1. Teeswater sheep.

Save the Sheep

Project Results

What is the Save the Sheep project?

Sponsored by Spin•Off magazine and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, the Save the Sheep project was created to promote understanding about rare sheep breeds within and beyond the spinning community. This project was motivated by a belief that diversity of fiber types is essential to preserving the full range of skills and cultural values embodied by the craft.1

1 If you'd like more information on the background of this endeavor, Deborah Robson elaborates on the Save the Sheep project in her article "Rare Wools from Rare Sheep-Part Two: Why endangered sheep matter to spinners," Spin•Off 23, no. 1 (Spring 1999), pages 90­93.

Imagine that it is November 17, 1999, and your desk is completely covered with boxes—ranging from tiny envelopes to human-size cartons. You are Bonnie Hoover—and you have less than three days to open, record, tag, and repackage 207 entries for the Save the Sheep contest! The great thing about your job is that you get to touch each piece—marvel at how it was made, and be enchanted by the story it tells. Each box contains the essence of a person or maybe a group of people, spun up into a lovely garment, household object, or artistic expression. Each box also holds the story of one or more endangered sheep breeds these spinners are passionate about. Maybe the fleece was grown by a sheep the spinner raised from a lamb, or maybe a group traveled to a local farm to choose a fleece, or maybe the fleece came from overseas by special order. Whatever the case, this is more than yarn: it is a connection—to a community of spinners and sheep breeders, to a way of life, and to the diverse ecosystem that we live within.

The spinners who entered the Save the Sheep contest ranged from beginners (even children working with their first handspun!) to professionals who make their living from handmade products. Sometimes this was the first time a spinner had used unprocessed fleece—and was learning not just how to spin the wool, but how to clean and comb the fibers. These 207 entries contained so many compelling stories, just as opening the packages revealed so many beautiful pieces. Some packages arrived from as far away as New Zealand, and some were hand-delivered by folks in the neighborhood.

Once they were logged in and tagged, we transported the pieces to Loveland's McKee Conference and Wellness Center. The center is part of the local hospital, and the folks there offered space when we ran out of room in the office. They set up eighteen large tables, ready to receive the work. Deb Robson, Robin Troxell, Lynda McCullough, and Amy laid out the pieces. We worked late into the night getting the room ready for the next day's jurying.

2. Bonnie Hoover all covered up by the entries to the Save the Sheep contest.

3. Stacia Ray organizes the entries.

4. Deb Robson, Spin•Off's editor, and Robin Troxell, editorial assistant, set up the pieces for jurying.

5. Stacia Ray, editorial intern, sorts the entries.

Save the Sheep exhibit selections

We are very pleased to announce the twenty-seven individuals or teams
(and their twenty-nine pieces) whose work will travel with the Save the Sheep exhibit.

