Cathy Patrick Memorial Show - Part 2

Best Of Breed Thrianta - Cathy Patrick Memorial Show

July 28, 2007 Judge Howard Keller

Thrianta Senior Buck - Ear #MAN CCR's Mannetjevos

Bred and Owned by Elaine Harvey

This is probably my favorite show award to date. It's not the biggest, worth the most Sweepstakes points, the most famous or the most valuable...except to me. This second part of my show report is about why this award means so much to me.
Cathy Patrick was not a personal friend of mine. We didn't go to dinner after shows, we didn't sit and chat between classes, I never bought a rabbit from her nor did she specifically mentor me. I expect she would recognize my name because I'm active in the hobby, in shows and on public discussion groups, but I doubt she would come up and address me by name at a show. So why would Cathy's life and presence mean so much to me? Because I'm one of the many people she touched (as we all do) as she went about doing what she loved, judging and working at rabbit shows. Cathy was a tough as nails judge and an outstanding teacher to those with the fortitude to listen. For the breeders and rabbits deserving of her praise, she was equally generous of her support and admiration. Cathy taught me some very valuable lessons about raising and breeding rabbits. Some of those are:
-Never compromise. If the rabbit is not what it should be, go breed a better one.
-Don't accept mediocrity just because you can. Don't keep anything just because it is a rare color or you feel sorry for it. BREED BETTER.
-Listen to critique. Don't show your rabbit just to hear how 'pretty' it is. The judge has the opportunity to tell you what you NEED to hear, not just what you want to hear.
-Listen to EVERY judge. Even a judge who knows little about your breed can offer information that you can use to improve your breeding program.
-Listen to judging on any breed you can. Same concept. You WILL learn something that will help in your own program but only if you are LISTENING.
-Follow the rules. Cheating and cutting corners never bred a better rabbit. Ribbons and trophies and sweeps points are worth NOTHING if they are not earned honestly.
- WORK your program. Plan, Learn, Critique, Cull and keep working.

These are the reasons why this BOB award is so meaningful to me. I won this with a Thrianta of my own breeding in a program that I'm working hard on. The competition was worthy and challenging and the showmanship of all our breeders was excellent. I believe Cathy would have truly approved of the work and diligence I put into it. That work is my tribute to Cathy and that hat my reward.

Regarding Cathy Patrick herself. I really rale at the statement I hear so often "..she lost her battle with Cancer..." Cathy Patrick lost NOTHING. Cathy's life ended at the appointed time established by her creator and God. Only He knows the number of our days on this Earth. At the time of Cathy's death, she was valiantly fighting a disease that sought to destroy her body. The only way that Cancer would have been victorious is if Cathy had ever chosen to sacrifice the days given to her, curl up in a ball in the corner and stop living while her body still breathed. SHE NEVER DID THAT! Therefore it is Cathy Patrick who won and not Cancer! Cathy lived every single day of her life. She didn't allow Cancer to steal any of those days away.
Cathy Patrick fought valiantly and victoriously against Cancer and now rests free from pain and sorrow in the arms of her God.
Another lesson I'll accept from her gladly. That pink hat is not a memorial to Cathy's death, it's a testament to the life she lived and a hope that I could live as well. Thank You Cathy.

Cathy Patrick Memorial Show

You might want to go grab a snack for this one, it just might be lengthy. I will probably break this into 2 posts because I just can't quite find the right segque for my thoughts. First, the show.
This weekend was the Cathy Patrick Memorial Rabbit Show in Millersburg OH.
Many of you might ask "Who was Cathy Patrick?" Well, if you were a rabbit exhibitor, you might already know that she was a well respected Judge, District Director, friend and mentor. If you don't raise rabbits, you may not have heard of her, but you would have appreciated her...maybe or not liked her, but appreciated her. Let's suffice it to say that her life was such that a whole lot of people felt compelled to travel at no small expense to money, time or trouble to gather in her honor and do exactly what she liked most to do - Show RABBITS.


Total entries around 1600 for the show! In addition to the entry fees being donated to Cathy's family, the food was all donated, the raffle was all donated, the sanctions and even awards were donated! So much love and respect for such a great lady.





Bill Patrick (Cathy's husband) visiting with show friends outside.

Eric, smiling and ready for a day of judging.
Eric, later in the day after about 2 zillion Netherland Dorks (oops, Dwarfs. LOL)








WHAT a great raffle table!!! There were many special donations such as the customized nestbox (which Eric won) and the lovely stepstool. I won a beautiful fleece throw with an angel and bunnies on a pink background. The card with it said it that it was to represent Cathy's love of rabbits and the pink represented her valiant fight against breast cancer. I consider it a special treasure.











