On March 16, 2024, our Saturday Morning Talk was on Sheep and Wool (& a whole lot more!) and we were please to have presentations by Waupoos Island Sheep, & Rosehaven Yarn Shop.
We had 43 people in attendance, and everyone was not only entertained, but learned more about sustainability in sheep farming, as well as wool and how it is processed. Archdeacon Nancy introduced Liz Johnston & Matt Fleugel of Waupoos Island Sheep, and Lesley Snyder of Rosehaven Yarn Shop, as our guest speakers at this joint presentation sponsored by St. Philip’s and the County Sustainability Group.
Liz led the Sheep presentation and walked us through Waupoos Island Sheep’s sustainability initiatives, from their sheep genetics, local food production, rotational grazing as well as grazing crop deposits (yup, you know what we are talking about), to wool as a “renewable” resource. Liz also talked about how their sheep are used to clean up the grass and weeds around solar farms – which is not only great for feeding their sheep, but also reducing the carbon footprint of traditional cleanup methods around the solar panels. Liz and Matt entertained us with their stories of moving the sheep from the mainland to Waupoos Island and back again!
After a quick break, Lesley Snyder of Rosehaven Yarn Shop spoke to us about the different types of wools available in her shop, including passing around skeins as a bit of a show and tell. Lesley was quite entertaining and knowledgeable, and sparked interest amongst the many knitters in the crowd. Lesley also talked to us about the trend in fashion of “fixing instead of ditching”. She spoke about the millions of pounds of clothing that go to landfill each year, and that the “look” of showing a repair made to our clothing is creating a splash. Lesley invited us to come and visit her at her shop on Main Street in Picton, and her website is https://rosehaven-yarn-shop.myshopify.com/.
During Lesley’s presentation we got to touch and feel the yarns and see what can be created through recycling everything from plastic bottles to old clothing, that gets repurposed into yarn to make into garments.
