February 2023 WAFA Show Program

FEBRUARY 2023

February 24, 25, 26

FIBER FESTIVAL Meet the Vendor: Audra Otto

by Tedi Jansen

Teeswater Sheep

by Lizette Hopkins

Taking Your Pets for a Spin

by Amy Bowling

http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

MEET THE TEAM Without our team, none of this would be possible!

Founder Ellen Zawada; Owner of Wool and Fiber Arts LLC Vendor Team - Heather Campbell, Lorna Violet (Mentor Program), Jean Story, Danielle Lefor Wallace, Candice Smith Customer Team -(anything that happens publicly in WAFA) - Erika Lindgren, Heather Campbell, Molly Richter (craft-along), MAry Dillon, Katelyn Dunn, Candice Smith, Jessica Holt Pack, Amy Olshewski Bowling Marketing Team - Raven Reynolds (social Media) Ellen Zawada, Tedi Jansen Inclusivity Team - Liza Q. Wirtz, Alaura Pittman, TeDi Jansen, Vidya Gopalakrishna Travis, Maddy McLendon Education Team TeDi Jansen, Alanna Wilcox

Wool and Fiber Arts Show Program Editor in Chief Graphic Design Ellen Zawada Tedi Jansen

Vendor Schedule Pages 4-9 Teeswater Sheep Page 12-13 An Interview with Audra Otto Page 18-19 Taking Your Pets for a Spin Page 26-27 Palette of the Month Pages 3&32 Vendor Guide Page 34-40

AB Farm and Garden

Palette of the Month

Zephyr Creek Farm

Greenwood Fiberworks

JessieJavete Fiber Arts

Photo by Kat Bierkens of Terra Mia Farm

Dunn Spunn

Curly C'ewes

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

FIBER FESTIVAL s ' y a d i Fr ule d e h 24th Sc PST

MST

CST

Eastern

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

Marge Sundholm Designs

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

Forget my Knot Fibers

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

Lair of The Llama

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

True Creations Woodturning

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

Sheepishly Made & MCS Livestock

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

Ewe2me2u

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

Stephinostitches

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

Whirlwind Ranch, Inc

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Yarn By Kate

11:30 AM 12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

Lucky Silver Fiber Arts

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

Wild Hair Studio

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

Hidden Pastures Luxury Fiber Farm

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

The Spinner’s Stash

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

Windy Acres Fiber Mill

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

TLD Design Center

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

FIBER FESTIVAL

's y a d i Fr le 24th u d e h Sc PST

MST

CST

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

Jehovah Jireh Farm and Fibers

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

2 B Ewe

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

Curly C'ewes

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00PM

Stitched By Mama Witch

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

Copia Cove

5:00PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

Knitspin

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

Rusty Spur Ranch and Creations

Eastern

Notes ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

's FIBER FESTIVAL y a d r u t Sa dule e h 25th c S PST

MST

CST

Eastern

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

Mulch and More Crafts

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

Zephyr Creek Farm

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

Gritty Knits

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

Spinaway Farm

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

Cedar Hill Fiber Farm

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

Greenwood Fiberworks

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

Forever Growing

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

Jubilee Farms

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

Merino y Vino

11:30 AM 12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

Annie Morton Designs

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

Fiber Ops Ranch

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

Melissa's Yarn Barn

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

Susan's Fiber Shop

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

3L&S Farms

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

Create Yarnworks

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

FIBER FESTIVAL

s ' y a d Satur ule 25th d Sche PST

MST

CST

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

Dunn Spunn

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

Exquisite E Yarns and Rovings

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

Wine and Wooly Design

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00PM

SpinGlitz

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

Chadwick Sheep Company

5:00PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

Fresh Lotus Design

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

JessieJavete Fiber Arts

Eastern

Notes ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

FIBER FESTIVAL s ' y a d n Su dule e h 26th c S PST

MST

CST

Eastern

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM Blackberry Blossom Farm

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM Sherwood Fiber Arts

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM AriBo Arts

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM Leaf Livestock Wool Co

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM AB Farm and Gardens

11:30 AM 12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM Alpaca Pines llc Farm and Fiber Mill

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM Wool-E Farm

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM Four Hearts Farm Mainely Fiber

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM Clear Sky Fiber Arts

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM Flannel Cake

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM Faith Hope Love Studio

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM White Fireweed Farm

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM Macedo's Mini Acre

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM Esther's Place

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00PM YarnTravel

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM Liongate Farm llc

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

FIBER FESTIVAL s ' y a d n u S edule Sch 26th

Notes

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www.SpinGlitz.com

LIVE Saturday at 7:00 pm eastern

Romney Fiber Friends @3L&S Farm's Offer some Spectacular Fleece and Color Shepherdess, Penny Swearingen will provide warm colorful farm raise raw fleece, natural Romney roving, COLOR!! Surprise awaits as along with all the Romneys is Daisy Mae, a Teeswater whose locks just might show up in some of the color! Plus a surprise gift!

www.3lsfarms.com

LIVE Saday at 4:30 pm eastern

The Teeswater Sheep

Photo from Susan McFarland

by Lizette Hopkins of SpinGlitz

This long wool breed hails from Teesdale, England and named for the river Tees. Bred in northern England for about 200 years primarily for meat, the numbers dwindled making the breed rare by the 1920’s. At that time, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust put this breed on its “at risk” list. There has been a resurgence since The Teeswater Sheep Breeders’ Association was formed in 1949. The aim was to encourage and improve the breeding of Teeswater Sheep.

