News
2024 tickets and catalogs now on sale!
Posted: February 25, 2024
Tickets and catalogs for the 2024 festival are now on sale at https://mswf2024.eventbrite.com.
The deadline for ordering catalogs is March 15.
Don’t forget, registration for our 2024 in-person Fiber Arts Seminars is also open at https://www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool.
Registration for 2024 Fiber Arts Seminars Opening Soon
Posted: February 6, 2024
Registration will open at https://www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool on Saturday, February 17, 2024. Registration for Spinning Classes ONLY will open at 12 noon ET. Registration for all other classes will open at 2:00 p.m. ET.
2024 Featured Breed: Cotswold
Posted: February 10, 2024
Cotswolds are said to have been developed from sheep brought to England by Roman conquerors over 2,000 years ago. The name Cotswold derived from “cote,” a sheep shelter and “wold,” an open rolling field. The breed was well established by the fifteenth century and became the cornerstone of England’s wealth throughout the Middle Ages. The Cotswold region’s economy was founded on wool and the profits funded the grand “wool churches” in the area.
While there are a few newspaper mentions of Cotswolds in the United States before 1832, credit for the first imported ram to America goes to Christopher Dunn of Albany, New York. Cotswolds were originally imported to cross with Robert Bakewell’s Leicester sheep. Cotswolds rapidly grew in popularity and large numbers were imported over the next half century. The first notable purebred Cotswold breeder in America was Justus C. Haviland of Duchess County, New York, who established his flock in 1836. The breed grew in popularity, and in 1876 Henry Stewart wrote in his Shepherd’s Manual (1876) that the Cotswold “has become so common in America, and has been bred so extensively without fresh importations of new blood, that it may well be adopted as a native sheep.”
The American Cotswold Record Association (ACRA), founded in 1878, was the first sheep registry established in the United States. By 1913, the United States Department of Agriculture reported 74,455 Cotswolds in the country. The Cotswold became the favored sire to cross with range Merino ewes to produce market lambs. The resulting lambs had the size of the Cotswold with the finer fleece of the Merino. They remained one of the most popular breeds until the preference shifted to smaller earlier maturing lambs and the growth of the Australian Merino wool trade.
The Cotswold has historically been a dual-purpose sheep. As is the case with other longwool breeds, their meat is mild flavored with no “gamey” taste. In recent years, handspinners have discovered the unique qualities of the wool, including its strength, length, luster, and exceptional ability to take dyes.
Although large sheep with ewes averaging 175-230 pounds and rams over 250 pounds, Cotswolds have a gentle disposition. The 1891 breed description that ACRA still follows today even mentions the eyes should be “mild and kindly.” Cotswold wool has been called “poor man’s mohair” for its luster and soft handle when worsted.
Cotswolds are easy keepers, a trait developed from their origin as the only English “hill breed” of long wool sheep. Like other long wool sheep, they mature by two years. Cotswolds are wonderful mothers with easier lambing due to the ewe’s cone size flanks and wide pelvis as well as the lamb’s relatively small head size and long neck.
Particularly in England, the breed is sometimes referred to as the Cotswold Lion, both in reference to their magnificent bearing and distinctive wool locks around the face. Their fleece has also been called the Golden Fleece, referencing both the breed’s golden luster and the role Cotswold wool had in developing England’s wealth.
The Cotswold is classified as a threatened breed by the Livestock Conservancy in the United States and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in England. Throughout its history, the mission of the American Cotswold Record Association has remained the same. The goal of that mission to contribute to the conservation, development, and promotion of the breed for all members, breeders, and Cotswold enthusiasts. Since 1878, the American Cotswold Record Association (ACRA) has maintained the original breed standard and is committed to preserving the legacy of this historic breed. In the early 90’s, ACRA added a second separate registry (Black Cotswold Registry) which allows for color in the fleece. Today there are three registries for Cotswold sheep: ACRA, BCR, and the Cotswold Breeders Association (CBA). ACRA encourages all heritage sheep owners to register and support a breed association or the Livestock Conservancy. ACRA thanks the Livestock Conservancy for their support of our conservation efforts. The ACRA board meets monthly and offers newsletters, social and educational events multiple times a year for its members.
To find out more about Cotswold sheep including a breeder’s list, Cotswold merchandise, or to support the work ACRA is doing to save a heritage breed, check out ACRA’s website at www.cotswoldacra.com.
During the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, look for ACRA in the Breed Display Barn (Barn 7-8 on the map) and ACRA members showing Cotswold sheep! ACRA is honored to be the featured breed for 2024 and looks forward to sharing the magnificent Cotswold Lion with you!
Warm up for the Festival with Winterfest 2024!
Posted: November 10, 2023
Registration for Winterfest 2024 is now open at https://www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool.
Our third annual Winterfest will once again offer two days of virtual seminars. Winterfest 2024 will be held on Saturday, February 3 and Sunday, February 4 on the same Lessonface platform as last year.
