Culture Kick Off

If there is one thing I like to talk about as much as gardening, it's fibre! In September, I volunteered for the Sundre & District Museum's Art & Culture Days. This turned out to be the kick off weekend to a Fall and Winter chock full of cultural events!

A few years ago, I had developed a display of Farm to Yarn, showcasing the steps involve in yarn production.  I have every thing from antique hand shears to the spinning wheel.

There is an amazing array of fibre tools - some which are familiar and their use is obvious. Others, not so much! I will freely admit that I'm a gadget junkie, I love a hobby that has so many gadgets and tools! Fibre tools can often be made or repurposed from household items. (but don't use Dad's electric razor to sheer a sheep!)

Shears - Whether hand forged or electric, sheep or alpaca - the goal is the same, get the fluff off the critter!

One of my most prized possessions.
My Great-Grandmother's drum carder.
My cousin remembers it been used to make quilt batting
when the aunts would meet to make quilts together.

Carders - Typically we think of hand carders, which are really only a larger version of dog slicker brushes. In fact, that's what I started with and that's what I give to children to use. There are also drum carders that do the same job - bigger and faster with a hand crank.

Pickers & Flickers - There are a variety of tools, whose goal is pretty much the same - fluff up the wool and get the dirt and hay out of it. They can range from tiny carders to something that resembles a medieval torture device!

Combs - These are nothing like your hair combs! These have rows of wicked looking spikes, at least 4" long, that could do some serious damage!

Diz - A funny sounding name for a very simple device. It's usually a small disk with a hole in it. You pull the fibre through the hole and it magically creates a long rope of fleece, ready to spin. I have a very pretty pottery one, found at a fibre festival, of course. However, almost anything would work - like a large coat button.

Spindle - I don't know how Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger, spindles are not sharp! They are essential a stick, often through a disk, that you spin like a top to twist fleece into yarn. My first spindle was made from a cardboard ribbon spool, a dowel and a cup hook. It worked like a charm. 

Spinning wheel - Rather self explanatory. These generally are powered by foot pedals and have bobbins which can hold more yard than a spindle can.

Niddy Noddy - That's a fun word to say! You know how you coil a cord or hose around your forearm, from hand to elbow? A niddy noddy acts as your forearm. It's three sticks, put together like the letter H, that you wrap yarn around to make a tidy loop.

Swift - Remember the images of a child or husband holding a big loop of yarn, so Mom could wind it into a ball? The swift replaces that squirmy child and is super satisfying. It spins while you wind - the cats especially love it!

Lazy Kate (perhaps Susan's sister!) - A simple device that hold multiple bobbins (spools) of yarn

Near the bottom of the table on the right, you can see the antique hand shears that were used to shear sheep before the advent of electric clippers.

I didn't just set up the display tables. I also spent two days at the museum demonstrating spinning and carding wool. I brought small brushes that allowed children to have a try at carding wool. We sat outside in the sunshine (because carding is a bit messy) and watched the variety of entertainment. There were artists painting, singers on the stage, Jingle dress dancers, rope making demonstrations and more. There were also a few craft classes - my Mom and her cousin took a Japanese book binding class.

"Proper" hand cards on the left,
dog brushes on the right

I think it's important to have interactive activities. I'm a very tactile person and all those signs that say "Do not touch" are directed at me! In addition to allowing the kids (or anyone else) to card wool, I created a matching game. There are so many animals and plants that we get fibre from. I have taken the opportunity at fibre festivals to collect as many samples as possible. I have silk worm cocoons, cotton, alpaca, camel, sheep, llama and more. I made a matching game for the kids to match the fluff to the animal or plant it came from.

I think it's important to take a moment to see what our local communities have to offer. We often forget to be tourists in our hometown. In addition to this event, our local museum has year round children's programming, a Halloween Haunted Village and hosts Winterfest on Family Day weekend. Often museum events are free or by donation, making it a very affordable day with family or friends.

Carded wool makes little wooly sausages, 
called rolags that you can spin from