleman - Carder

Partridge Rock Rooster Cock-A-Doodle Doo! With Agriculture as our States number one industry, and strong ties to the family farm, it is not surprising that so many Pennsylvanians keep a few chickens. Our shawl celebrates one of the most colorful patriarchs of the backyard flock,-the Partridge Rock Rooster. The warp for this shawl was handspun from a wool/mohair blend from Gurdy Run Mill, Halifax to give it the luster and sheen of feathers and hand dyed in the colors of a Partridge Rock Rooster, from its crimson comb and mahogany back to green body and yellow legs. The weaving pattern is designed to imitate wings and feathers.

Fleece to Shawl

Bountiful Bobbins Adams County Rachel Stoner-Spinner Miriam Shea - Spinner Dorothy Marquet Spinner Meredith Singleton-Weaver Paul Tily-Carder Jacob Stoner-Alternate

Farmers Markets We all love the fresh fruits and vegetables found in our local farmers markets. Nothing can beat homegrown tomatoes, apples, squash, grapes, peppers, corn and broccoli. We have taken these colors from the markets and used them for our shawl inspiration. Beautiful reds, oranges, greens and purples are all displayed in a point twill. Our fleece this year is generously donated by Daisey, a ewe from Finnegans flock in York, PA. Daisey is a silver Finn sheep and her fleece has great hand. Proceeds from the auction of our shawl will go to support the East Berlin 4-H Fiber Club

Fleece to Shawl Awards

1st Place Team:

2nd Place Team:

3rd Place Team:

4th Place Team:

5th Place Team:

Spinners Award: Weavers Award: Fleece Award: Teams Choice Award:

Sheep to Shawl Awards

1st Place Team:

2nd Place Team:

3rd Place Team:

4th Place Team:

5th Place Team:

6th Place Team:

7th Place Team:

Spinners Award: Weavers Award: Shearers Award: Teams Choice Award:

Sheep to Shawl

For the Love of Ewe Cumberland County Hoyt Emmons - Shearer Lisa Logue - Spinner Leah Martin - Spinner Hannah Gaydos - Spinner Rachel Logue- Weaver Kathy Ammerman - Carder

Peacock Feathers Peacock feathers are the inspiration for our shawl. The hand spun and dyed warp of our shawl is Romney wool from Kathys flock of sheep The warp was dyed with commercial dyes in shades of blue, green, purple, turquoise, brown and gold. The shawl is woven with a peacock twill pattern by Gail Rudisill from the book 60 Scarves for 60 Years. We are weaving with a white fleece from a Romney ewe out of the flock belonging to Kathy Ammerman.

Sheep to Shawl

The Ewetilitarians Lancaster County Kristen Rosser- Shearer Donna Mentzer-Spinner Paula Bieber-Spinner Beth Sterling-Spinner Audrey Buchanan-Weaver Ann Wysock-Carder

Tutelage : The teaching of an individual student by a teacher Our shawl is based on a 4-shaft huck-lace threading. Often called huck-a-buck by the Pennsylvania German weavers, it was a common style of weaving in Lancaster County. Though different treadling combinations can produce many varied weaves, we have chosen one that produces squares formed by the warp and weft floats. The boxes, created by the floats, give a wonderful texture to the finished weave when removed from the tension of the loom. The warp is homespun by the members of the Lancaster Spinners and Weavers Guild. As you can see by our samples from our practices, there are different effects brought to the pattern by

different usages of color and sheep breed.

Sheep to Shawl

Just a Little Twisted Dauphin County Nathan Good - Shearer Angie Shaw - Spinner Deb Winslow - Spinner Deb Bishop - Spinner Ashley Shaw Weaver Deb Schmittel - Carder

Wine and Cheese The team has hand washed, carded and spun the Leicester Longwool warp for the shawl using roving from Ashleys flock of Leicester Longwool Sheep. The team then hand painted the warp using varying shades of Pennsylvania wine to achieve the beautiful colors of red and purple which complements their theme of Wine and Cheese. The shawl will be woven together in a twill pattern using a lustrous white fleece from Flo, a Leicester Longwool also from Ashleys flock. Profits from the sale of this shawl will be donated to the Dauphin County 4H Fur N Feathers

club so that the club can achieve their dream of visiting the National 4-H Center in Washington DC in March, 2014.