The Spindle & Dyepot Guild (Wisconsin) took a field trip to The Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill to view the process of taking raw fiber through the steps of finished spinning, plying, and dyeing of the yarn. Of special interest was the washing procedure used with skirted but dirty wool. A top-loading washer is filled with water on the hottest setting, followed by adding detergent at three times the recommended amount for laundry. After mixing it well to dissolve the soap, the wool is submersed for 20 minutes into the water, then the washer is drained and the wool removed. The washing is repeated a second time before the wool is rinsed and spread over screens to dry. The wool is taken out between each cycle to fill the tub with water.

This year’s Roc Day celebration of the Lorain County Spinners and Weavers (Ohio) included wrapped prizes marked for a spinner, weaver, knitter, or felter along with donations for the “Kitchen Sink Yarn” experiment. To support the newbies, members were on hand to demonstrate and answer questions on how to spin a thin yarn, long and short draw, and Navajo plying. Each year this group donates to the Heifer International Project, and in 2007 contributions surpassed all previous totals. A large part of the money comes from the sale of tickets to raffle off their handspun shawls, handwoven or knitted by guild members. With the proceeds, they were able to give two “knitting baskets” of two sheep and two alpacas with the remaining funds buying goats.