Shearing day in Gaspereau Valley

I spent part of my EDO weekend in the Annapolis Valley, enjoying a little taste of the countryside for a change. I always feel refreshed after being home for a night. And this time of year is especially pleasant - with the lush greenery, newly ploughed and seeded fields, and the faint smell of manure in the air.

Today I did something a little diffferent though. My mother and I went to Gaspereau Valley Fibres to check out the shearing demonstrations and the International Back to Back Challenge.

We saw the cutest lambs (black and white!)...And then we watched Sarah Nettleton shear a Cotswold sheep...Sheep in a pen waiting to be sheared (or just sheared).

Sarah Nettleton demonstrating how to shear a sheep.

The newly shorn Cotswold wool.

After the shearing we checked in with the Nova Scotia team in the Back to Back Challenge. So, what's the Challenge, you ask?? It's a competition to produce a sweater straight from the sheep. A team of spinners and knitters get together and spin wool freshly shorn from the sheep and then knit the wool into a sweater. Last year the Toronto team won. Here's hoping the Nova Scotian team won this year!

Nova Scotian team hard at work spinning & knitting.

And how could I forget....a sight that made me giggle out loud. We caught a glimpse of Caprice, the Llama, after her turning being sheared.

Before (November 29, 2008):

After (June 6, 2009) :

Oh the indignity!
Poor Caprice!

Keeping my fingers crossed that I won a prize from their raffle today...but as I've not received a phone call, I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. Though I was really hoping to win a MacAusland Woven Wool Blanket from PEI.

No worries, though, I didn't leave Gaspereau Valley Fibres empty-handed. I found a knitting book I've been wanting for a little while:

Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle

There are shawl patterns from around the world in this book, but the one I really have my eye on is the Kimono shawl. I picked up some lovely wool from Gaspereau Valley Fibre's spring yardsale that I hope will do the trick!

Okay, well that's all from me right now. It's been a lovely and productive day (I managed to squeeze in enough time to wash my car + AmourAll the bumpers so it looks brand new again!). I must get to bed if I'm going to get to church in the morning. The weekend's not through for me yet, however, and I hope to take some time on Monday to do a bit more sightseeing in the HRM.