Northern Michigan Lamb & Wool Festival

Special Events

September 26-28, 2008

Here's what our special events were in 2007. Check back in January for 2008's special fun!

Felted Bag Show

Saturday, noon to 4 pm

We want to showcase your uniquely beautiful fiber creations. Felted Bags will be the theme for 2007, so get out those fibers, knit, weave, or otherwise make a bag and felt it, or start from the felt!. Bags must be made of mostly natural fibers; no commercial synthetic felt should be used.

This show is not juried, and any level of experience is welcome, from total novice to professional. Yarns can be handspun or commercial; you can follow a commercial pattern or make up your own; you can be a professional or amateur.

We will have a special Junior division this year, for fiberists 12 and under.

Prize-winning categories are:

• Best Use of Color
• Most Unique Shape
• Best Use of Embellisment
• Most Functional
• Best Use of Texture
• Best of Show

Judging will be by "people's choice" at the show. There will be a winner in each category, with prizes, announced at 5:00 pm on Saturday. Voting will be from 11 am through 4 pm. You must arrange to pick up your entry (after 4:30 on Saturday) or have a friend do so; we will not accept mail-in entries or returns.

Registration requested, so we can be sure to have enough volunteers to hang the show. Special Event Registration Form.

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Super Silly Spinning Challenge

1 pm Sunday

Our first SSSC was lots of fun, as brave spinners risked their egos spinning with rubber gloves on and while blindfolded (and found it wasn't as bad as they expected! :) Now it's officially an annual event, so oil up your wheel and spin for the fun of it--not to mention, a chance at some great prizes!

Registration requested, so we can be sure to have enough needles and yarn available. Special Event Registration Form.

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Charity Knit-In

All Day Saturday and Sunday

Bring your needles or use ours; bring your stash (machine-washable yarns only, please!) or use ours, and make 4-inch squares to be assembled into scarves and donated to a women's shelter. Bright and colorful, or soft and subtle--lift your spirits while you knit, and the spirits of those sheltering from domestic violence!

You can knit in the Hospitality Area while taking a break from classes, demos, shows, and, of course, shopping; or you can knit squares ahead of time and bring them in. If you have machine-washable yarns, suitable for scarves, that you'd like to donate, bring it to Hospitality any time during the festival.

Registration not required--just drop in and knit!

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Knitting Relay Challenge

Starts 3 pm Saturday

And in response to a request for a special "challenge" for knitters, Teresa has come up with a fun event to mirror the Super Silly Spinning Challenge for handspinners. There's no cost to participate.

Come with a team of four knitters, or be assigned to one randomly. We will provide needles and yarn and a cast-on row. Team members then knit five minutes as fast as they can in garter stitch, then the timer rings and the member "passes the baton (needles)" to the next team member. At the end of the relay, the number of rows will be counted, and the three teams with the most rows win prizes!

The resulting strips of knitting will be combined with the squares from the Charity Knit-In to make scarves for the women's shelter. Superwash wool yarn donated by Debbie McDermott of Stonehedge Fiber Mill.

Some details may change a little; check back here as the Festival approaches for the most current info, or contact Hospitality Chair, Teresa Harrison, at 989 642 8895 or tkh25@joimail.com.

Registration requested, so we can be sure to have enough needles and yarn available. Special Event Registration Form.

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Guild Displays

All Day Saturday and Sunday or as Scheduled with Hospitality

Show off your fiber talents, guilds! Get your members to dig out their best (or worst!) projects, with or without a theme, and bring them to the Festival to display. Your guild is responsible for bringing the items, arranging and watching the display during the festival, and tearing it down. The buildings are locked at night. There's no fee, but space is limited, so contact Teresa at 989 642 8895 or tkh25@joimail.com to reserve your spot as soon as possible.

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Demonstrations

As Scheduled with Hospitality

• Last year's demonstration of weaving and spinning by the AuSable/Manistee Fiber Guild was a big hit. We're expecting them back this year, on Saturday.
• Members of the Lake Charlevoix Area Weavers Guild will demo putting a warp on a loom using Kati Meek's trapeze method Saturday and Sunday, mornings at 10 am, and afternoons at 2 pm.

If you or your guild is interested in putting on an educational demonstration, contact Teresa Harrison, at 989 642 8895 or tkh25@joimail.com, to reserve a time slot.

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4H Livestock Conference

Saturday 9 am - 4 pm

Held in conjunction with the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival for the first time in 2006, the partnership was a great success and will continue in 2007. The conference will help adults and youths prepare for the 4-H Horse and Pony, Poultry, Rabbit, Sheep, Swine, Beef, and Dairy Projects. Sessions begin at 9 am and continue until 3:50 pm.

The Livestock Conference is open to all northern MIchigan youth and adults interested in 4-H livestock prjects. Sessions will be presented by industry professionals, MSU Extension staff, MSU Specialists, Natural Resource Conservation Service staff, and Farm Bureau representatives.

Registration fee is $5. For more information or to register, contact Dorothy Munn, Ogemaw County MSU Extension, 989 345 0692, munnd@msu.edu.

Thank you for making this yet another fabulous sheep and fiber year!

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