AFTER more than a decade, the Esperance Spinners and Weavers returned to the Esperance and Districts Agricultural Show – spinning and knitting for a special cause.
The group performed a two-day demonstration to create a woollen jumper from donated fleece for auction, with all proceeds going to drought-stricken farmers in the Eastern States.
The idea first came about earlier this year, when the group was presented with the ‘International Back to Back Wool Challenge’.
It was not long before the Esperance Show committee and Kolindale stud, Wickepin, came onboard to support the idea, donating fleece valued at more than $130 to create the jumper.
With the current international record for shearing a sheep, handspinning and knitting a jumper just four hours and 45 minutes.
Spinners and Weavers member Janet Goodwin said the group would leave tackling the challenge for another year.
“This is just a demonstration – we’ll leave that (the challenge) for this year,” Ms Goodwin said.
“We’re really working as a team, with some of us spinning, some of us plying and others knitting.
“Today is definitely team work and it’s worked really well.
“It’s been a learning curve for everybody.
“Everyone has their strengths and some tips and tricks and we exchange information along the way.”
Ms Goodwin said showgoers had displayed a great deal of interest in the group’s work, with people of all ages stopping to watch the demonstration and share their own stories.
“There has been a huge amount of interest throughout the show in what we’re doing,” Ms Goodwin said.
“A lot of people have come to us and said ‘oh, my granny used to spin’ and ‘I’m shearing an alpaca next week, would you like the fleece?’.
“We’ve also been approached by several people who have an old spinning wheel at home and are eager to learn how to spin wool themselves.
“It’s been absolutely wonderful and we’ve had a lot of parents showing their children the process.
“We’ve had people of all ages (express interest).
“The little kids want to come and feel the wool and watch the process.
“It’s good because a lot of them don’t know where woollen jumpers come from.
“The jumper will go to a silent auction at a later date.”
Having seen the keen interest from onlookers for himself, show president Graham Cooper congratulated members on their work.
“They were great, really great,” Mr Cooper said.
“Everyone wanted to know what they were doing and what they were using to do it.
“People just can’t believe that it’s gone straight from a fleece to a jumper.”
The group, which formed in the 1970s, meets every Friday at the Esperance Masonic Village from 9am.
