Cormo, Come Home!

Here’s the back story. At last year’s Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival,

I made a quick perusal of the sheep fleeces that were up for judging. One fleece stood out: an immaculately clean and well sheared Cormo fleece. It had been submitted by Jill Johnson of RiverWinds Farm . At the 2008 WSWF I’d purchased some yummy Cormo top from her, so I already knew her fiber was great.

I wanted that fleece. Not only was it beautiful, but it ended up winning the grand prize in the fleece competition. I really wanted that fleece. But I hesitated…..and someone else got it. D**n!

I thought about that fleece many times over the following months. I regretted my hesitation; I wished I had bought that fleece. I promised myself I would not make that mistake again.

Fast forward eight months. In May 2010, I drove up to Pickford, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula for the Spring Fiber Fling. It was a delightful event. About 100 people attended. There were workshops on Saturday and Sunday. And there were about ten fiber vendors.

One of the vendors, Joanne Dufour from Bark River, MI, I had met the previous October in a workshop I taught in Sault Ste Marie. She’s a delightful lady. We have a dance background in common (she still teaches dance). And she raises alpacas. In October, I’d purchased 4 ounces of some alpaca roving in a lovely pale fawn color (I’ve spun up half of it into a lace-weight yarn plied with silk thread). At the Spring Fiber Fling, she had her rovings and other items for sale. She encouraged me to fondle a particular combed top that was a blend of alpaca and Cormo wool.

Not just any Cormo, mind you!

It turned out that Joanne had purchased that dreamy Cormo fleece that won the grand prize at the 2009 WSWF. I could not believe my luck. After months of wistful reminiscences, I had the chance to own some of that gorgeous Cormo fleece. I bought 4 ounces. I set it aside to spin for myself. And I started that indulgent spinning last night. My goal is a fingering weight, softly spun yarn that I will knit into a lacey shawl. I will treasure each moment of spinning and knitting and wearing this fiber. Mine, all mine!

Here’s a picture of some of the top and the spun reference sample.