The Thrianta showing was FANTASTIC! There were 40 entries total with 17 (SEVENTEEN!) junior does!
The best part of the show of course - Look at all those smiles! T breeders really are just the BEST. The writters started off commenting that they'd never even heard of the breed. Half way into judging and just look at those faces. New interest maybe? ;)
Honorable Judge was Howard Keller who did a great job with this new breed.

Show results:
BOB - SrB (8 shown / 5 exhibitors)
Ear # MAN (CCR's Mannetjevos) Owned and bred by Elaine Harvey
BOS - SrD (4 shown / 4 exhibitors)
Ear # DG3 (CCR's Sunshine) Owned by Kim Kroak, Bred by Elaine Harvey
1st Place Jr B (11 shown / 7 exhibitors)
Ear #ORV Owned by Leanne Kelly
1st Place Jr D (17 shown! / 8 exhibitors)
Ear #THR (CCR's Thrintjes) Owned and Bred by Elaine Harvey

HUGE Thanks to the show committee for putting together this event where so many could gather and celebrate the life and work of our friend, mentor and favorite protagonist.

Cathy Patrick, ARBA Judge

Pretty Sheep

Icelandic Sheep

Gratuitous Sheep photos today. I was telling a friend who breeds Icelandic sheep about photos I'd received from another Icelandic breeding friend. First friend asked to see the photos and wondered if she knew the other breeder. (confused yet?) Well, the names didn't ring a bell but first friend still wanted to see the photos and I love showing pics of pretty sheep, so here ya go. If the owner of the sheep wants to identify herself, I'll let her tell me so and then I'll edit to add her name. I don't like doing that until someone gives consent. Anyway, enjoy these beautiful sheep photos with me. Icelandic wool isn't one I've worked with extensively as it's usually a bit coarse for my liking, though I've handled some lamb fleeces that were yummy. My preference is for the Shetlands which are very similar but finer textured. Both are beautiful breeds of small sheep with fleeces that serve many different purposes. Both have fine undercoats (thell) useful for next to the skin garments. Both have strong outer coats (tog) useful for outerwear garments or even utility purpose. Both are small, independent and VERY thrifty breeds to raise. Both come in a huge variety of colors and patterns. Both come from similar environmental and geographic areas and obviously are related back somewhere.

Remember me?

I hinted about it before and now it's really coming together.

I've been absent from this blog so long because I was working on big stuff. Lots of big stuff! So where is the BIG stuff? Right here!!!

You can click on the Logo above or go directly to the URL at

http://www.outofhandfiberarts.com/

I'm still learning my way around the fine tuning aspects of that site but it's working really well so far!
The official GRAND OPENING will be Saturday July 28 so for the next few days you can enjoy a sneak preview especially for my loyal customers who are checking this blog and my email lists.

There is also a YARN GIVE AWAY! Register your name in the entry by creating an account. Specific contest details to follow*. All information is used ONLY for site promotions and newsletters. Yup, newsletters. In the future there will be periodic newsletters with news of upcoming sales, articles, projects, patterns and photos from our customers!

Keep checking back to the store. I have tons more adding to do including yarn (if you have a specific color request, please let me know, I bet I have it.), spinning batts, angora fleeces, knitting needles and patterns.

*no purchase necessary but always appreciated. :)

This blog will remain my personal space for all sorts of stuff, bunnies, babies, bitchin'...all sorts of stuff. :) Can I start by saying that my behind was never meant to spend days on end sitting at a computer?! I really like the yarn photography stuff though. I've discovered all sorts of fun to be had there. The scary part? this is a dress rehearsal for even BIGGER things to come next year! yikes. :)

Safe or boring?

Check that out.

-

I'm not sure if I should be pleased...or bored. Oh my...

GRAND OPENING!!!

I finally got around to doing it. I've opened my own e-store. You can join me for some first class enabling at http://www.outofhandsales.blogspot.com/
I will be featuring handspun specialty skeins in wool, alpaca, ANGORA(of course). Soon there will be custom stitch markers, needle cases and counting tools, hand spindles. Look for commercially prepared luxury rovings and angora wool for spinning.
There will also be notices of classes and events in the central PA area. Payment is accepted via PayPal and can be made in the form ofcash transfer, checking account and all major credit cards.
Set your RSS aggregator to catch all the updates as products will be added every day or two and you don't want to miss anything. In factjust today there will be a few updates just to get things rolling.Check back often and don't miss a thing!

www.flickr.com Out Of Hand Sales' Yarns for Sale photoset

Pirates #3...

Please...do yourself a favor...SEE THE MOVIE! Your deserve it. This is a 2 3/4 hour vacation for your mind, body and soul. Brush up on your marine lore first though. This movie is not only the best action feature I've ever seen (and my dad is a movie buff) but it will keep you thinking throughout the entire movie. It truly exercises every part of your brain and takes you on a ride. Compared to the other 2 movies in the trilogy which were so fantastic in themselves, this movie completes the character development and you find out that there are no shrinking violets, no predictable goody-goodies, and the bad guys are really have heart and reason and they use all of it. Every single character was hero-worthy and not just Jack! Fascinating!

