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Registration: International Day - October 16th You won't want to miss this one day event in New York in honor of the International Year of Natural Fibres featuring nine speakers from the international fiber community. You will be engaged, enlightened and delightfully entertained. You will hear from Dr. Phuntsog and Konchok Stobgais from India's nomadic cashmere region; Fernando Alvarez a native Peruvian and the world leader and innovator of the qiviuk industry, along with Ray Lerwill, owner of the world's largest guanaco herd outside of South America, Linda Ligon, Founder and Creative Director of Interweave Press and more. Where: Holiday Inn, Kingston, NY. When: October 16th, 9:30-5:00. Early Bird Special: $85.00 - includes lunch. To register please call 207-594-9455 and receive a discount code for your hotel reservation. (Limited supply) Click here--Get your ticket now! |
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Heifer Hits the Sheep Shack |
  | The Sheep Shack in Holden, MA spent an evening with a group of wooly enthusiasts knitting their stretch of the world's longest scarf with the help of Heifer volunteer Alexis Vesely casting on the first row. According to Sheep Shack owner, Christina Lentz Larsen, the event was a great success for the store and for the project with six scarves being dedicated to Keep the Fleece. Photos courtesy of and copyrighted by the Telegram and Gazette; you can read more here. |
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The Cashmere Has Been Cast |
 | | Melanie Carr provides encouragement for Perry Louie who started knitting about two hours before trying his new talent on the World's Longest Scarf using yak yarn from Bijou Basin Yak Ranch in Colorado. |
The World's Longest Scarf was officially started at noon on February 27th at the Stitches West Convention in Santa Clara, California. What better to place to generate grass roots enthusiasm than at one of the country's most passionate knitting expos. Team Carolina Homespun had the honors of casting on the first scarf using cashmere donated by Wild Fibers Magazine editor, Linda Cortright. "I have been raising cashmere goats for fourteen years and never in my wildest dreams that I think my little herd of cashmeres would be part of this international venture for Heifer." The second scarf was cast on using yak fiber from Bijou Basin Ranch in Colorado owned by Carl and Eileen Koop. "We had no idea what we were getting into when we started raising yaks back in 2005," Carl confesses. "And now I see everything in terms of fiber. If I start examining the dryer lint I'll know I've gone too far." |
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The Longest Scarf in the World  There are many ways to be involved with Keep the Fleece but we want to encourage everyone to participate in creating the longest scarf in the world, Scarf "teams" from around the world will work towards raising 250K to build the world's largest fiber flock in cooperation with Heifer International. The rules are simple. The objective is to have fun. And the ultimate goal will not only benefit the sustainability of the fiber industry and the lives of those who are in greatest need. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of the United Nations global celebration of natural fibers. To learn how to get started, click on World's Longest Scarf in the main menu on the left side of this page.
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 United Nations International Year of Natural Fibers Since the 1960s, the use of synthetic fibres has increased dramatically causing the natural fibre industry to lose much of their market share. In December 2006, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres (IYNF); a year-long initiative focused on raising global awareness about natural fibres with specific focus on increasing market demand to help ensure the long-term sustainability for farmers who rely heavily on their production. There are many events taking place throughout the world in support of the IYNF and we encourage everyone to get involved either by participating in Keep the Fleece or creating a natural fiber venue within your own community. Find out more at www.naturalfibres2009.org |
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Natural Fiber Contest
Wild about fibers? We hope so! Select one (or more) of your favorite natural fibers and enter our International Fiber Contest. You can knit, weave, crochet, felt or make something totally wild out of natural fibers to celebrate the IYNF. All entries will initially be judged on line by registered members of the Keep the Fleece site. To learn more about the different categories and how to enter, click on Natural Fiber Contest in the main menu on the left side of this page. |
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