Lebanon County locals represent at Sheep to Shawl competition

Multiple Lebanon County locals participated in the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s annual Sheep to Shawl competition Wednesday afternoon.

During the competition, teams of five (six including the shearer) have two and a half hours to make a shawl out of freshly shorn fleece.

Each team has three spinners, a carder, and a weaver who handle different parts of the process simultaneously.

Michelle Voydik of Richland, also chair of the Isaac Meier Homestead, participated in the competition for the first time with team Baaahd Girls, which placed third overall and won the Teams Choice Award. The group’s theme was “Purple Mountain Majesties,” participating in the event’s overall patriotic theme for the country’s Semiquincentennial.

Voydik joined the group, which also includes team Baaahd Company, in May. Members hail from Lebanon, Schuylkill, Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton counties.

“I’ve always wanted to go and see the Sheep to Shawl, and this is my first time seeing it and being in the contest,” said Voydik.

She explained that spinning takes a lot of practice. The group meets every Tuesday to practice and get lunch. They also perform demonstrations, with Voydik noting that she has participated in demonstrations at the Isaac Meier Homestead.

“I think it has a lot of value,” said Voydik. “I know when we do demonstrations, we have people come up and ask us questions. Learning the old way of doing things, I think, is making a comeback.”

Hannah Scannel of Mutton But Trouble, which placed fourth overall and received the Weavers Award and Best Fleece Award, first began to foster her love of weaving as a member of Lebanon 4-H in 2011, though she has since moved out of the county.

As a kid, she competed in fleece to shawl competitions. Once she aged out of 4-H, she joined the Lancaster Spinners and Weavers Guild.

Mutton But Trouble’s red, white, and blue design was inspired by poppies and wildflowers, Scannel explained. Threads were warp-painted rather than being dyed in stripes.

“We were inspired by some of the local wildflowers that grew near us,” said Scannel.

Scannel explained that the group has participated in a few other competitions throughout the year to qualify for the Sheep to Shawl, listing the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival and the Bloomsburg Fair. They try to make at least a shawl per month to keep up skills, she said.

Lebanon resident Jen Maurer, also a member of Mutton But Trouble, said she has been spinning since she was 19 years old and participating in the Lancaster Spinners and Weavers Guild for five or six years.

She said the group encountered a problem with a spinning wheel, but overall she was proud of their performance despite challenges.

Though audience members filtered in and out over the course of the event, the bleachers were mostly full.

“A lot of people want to learn more about it,” said Maurer. “I had a lady ask me how you do this and I told her, ‘give me a call.’ It is a lot of time, but it’s a really neat craft that people don’t see or know a lot about.”

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This article has been edited to reflect that Michelle Voydik is a Richland resident. A previous version erroneously listed her hometown as Myerstown. We sincerely apologize for the error.