Mothers too early..

Not every Mother's Day happens as we expect it. Some mothers have the opportunity to express their deepest love very early in the lives of their children. As all of us with children know, that isn't always easy or happy. For those times there is a very special organization that supports those mothers (and fathers) and God's tiniest children. I'd like to introduce to you Newborns In Need.

Newborns in Need, Inc. (NIN) is a 501(c)3 charity organized to take care of sick and needy babies and their families; and in cases of crisis, to help where help is needed.

Newborns in Need, Inc. is founded upon Christian principles and provides essential items without charge to those in need. We have been serving God's tiniest children since 1992.

I was a member and BOD officer of a chapter in Norfolk until my home was destroyed by fire and we moved. I can honestly say I never worked for a more rewarding cause. At first it sounds morbid to enjoy making clothes for very ill babies or babies who die early in their short lives but imagine the compassion of saving that child's mother from having to go to a TOY STORE to shop for a special garment for her precious child. No grieving parent should ever suffer such indignity. You can be the person to share this mercy with another.
Now I am trying to organize a chapter here in Myerstown and I need your help. There is only one other chapter in PA about 3.5 hours drive northwest of Harrisburg. Our area of PA is devoid of active guilds, clubs or casual meetings for knitters, spinners and sewers. Let's correct that omission and be a blessing to others too. I am proposing an organizational meeting in Myerstown on Thursday May 25. There will be day and evening meetings. Decisions to be made will be location, days and times of meetings, choosing a Board of Directors for our chapter and a format for our meetings.
A typical chapter meeting includes brief business updates, planning events, the occasional speaker or short program and lots of time for working together or individually on projects. Oh...and food. :) The business part of this first meeting will include filling out the application for chapter recognition from the national group and discussion of the duties of the officers. Oh...and food. :) Not a knitter or sewer you say? We'll teach you! Do you have a pattern to share? let's do it! Can you cook? Did I mention that knitters and sewers like to eat? :) An important part of meetings is socializing. Making new friends, enjoying 'old' friends, welcoming those who needed help into a circle of those who are helpers. Oh...and food. :)
So if you think you could join us for meetings once a month, day or evening, then please contact me at CCRfuzzy@gmail.com for directions to the first meeting. If you know others who would be interested in attending, please pass this info on to them.

Getting to know you...

1.WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING?
7:00
2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS?
Pearls...surrounded by diamonds.
3. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?
Night At the Museum
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE T.V. SHOW?
House
5. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST
Coffee and plain yogurt with fresh fruit
6. FAVORITE CUISINE?
Asian
7. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME?
Elaine (If you know the first name you've been entrusted with a State secret, don't make me kill you for exposing it.)
8. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE ?
..............................hmmmmmmmmmmmm...........................................
9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD AT THE MOMENT?
Movie soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribean or Sting Songs from the Labyrinth
10. WHAT KIND OF TRUCK/CARS DO YOU DRIVE?
Dodge Stratus
11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SANDWICH?
Toasted smoked ham and swiss on rye
12. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU DESPISE?
Dishonesty
13. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING?
a fancy flowing nightgown
14. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
Tibet, Ireland/Scotland, Egypt
15. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM?
Old white with gold metalic 'marbeling', preppy green and blue plaid curtains (NOT MY CHOICE!!!)
16. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE?
Rural VA
17. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST RECENT MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY?
30 was traumatic but not particularly recent (which is also traumatic).
18. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?
Football
19.FARTHEST PLACE YOU ARE SENDING THIS?
The ethernet
20. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
Anyone with good sense
21. PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND IT FIRST?
Those who read the blog.
22. COKE OR PEPSI?
Coke for full sugar, Pepsi if diet.
23. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY?
April 30
24. ARE YOU A MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON?
Afternoon
25. HOW MANY PETS?
Oh dear.... 3 that live in the house. ;)
26. ANY NEW OR EXCITING NEWS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
MDSW TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
28. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE?
Grown up
29. HOW ARE YOU TODAY
Excited to leave for MDSW TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
30. What is your favorite candy?
Valrhonna Dark chocolate
31. FAVORITE FLOWER?
Daffodils
32. WHAT DAY ON THE CALENDAR ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?
May 5 and 6 which is MDSW TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
33. SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU.
Tina is one of only a very very small group of people I can spend an entire LONG week at Farm Show with and never tire of her company.

AAAACCCKKKKKK!!!!!!!

Who the Hell ordered the DECAF!!!???