This amazing long wool breed is in the process of being established here in the United States and Canada and is renowned for its unique long lustrous curls and distinct facial markings. The head is of medium length with large ears and purled locks growing between the ears. Teeswater wool should be fine, long stapled with a high sheen and each lock hanging free with no tendency to felt and uniform in texture over the whole body. The Teeswater sheep is intelligent and alert, yet among the most docile of breeds. The fleece should be uniform in texture with no dark fibers. The Teeswater produces a kemp free fleece, a characteristic it passes on. The wool is soft and supple to handle. It retains its curl and luster after washing and the luster remains after spinning giving the finished product a pearly sheen.

History: 1997, Dr. Gourley imported the first Teeswater and Wensleydale semen into the United States.

1998, The First 50 percent Teeswater lambs born in the United States and the Teeswater Registry was started. They registered almost 200 sheep before 2007 when the American Teeswater Sheep Association was organized. At the beginning of 2014 over 1000 Teeswater sheep have been registered in the United States.

The Teeswater Sheep Society of North America has been developed to provide support for the breed and breeders, the founding members have done the hard work and fought the battles with government red tape and starting from scratch. They state: While all North American Teeswaters have the possibility of creating a colored Teeswater. We will embrace those sheep as fortunate events and not a slight to the breed. Colored sheep have appeared in totally white flocks forever and have been given value through many of the established sheep associations, just as they are valued here. TSSNA also provides a gathering place for the breeders and fiber artists who create masterpieces with the beautiful fiber grown by these outstanding sheep!

Lakeland Majestic was the first Teeswater ram collected, and shortly after that the U.K. went through a bout of Foot and Mouth disease which halted the collection of any more rams for four years. With the restrictions finally lifted six more rams were collected over the years and have made the trip to the United States.

Currently, we are back to waiting for restrictions to clear the way for new genetics to be allowed to come in from the U.K.

Photo by Zephyr Creek Farm

The rams were bred with Wensleydale to create the Masham (pronounced Massam) as well as other hill sheep breeds. Here in the U.S.,Teeswater is being crossed with Merino and other breeds.

Statistics Average Mature Weight: Rams: 250 - 300 lbs. Ewes: 150 - 250 lbs Average Prolificacy: Yearling ewes - 200%, mature ewes 250%.

Birth Weight & Growth Rate: Lambs will average 10 - 13 lbs at birth with a growth rate that enables a lamb to reach 100 - 160 lbs at five months of age. Average lamb weight at eight weeks: Singles 50 - 57 lbs. Twins 40-48 lbs.

Micron Count: 30 - 35 Staple Length: 8 - 12 inches.

Yearling Fleece Weight: 10 - 15 lbs.

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LIVE Saturday at 4:00 pm eastern

www.Susansfibershop.com

February WAFA Sale Saturday, February 25th at 12:30 pm EST

https://Greenwoodfiberworks.com

Direct From Farmer

SHOP.COPIACOVE.COM

Zephyr Creek Farm

Shaniko Wool

LIVE Saturday at 10:30 am eastern

February Vendor Interview

with Audra Otto of Blackberry Blossom Farm HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS GET STARTED? I got 3 Nigerian dwarf goats for my 9th birthday and fell in love with goats. After discovering fiber and learning to spin from a friend and mentor, I bought my first registered Pygora goat in 2018. Since then, through retaining babies and bringing in other registered Pygoras, my herd has grown to 14. My mom and sister decided to start a shetland sheep herd 2 years ago, and bought a starter flock of 4 sweet sheep from good friends of ours.

The shetland flock now consists of 9 ewes and 2 rams. (That's me showing In the yellow shirt)

by TeDi Jansen

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS'S GOAL I want to be able to provide luxury and unique fibers to people in all situations, and with that, promote rare breeds of animals and advocate for homegrown and sustainable fiber and other goods.

My goal is to provide our animals with the best of treatment and process their gift of fiber with the utmost care.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ANIMALS We have Pygora goats, Shetland sheep, Nigerian Dwarf goats, chickens, horses, cats and dogs. I love all of the animals, but I have a soft spot for the goats because of their big personalities.

HOW DID YOU LEARN YOUR CRAFT?

