Fiber, sheep festival benefits ag museum

STONE MILLS — It was a warm and fuzzy weekend all around at the Northern New York Agricultural Historical Society.

The weekend marked the eighth year the Jefferson County Sheep Association hosted a sheep-and-fiber weekend at the historical society, which also was home to a tractor show and child-friendly farm days Saturday and Sunday. Gate admission and proceeds from the Sheep Association's silent auction benefited the agricultural museum.

"This is kind of our way of networking with other people and letting them know we're here," Janet L. Schrader of Rodman, a member of the association, said Sunday. "It's just one more outlet to try to sell our things."

The Jefferson County Sheep Association, which was founded 10 years ago as part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension and has since branched out on its own, includes about 15 sheep owners from around the county. Although the weather was sweltering Sunday, members of the association were determined to spread the word about their sheep.

"We sell not only wool but also meat," Ms. Schrader said. "We're just trying to get people interested in our different sheep products."

Among these products were skeins of spun and unspun wool being dyed with natural dyestuffs Sunday afternoon. Ms. Schrader, also a member of the Watertown-based North Country Spinning and Weaving Guild, demonstrated how the dyers achieved an auburn color with pokeberries, a deep brown with butternut hulls and a vibrant yellow with a mixture of calendula, marigold and sunflower petals.

Also on display was a collection of flax and cotton plants as well as a few fibers from various animals. This has been designated the International Year of Natural Fibres by the United Nations, which seeks to raise global awareness of nonsynthetic materials whose production and processing create livelihoods for millions of people.

One person was raising awareness of natural fibers much closer to home Sunday: Pauline M. Drexler, owner of Springside Farm in Fabius. She was selling yarn and roving made from her herd of alpacas.

"It's hard to sell warm, fuzzy stuff in 90-degree heat, but I think there's a lot of new interest in natural fibers," she said. "For the people who are concerned about going green, this is a logical choice for them."

According to Mrs. Drexler, who spins some of the fiber herself and sends the rest to small mills in the region, the biggest challenge of the whole process is the alpacas' annoyance during the shearing process. Because all of the fiber is grown and processed in the state, it qualifies as a Pride of New York product.

"If you're talking the difference between a natural fiber and manmade acrylics, this is a renewable resource," she said. "It's a haircut; it's processed grass."

Nearby, Martha E. Crawford-King of Pierrepont Manor was processing her own sheep's "haircuts" by spinning wool from her 20-head herd. She said she enjoys the event both as a chance for publicity and as an opportunity to renew acquaintances.

"It's a lot of fun for all of us," she said. "We get to see friends we only see once a year. I think our main goal is to show the public what raising sheep is about."

Children and adults alike could watch as Ms. Crawford-King spun her hand-dyed fleece and even try out a drop-spindle or carding brushes for themselves. These methods of fiber production were once the sole ways by which clothing was produced.

"They're very intrigued," the sheep owner said. "All of a sudden they step back and say 'wow, things have really changed.'"