Woolapalooza

Drumlin Farm held its annual Woolapalooza today, reminding people that wool, its origins and its products, is a crucial material in frigid temperatures of Winter and Spring in New England!

My hands were tingly and numb as I drove home from spending a couple of hours learning about how we get from the raw materials of sheep's wool, to the beautiful warm sweaters, hats and mittens that we so needed during these last few months.

From the sheep shearing, to sheep herding, to dying the wool, to spinning, and knitting and weaving: the event reminded us how complicated and labor intensive these processes can be. The children enjoyed watching the large but relatively calm ewe, getting a 'hair cut'. I was interested in learning about the different natural materials used for the dye. Onion skin gives a brown tint, a type of lichen gives a purplish hue, and beetroot gives a beautiful shade of magenta.

It was all very fascinating, even though it was a rather windy and cold day for late March. Now I just have to sit down and put it into words and produce a newspaper article for others to enjoy!