Our Fiber Arts Seminars will feature the following instructors:
- Kate Atherley – Knitting
- Maggie Casey – Spinning
- Roy Clemes – Fiber Prep
- Shana Cohen – Knitting
- Jill Duarte – Spinning
- Laura Lineman – Knitting and Spinning
- Sarah Schira – Knitting
- Emily Wohlscheid – Fiber Prep and Spinning
New this year! Shepherds’ Seminars!
- Solar Grazing for Beginners with Emily Chamelin
- So, You’re Thinking About Adding a Livestock Guardian Dog: Here’s What You Need To Know with Rebecca Miller
- Everything But the Baaa: Maximizing Your Flock’s Value Through Farm to Retail with Sarah Campbell
Our keynote lecture on Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. will be A Year in the Life of a Handspinning Flock with Lee Langstaff. The lecture is free but registration through Lessonface is required.
Fiber Arts Schedule
Time (Eastern) | Class | Type | Instructor |
Saturday, February 3 | |||
10 am –12 noon | Getting the Most out of your Drum Carder | Fiber Prep | Roy Clemes |
The “Holey Grail” - Avoiding Gaps and Holes | Knitting | Kate Atherley | |
Spinning Carded Fibers | Spinning | Jill Duarte | |
10 am –1 pm | Variations on Blending Tweeds | Fiber Prep | Emily Wohlscheid |
Ode to a Beautiful Braid: How Do I Spin Thee, Let Me Count the Ways | Spinning | Maggie Casey | |
2 pm – 5 pm | Blending Textures: Creating Textured Batts | Fiber Prep | Emily Wohlscheid |
Gno Fun Like Gnome Fun (A Beginner Gnome Class) | Knitting | Sarah Schira | |
No Pattern Needed Custom Fit Hats | Knitting | Kate Atherley | |
Your Wheel is Smarter Than You Think It Is – Optimize Your Wheel | Spinning | Maggie Casey | |
7 pm – 9 pm | Scrappy Stuff – Textured Marble Fidget Toy | Knitting | Shana Cohen |
7 pm –10 pm | Spinning for Socks 101 | Spinning | Laura Linneman |
Spinning Textured Batts | Spinning | Emily Wohlscheid | |
Sunday, February 4 | |||
10 am – 12 noon | Mittens 101 | Knitting | Kate Atherley |
10 am – 1 pm | Gnome Beards & Bobble Noses | Knitting | Sarah Schira |
2 pm – 5 pm | Better Afterthought Heels | Knitting | Kate Atherley |
Mix it up: Combining Handspun with Commercial Yarn for the Perfect Sweater | Spinning & Knitting | Laura Linneman | |
Finishing Your Yarn | Spinning | Maggie Casey | |
7 pm – 9 pm | Exploring the Diversity of Wool | Spinning | Jill Duarte |
Handspun Wire Core and More | Spinning | Emily Wohlscheid | |
7 pm – 10 pm | Modular Knit Bowl | Knitting | Shana Cohen |
Shepherds’ Seminar Schedule
Time (Eastern) | Class | Instructor |
Saturday, February 3 | ||
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm | Solar Grazing for Beginners | Emily Chamelin |
Sunday, February 4 | ||
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm | About Everything But the Baaa: Maximizing Your Flock’s Value Through Farm to Retail | Sarah Campbell |
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm | About So, You're Thinking About Adding a Livestock Guardian Dog: Here's What You Need To Know | Rebecca Miller |
2023 Featured Breed: Jacob
Posted: April 26, 2023
Our featured breed for 2023, the majestic Jacob Sheep is a special addition to flocks throughout North America. Unique, regal, useful, hardy – with their strikingly impressive horns and spotted fleece, there are few breeds that excite the interest of others as does the Jacob. Read more about this special breed here.
The Jacob Sheep Breeders Association (JSBA) was formed in 1988 through the encouragement and guidance of the American Minor Breeds Conservancy (now The Livestock Conservancy) and is of prime importance in maintaining this majestic and ancient breed in its present form, as it is considered “threatened” on The Livestock Conservancy’s list. The purpose of JSBA is to ensure the conservation of this heritage breed through inspection, registration, and education.
Learn more about the Jacob breed and talk to JSBA members in the Breed Display Barn (Barn 7-8 on the map) while you are at the Festival.
2023 Festival Gear Now Available
Posted: April 2, 2023
A selection of 2023 Festival Merchandise is now available! We have short-sleeved t-shirts, long-sleeved hooded t-shirts, three styles of bags, and two sizes of posters.
There are two ways to get your gear early:
1. In store – go to the Ceresville New Holland, Inc./Sheepman Supply Co. showroom in Frederick, Maryland and select from the items on display.
2. Online – order at https://www.sheepman.com/product-category/maryland-sheep-wool-festival-online/. You can have it shipped to you, or to save on shipping you can pick it up at Sheepman Supply (to do this, enter “would like to pick up at store” in “special instructions”, and you will not be charged for shipping when your order is processed). Sorry, we cannot accept pre-orders for pick up at the festival. Online orders will be accepted through April 26.
