The Black Creek Spinners showcased some of their woolly creations on Saturday during a “sassy sock parade” at the Vancouver Island Fibre Fest in Campbell River.
“What you’re going to see is a group of women and young ladies coming out, all wearing different types of hand-knit socks,” said Judy Ridgway, a festival organizer.
“Most of the wool has been sheared and spun and dyed by the Black Creek Spinners, and they make it into wool, and they make their socks with homemade, hand-dyed wool.”
Among them was Jery Lowe, who described the process of making your own clothing from homegrown wool as highly rewarding.
“You feel like you’ve really accomplished something,” said Lowe, owner of Laughing Crow Farm in Black Creek, where she has three sheep.
“The sheep are lovely, they’re a very nice addition to a barnyard,” she said. “I grew up on a dairy farm and the sheep are much easier to handle, much less work.”
She started spinning after a friend gave her a spinning wheel.
“Then I got more sheep, and then I got alpacas, and then I got llamas and then I got goats,” she said. “And then I became a master spinner, and now I spend most of my life spinning and knitting.”
Fibre Fest continues on Sunday, with a marketplace at the Campbell River Community Centre open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is by donation.
You can find more information on the Fibre Fest website.
@davidgordonkoch
david.koch@campbellrivermirror.com
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