Shear talent expected at Windsor’s Fiber Frolic

Editor’s Note: Only part of Ardeana Hamlin’s advance on the June 11-12 Fiber Frolic in Windsor appeared in Tuesday’s Creating section. The following is the complete story.

Susanne Grossjean of Franklin – who has been weaving since 1972, two years after she came to Maine – likes to handle and see the fleece she buys and spins to create the raw material of her craft.

“I need wool from a special kind of sheep, like the Navajo churro or the Scottish blackface,” the rug weaver explained. “It has to be long staple [fleece], a certain coarse fiber. It’s difficult to find.” She needs a rugged fiber that will “stand up to being vacuumed, tromped on and swept.”

She may find what she’s looking for at the fifth annual Fiber Frolic, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 11-12, at the Windsor Fairgrounds in Windsor. Fiber producers will convene to show their wares, give demonstrations and share knowledge of all things fibrous.

“I’ve never been to the Frolic because that’s when I’m on Flat Island shearing sheep,” Grossjean said. But this year, she expects the shearing expedition won’t coincide with the Fiber Frolic. The event, she said, is important to those who use fiber to make products, such as her rugs.

Having fiber available is essential to her craft and makes it easier to find the kind of fleece she needs. “Raising sheep is a rough road,” she said. She raised “mongrel sheep” for a while, but no longer does.

“The Fiber Frolic is wonderful exposure [for producers and processors of fiber],” said Jani Estell of Monroe, owner of Star-Crossed Mill, which processes fiber from sheep, goats, alpacas and silkworms produced by growers throughout New England. “We don’t advertise. It’s all word-of-mouth.” She will be among the 75 vendors at the Fiber Frolic this year, as she has been since the Fiber Frolic began five years ago. “People from all over New England attend the Frolic. Interest in natural fibers is increasing, and interest in the Fiber Frolic is growing and growing.”

Last year, according to Michelle DeLucia, Fiber Frolic publicity chairwoman, more than 4,000 people attended the event, sponsored by the Maine Llama Association.

Alden Amos, author of “The Big Book of Hand Spinning,” will be a featured guest at the event. He will conduct two workshops on June 11. Other attractions will include the Maine Llama Drill Team, sheepdog demonstrations, fleece show and sale, a juried fiber goat show, herd management talks, packing with llamas, 4-H workshops and children’s activities.

Fiber – from raw fleeces to finished garments – will be for sale. The animals that produce fiber – sheep, alpacas, rabbits and goats – have the starring role in the event.

“It’s the place to see a lot of different fibers,” Estell said. “The Frolic is still growing. Technology is so fast-paced. I think people want to connect with something they can do with their hands.”

Some of the workshops offered are “Rug Hooking Flower Pin with Fiber,” “Immersion Dyeing,” “Felting with Cashmere,” “Knitting Cables” and “Hand-painted Dyeing.”

Children’s activities include dyeing fiber with Kool-Aid, a knitting needle demonstration, and a “fashionalooza” show.

And just for laughs, there’s the llama flapjack race and the llama limbo competition.

Admission to the Fiber Frolic is $3, $6 for a family and $1 for seniors. Children under 12 are admitted free of charge.

A workshop times and costs are available at www.fiberfrolic.com.

Ardeana Hamlin can be reached at 990-8153 and ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.