Lots of additional items, styles, and colors will be available at the festival on May 6 & 7!
2023 tickets and catalogs now on sale!
Posted: February 26, 2023
Tickets and catalogs for the 2023 festival are now on sale at https://mswf2023.eventbrite.com.
Don’t forget, registration for our 2023 in-person Fiber Arts Seminars is also open at https://www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool.
Registration for 2023 Fiber Arts Seminars Opening Soon
Posted: February 9, 2023
Registration for the 2023 in-person classes will open at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 19 at https://lessonface.com/sheepandwool.
Warm up for the Festival with Winterfest 2023!
Posted: November 17, 2022
Our second annual Winterfest will once again offer two days of virtual fiber arts seminars. Winterfest 2023 will be held on Saturday, January 28 and Sunday, January 29 on the same Lessonface platform as last year and will feature the following instructors:
- Jillian Moreno – Spinning
- Kristen Walsh – Felting
- Maggie Casey – Spinning
- Kira Dulaney – Knitting
- Alasdair Post-Quinn – Knitting
- Esther Rodgers – Spinning
Our keynote lecture on Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. will be A Look Inside a Small-Scale Carding Mill with Angela Muller. Angela, a shepherd and the owner of a small mill located in central Maryland, Angel Locks Fiberworks, will take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of her small-scale carding mill and tell you how she established Angel Locks. Angela will explain how she set up her mill, and describe the functions of each piece of equipment she uses. Then she will share how she decides which equipment to use to process different types of fiber, as well as share how fiber enthusiasts can get the best results when sending fiber out to a small mill. Attendees will leave Angela’s lecture with a clear understanding of what happens to a raw fleece and the different steps the fiber goes through as it is transformed in roving.
The lecture is free but registration through Lessonface is required.
Schedule
Saturday, January 28
Time (Eastern) | Class | Type | Instructor |
10 a.m. to 12 noon | Introduction to Double-knitting | Knitting | Alasdair Post-Quinn |
Twisted Together: Crepe, Cables and the Endless Possibilities of Layered Plying | Spinning | Esther Rodgers | |
Straight Up: Spinning Vertically Dyed Braids | Spinning | Jillian Moreno | |
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | The Pros and Cons of Predrafting | Spinning | Maggie Casey |
Needle Felted Fox | Felting | Kristen Walsh | |
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. | Two-pattern Double-knitting | Knitting | Alasdair Post-Quinn |
The Long and the Short of It – 6 Ways to Spin Locks | Spinning | Esther Rodgers | |
Introduction to Cables | Knitting | Kira Dulaney | |
Fluffing your Braids: Making Worsted Braids Woolen | Spinning | Jillian Moreno | |
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. | Needle Felted Winter Landscape | Felting | Kristen Walsh |
6 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Twist, Grist, and Wraps per Inch | Spinning | Maggie Casey |
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Slip-Stitch Mosaic Knitting | Knitting | Kira Dulaney |
Sunday, January 29
Time (Eastern) | Class | Type | Instructor |
10 a.m. to 12 noon | Drafting Together: Working on a Parallel Plane | Spinning | Jillian Moreno |
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Finishing Your Yarn | Spinning | Maggie Casey |
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | A Look Inside a Small Scale Carding Mill | Lecture | Angela Muller |
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. | Advanced Beginner Double-knitting | Knitting | Alasdair Post-Quinn |
Sculptural Corespinning: Not Your Traditional Spinning! | Spinning | Esther Rodgers | |
Introduction to Entrelac | Knitting | Kira Dulaney | |
. | Color Value and Choosing Braids That Work Together | Spinning | Jillian Moreno |
2 p.m. to 5 p.m | Needle Felted Owl | Felting | Kristen Walsh |
6 p.m. to 9 p.m | Hand Cards, Not Just for Rolags | Spinning | Maggie Casey |
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | Texture in Double-knitting | Knitting | Alasdair Post-Quinn |
Color Blending: Unlocking the Spectrum | Spinning | Esther Rodgers | |
Gauge and Blocking | Knitting, Crochet | Kira Dulaney |
Registration will open at 1:00 PM ET on Saturday, November 19 at https://www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool.
2023 Catalog Cover Artist
Posted: March 30, 2023
Ashton Design
Since he first purchased three ewes from chairman Gwen Handler in 1985, David Ashton has been an integral part of every Festival. David created our iconic logo in 1987, giving us a visual identity that is now recognized around the world. Since then, David and the team at Ashton Design have assisted us with selecting our artwork, then taking that artwork and creating the design that we use each year for our catalog cover, posters, t-shirts, and other festival merchandise.
For 2023, we asked the team at Ashton to create an original illustration for us in honor of our 50th anniversary, and we believe they have done us proud.