WAS THERE SOMEONE WHO INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR FIBER ARTS JOURNEY? My mom is vet, and when I was little, she’d often let me ride along on farm calls. One of the clinic’s frequent clients was a fiber farmer who raised Pygora goats and hand processed their fiber. She was, and is, very sweet and helpful- she taught me how to spin, care for Pygoras, and sold me my first Pygora goat. She is still a close friend and I’ve learned so much from her!

The lady whom I bought my first Pygora from taught me to spin and card batts.

My mom has encouraged me all along the way, and gifted me many of the tools and resources needed to shear, wash, dehair, card, dye, spin, and knit our homegrown fiber. Lastly, I’ve learned so much from this WAFA community and been inspired to step out of my comfort zone in numerous ways.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FIBER BLEND? My favorite blend of fiber is 50% Pygora cloud, 50% fine shetland wool. Of course this blend is special as it contains homegrown fiber from the animals who are like pets to us, but the fibers also complement themselves very well.

The silky soft Pygora is the perfect balance to the warm and squishy shetland.

WHAT MAKES WAFA SPECIAL FOR YOU? I love that this community is able and willing to support one another and is genuinely happy to see others succeed.

WAFA weekend is something everyone looks forward to and so many friendships have been made through WAFA.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS? I love to try new things and experiment with different colors, textures, etc. The beautiful scenery and nature of southeast MN is the perfect inspiration for fiber projects.

LIVE Sunday 26th at 6:00 pm eastern

Macedo's Mini Acres Enjoy our February WAFA Sale...

Alpaca items created by Larry and Maureen Macedo from their herd of alpacas in their hometown of Turlock, California. Dryer balls, yarns, craft kits, hats and scarves, along with an outstanding alpaca fleece or two.

www.Macedo's Mini Acres.com

www.Open Herd.com

www.ariboarts.com AriBo Arts is Iowa fiber artist Erika Lindgren. She specializes in One-of-aKind batts for spinners and felters as well as unique hand dyed apparel. In addition, she makes other hand processed fiber from small US farms, spindle kits, handspun yarn, stitch markers, fiber themed jewelry, handdyed project bags, along with knitted and woven items.

LIVE Sunday at 1:00 pm eastern

https://www.faithhopelovestudio.com/

www.liongate.org

liongatefarm@msn.com

LIVE Friday February 24th 10:30 am eastern

Forget me Knot Farm & Fibers is a family operation run by Amy & Brian Bowling, Madeline Krawciw & Zane Hardy. We breed, show, and raise llamas. We have alpacas and angora rabbits for fiber. The fiber part of the farm started in 2020. Since then we have started to specialize in llama products, blended batts with the softest fibers I can find, and unique combinations.

LIVE Friday February 24th 6:00 pm eastern

.While you’re with us, get the fiber for the project ewe have been dreaming about, or maybe just add to your stash. Merino/Teeswater/Cotswold/BFL/Gotland /CVM/Finn & some unique Crossbred Fleeces TURNING SUNLIGHT INTO FOOD AND FIBER

Hello from Leaf Livestock Wool Co., a lamb and wool farm, located in Northwest Illinois. We raise beautiful Natural Colored Columbia /Rambouillet sheep, Polypays, Merinos and Columbias. I would love for everyone to enjoy the finest spinning fiber and yarn that I am privileged to grow and use for creating. They physical and emotional rewards that accompany raising sustainable lovely wool go far beyond the beauty of the final product! We will have a variety of our Illinois grown wool available during the show; see you then!

LIVE Sunday at 1:30 pm eastern

www.leaflivestock.com

Join us LIVE Friday at 8:00 pm eastern

Included in this month's show will be limited quantities of hand dyed DK and worsted weight yarns, chosen to be colorful companions as well as some hand spun and maybe some knit items.

www.mulchandmore.com

Join us LIVE Saturday at 10:00 am eastern

Alpaca Pines Farm & Fiber Mill

www.alpacapines.com

Join us LIVE Sunday at 2:30 pm eastern

Palette of the Month

Whirlwind Ranchh

Jehovah Jireh

Mulch and More

Laif of the Llama

Sheepishly Made

The Spinners Stash

Fiber Ops

VENDOR GUIDE

fiber, garments, and jewelry

A Virginia fiber farm raising Finnsheep, laying ducks & bees.

VENDOR GUIDE

Exquisite E Yarns

VENDOR GUIDE

Fresh Lotus

VENDOR GUIDE

Jubilee Farms is a small farm located south of Clinton, IL

Liongate Farm Blue Faced Leicester Sheep Where we create a great day everyday!

VENDOR GUIDE

Marge Sundholm Designs

Rusty Spur Ranch and Creations We are purveyors of Fine Spinning Fibers and Handdyed Yarns. Raising Angora Goats since 2013.

VENDOR GUIDE

White Fireweed Farm Creating handmade fiber art from the fibers humanely harvested from our animals.

VENDOR GUIDE

Wool-E Farm We raise Romney sheep for the beautiful wool fiber

Raising Romeldale/ CVM and Teeswater/BFL Sheep in the Thumb.