Shepherd's Harvest

Dave and I recently did some demonstrating for the friends who organize and oversee Shepherd's Harvest Fiber Festival at the Washington County Fair Grounds every May. Dave was knitting and I was spinning. The weather was grand, sunny but not too warm. Excellent day for seeing sheep, looking at products for knitting, spinning, crochet, weaving, felting and getting hands on a multitude of fun playthings.

We set out some of Dave's finest projects to be seen and touched and he was sitting at the table knitting. I was at my spinning wheel working on some dyed emerald merino wool. People stop, watch, ask a few questions. One little girl stopped because her mother wanted her to see what I was doing, but the little charmer was more interested in telling me about her sparkly tiara perched atop her shiny hair. She told me it hurts her head and we discussed the pain involved in being a princess.

Many people pull up a chair and just sit and chat about what is happening with the wheel and men want to know why it works (fortunately my mind works that way as well; and I can tell them). Boys want to know where Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger. One youngster confided in me he was keeping his sister safe so he wouldn't have to kiss her! We just chat while I spin. No fancy presentation boards or long lectures -- just people neighboring on about a craft from the past.

Sometimes, I am very aware of the people around me and sometimes I am intent on the fiber so don't fully realize someone has come up to watch. I did notice there was a dog nearby, but no one was asking questions at the moment so I didn't raise my eyes from the wheel. A voice at my side said, "Tell me what you are doing. I want to know how the wheel works."

She was blind. I now realized the dog at her side was a companion dog. There was also a friend with her. I asked how technical she wanted me to be. The friend finger spelled into the woman's hand my question, while she told me the young woman had limited sight and limited hearing. The young woman's face lit up and she said, "Tell me everything!"

I asked the friend to hold the dog lead and the young woman to put her hand on my shoulder so she was close and yet had a way to balance and identify her space. Then we began. With her other hand resting on the back of my right hand, we went over the wheel itself. Drive wheel, drive band, flier, maiden uprights, brake, brake spring, bobbin, orifice. She was catching on faster than some sighted people. She knew immediately that the drive wheel made the flier turn fast to spin the fiber. She asked great questions. She asked for permission to get down and touch the treadle.

I gave her some fiber and told her to "twiddle" it like she might do with her long hair if she was nervous. She laughed and started twisting the fiber in her hands. I said, "You are spinning! But, it would take a long time to get any product that way!" She laughed. I told her she could keep the piece of fiber. Then, I put both of her hands on mine so she was touching both my hands and the fiber I was holding. Together, we began to spin so she could feel it running through her fingers. She was thrilled.

Both women thanked me for taking so much time. I assured them that's what a demonstrator does -- I have no agenda, no product to sell, just information to give. She had one more question.

"Does spinning require much sight? I had a friend who's wheel I had hoped to buy, but she sold it before I could buy it. Could I learn to spin?"

I had to take some time to think. Her understanding and gentle touch were certainly sound. I told her I thought if she could find an interpreter who understood something about spinning and a patient instructor, she could spin. I suggested they keep moving through the buildings until they found someone selling or demonstrating drop spindles. I told them to ask to be able to try one or two. It's a good place to start sensing the fiber and the action. I didn't get a name nor a way to contact them. I certainly pray they found a way for her to experience what she was so enjoying.