Jeannine Bakriges, Brattleboro, Vermont. Bobble-cuffed Socks. Wensleydale.
Lena Benally, Keams Canyon, Arizona. Dibé b'iiná' (Sheep is Life). Navajo Churro.
Johanna Bolton, Brooksville, Florida. One Fleece = One Sheep = Tunis! Tunis.
Margaret Boos, Montague, California. Gray Hat. Cotswold.
Laurie Boyer, Orangeville, Illinois. Churro Hat and Cotswold Lock Jacket. Navajo Churro and Cotswold.
Brenda Bryon, East Sussex, United Kingdom. Scarf. Wensleydale.
Kaye Collins, Fort Collins, Colorado. "Coming Home" Shawl. California Variegated Mutant.
Mary Ellen (Melon) Corsini and Diane Ballerino-Regan, Supply, North Carolina. Round Mat and Macramé Change Purse. Navajo Churro.
Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer, Destrehan, Louisianna. Lace Blanket. Cotswold.
Teresa Gardner, Adrian, Missouri. Flock. Shetland.
Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, Cedaredge, Colorado. Window to the Past . . . View of the Future? Navajo Churro, Spelsau, Karakul, and Gotland.
Suzi Gough, APO/United Kingdom. Scarf. Wensleydale.
Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild, Birmingham, Alabama. Swedish Sweater. Shetland.
Rita Padilla Haufmann, Tesuque, New Mexico. Ojas del Otoño. Navajo Churro.
Betty Kelly, Dunedin, New Zealand. A Shawl for Great-Grandmother. Pitt Island Merino.
Sara Lamb, Colfax, California. Sunset Kimono. Shetland.
Catherine Lampman, Hendersonville, Tennessee. Ragg Socks. Shetland.
Joanne Littler, Fairfax, Vermont. Scarf. Shetland.
Heather Maxey, Mayne, British Columbia, Canada. Scarf and Cap. Manx Loghtan.
Robin Metzger, Corvallis, Oregon. Sheep Vest. Cotswold.
Shetland Guild of Spinners, Weavers, and Dyers, Weisdale, Shetland Islands, Scotland. Fair Isle Patchwork Coat. Shetland.
Anne Silk, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Lace Shoulder Scarf. Shetland.
Barbara Kent Stafford, Napa, California. Red Karakul Rug. Karakul.
Ellen Sullivan, Valley Center, California. Turtledove in Red. Navajo Churro.
Sarah Swett, Moscow, Idaho. Byzantine Vest. California Variegated Mutant.
Mary Underwood and Rebecca Lambers, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Colleen's Coat. Jacob.
Jan Viren, Hastings, Minnesota. Socks. California Variegated Mutant.

7. Jurors Deb Robson, Marty Hibberd, Terry McGrath-Craig, and Jane Fournier look at a piece. Judy Fort Brenneman, who masterminded jury hospitality and took on the responsibility of booking venues, sorts pieces in the background. You can almost see her.

8. Terry, Marty, Jane, and Deb examine a piece. Amy peeks as she walks by. Amy, who wrote this article, has, "after stumbling over the exhibit title a gazillion times, given up and now calls it Shave the Sheep." Which, after all, is kind of the point in the first place. . .

The jurors arrived early the next day.

Jane Fournier traveled from Montana. She is a frequent Spin•Off contributor and SOAR mentor, and the co-author (with her mother, Nola Fournier) of In Sheep's Clothing: A Handspinner's Guide to Wool (Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press, 1995).

Marty Hibberd and Terry McGrath-Craig drove down from the mountains. They own Hibberd McGrath Gallery in Breckenridge, Colorado, a fine art gallery that specializes in fiber.

Deb Robson is the editor of Spin•Off magazine.

For eight hours, the jurors worked hard to select between twenty-five and thirty pieces, the number that would fit a traveling exhibit. Working as a cohesive group—separating to study the pieces, jotting notes, and reconvening to discuss their thoughts—the jurors marveled at the breadth and depth of the work. Quiet conversations covered quality of spinning, appropriate use of the fiber for garment or object, use of color, overall visual impact, and whether or not an item would travel well or communicate its message to a general audience.

After a lot of talk, debate, and trying on of garments, the jurors unanimously agreed on twenty-nine pieces that would travel to museums for two years—bringing the cause of endangered breeds to the attention of spinners and to the public. These fine objects, made by spinners from all over the world, will demonstrate the importance of diversity in sheep.

Then the jurors discussed ways of celebrating the craftsmanship and exquisite use of fiber in some of the pieces that were not selected to travel with the exhibit.

Once all these decisions were made, work could begin on the presentation of the exhibit itself, as well as on the slide show, book, and swatch collection that are also being developed to promote the cause of endangered breeds of sheep.

Gratitude

Special thanks to these people for helping underwrite the jurying:
Solveig Lark, Gallery East, Loveland, CO
Shirley Ellsworth, Lambspun of Colorado, Fort Collins, CO
Karen Kinyon, Double K Diamond Llamas, Fort Collins, CO

Thanks to these people for great photos:
1 David W. Ward and the Teeswater Sheep Breeder's Association in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
4, 6, 7, 8, 12 Susan Strawn Bailey.
9 The Dorset Down Sheep Breeder's Association, Somerset, England.
10, 11 Nancy Van Tassel.