Kid ‘N Ewe
It was early November, and I decided to
go to the Central Texas Wool Market.
They call the wool market “Kid ‘n
Ewe”. Baby goats are called kids.
Female goats and sheep that are old
enough to be mothers are called ewes.
We went into the building where the
people were selling wool and spinning
and weaving.
There was a contest called “Fiber to
Fashion” that people were competing in.
Most of the people in the contest were
women. The women competed in
teams.
Some women on the teams got a loom
ready to weave.
Other women sat in chairs and took
wool from sheep and spun it into yarn.
When you get wool from sheep, goats
or llamas, you cut the fur off with
clippers in the spring when the
weather is warm.
Some goats and llamas are combed or
brushed to get their wool. Animals are
not killed to get wool from them.
Some teams used mohair from goats
to spin yarn.
One team used the trimmed fur from
llamas to spin into yarn. They called
themselves the Llama Mamas.
Some people from San Antonio had
newspaper cut into thin strips. They
spun the newspaper into a long strand.
The fabric made from the newspaper
was very thin and stiff. You can’t wash
it, because the paper will fall apart.
While the women were spinning and
weaving to make the cloth, I looked
around at the other displays.
Some people were selling wool that
was clean and dyed in different colors
ready to spin.
Some people were selling yarn already
spun and ready to use for knitting or
weaving.
Some people were selling spinning
wheels, looms and accessories.
There was another building in the
market. This was a livestock building
where the animals were.
The only animals I saw that day were
Cashmere goats.
They were really soft. Their wool
makes a very warm, soft sweater or
coat.
The cashmere goats had a show.
Women who owned the goats took
them out of the pens to be judged for
which was the best cashmere goat.
Some of the people raising goats were
young girls. Cashmere goats are
pretty small. They led them around on
leashes.
This little white goat won third place.
Back in the other building, the teams
competing in the “Fiber to Fashion”
contest were finishing.
To win the contest, you had to finish
something to wear, like a scarf or
shawl.
A lady judged the contest and gave
prizes based on which shawl was best
looking and had the fewest mistakes.
The shawl made of llama fleece won
third place.
The shawl made of newspaper and
string won fifth place.
It was a lot of fun to see the goats, and
looms and spinning wheels and yarn. I
also saw some old friends.
I liked the Kid ‘n Ewe Market so much, I
think I’ll go back next year.
The End