Please define: ILLEGAL

Dobbs: A peculiar day for immigration rallies
POSTED: 8:52 a.m. EDT, May 2, 2007

By Lou DobbsCNN
Editor's Note: Lou Dobbs' commentary appears weekly on CNN.com.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- What a spectacle, what a mess. What a day for thousands and thousands of illegal aliens and their supporters to march through the streets of many of our biggest cities demanding amnesty for illegally entering the country.
Tuesday was given over to illegal aliens and their supporters to demand forgiveness for using fraudulent documents and assisting others in entering this country illegally. What a day for illegal aliens and their supporters to demand not only amnesty but also the end to immigration raids and an end to deportations.
May Day was a peculiar choice for those demonstrations, a day in many countries in which international socialism is celebrated and a reminder of those old Soviet Union military parades.
It was also an unfortunate and ironic choice on the part of the organizers of the demonstrations. May 1 in the United States is actually Law Day, a day first established by President Eisenhower in 1958 and ultimately codified into law in 1961 at the beginning of John F. Kennedy's administration. The purpose of Law Day is to give all Americans an opportunity to reflect on our legal heritage, and by statute, encourages "the cultivation of the respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life."
I'll bet you know about the illegal alien amnesty marches, but I don't know of a single news organization, electronic or print that pointed out that May 1 is America's Law Day. The cable news networks gave almost wall-to-wall coverage to the illegal alien demonstrations, but they apparently couldn't find any American celebrating Law Day.
And no one seems to want to take note that we are first a nation of laws, and that without those laws and their enforcement, the foundation of our great republic turns to sand. What a spectacle on Law Day for demonstrators to demand amnesty for those who broke the law to enter our country, many of whom also broke the law with fraudulent documents.
And what a mess when the president of the United States and the U.S. Congress are pandering to a group of people who are not citizens and refuse to demand enforcement of our immigration laws, our criminal laws, and fails to secure our borders and ports.
I couldn't help but wonder as I watched monitors bringing images of the marches and demonstrations from all across the country, who should really be protesting on May Day. What about the millions of legal residents who followed the long, drawn-out process to secure a visa to enter the United States lawfully? Maybe they should be protesting. What about the seven-figure backlog at the Citizenship and Immigration Services agency of people who are following the rules. Should they demonstrate?
What about all of our fellow Americans who are being marginalized by the massive importation of illegal, low-cost and mostly uneducated labor into this country? Perhaps those citizens should take to the streets. And what about the more than 250 million Americans who make up our middle class and those who aspire to it whose wages have stagnated and who are paying for the social, medical and economic costs of illegal immigration? That's a big march.
If yesterday's demonstrators and their supporters in Congress and corporate America are serious about their deep desire for American citizenship, why don't we hear any of them clearly say they're willing to give up dual citizenship? Or that they're willing to learn English and surrender demands of bilingual education? Or declare they embrace English as our official national language? Or demand that illegal employers of illegal aliens pay for the social, educational and medical costs now borne by the taxpayers?
Yesterday was Law Day. I hope that we celebrate Law Day with a great national enthusiasm next May 1. I guarantee you I'll march in that demonstration.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.

And the count is on!

getting there..

New meds...new side effects. No, I'm not driving right now but I'm not doing much of anything else either. I'll get used to this in a little time.

Migraine

I'm out for a while folks. I'll be back after a visit to the neurologist.

My own Easter "bunny"

Happy Easter!

Photo Credits: Photo by Dianna of TLC Photography,

Caption by beadntat aka Kristina in Knoxville, TN, USA

...you thought it'd be a bunny didn't ya? Well, all the bunnies are out delivering eggs and baskets and had NO time to pose for silly photos. :)

Happy Easter everyone.

Hancrafter's spin off, Spinning

The long awaited next step in judging. This is the part of the judging process that I actually like much more - spinning.
Basically, each sample needs to be evaluated for it's actual PERFORMANCE in the hands of a spinner. The resulting yarn quality will be evaluated in the final step.
Tools of the trade: The spinning wheel. Now, any wheel can work, but this is my preference. I use an Ashford Elizabeth 2 Saxony style wheel set on single drive with Scotch tension. The reason I like this wheel in particular is that it has so many possible variations. It can be used double drive, single drive with Scotch tension (pictured), or direct drive. I choose SD with Scotch tension for this application because it allows me to fine tune and fine FEEL what is happening in the fiber. It also allows me to very quickly remove the tension completely so that I can wind the skeins.

Other tools: A small niddy noddy to wind the 4-5 yard lengths into a practical skein for evaluation. Pencil and score sheet obviously. The "flicker brush" is ESSENTIAL to this process. 10 points is assigned to 'preparation of fiber'.
Some people have used a mechanical drum carder to prepare the samples for Spin Off. The first problem here is that it takes at least an ounce of fiber to properly card on a drum carder. I don't NEED to actually work that much fiber in order to judge it adequately so anything over a handful processed is wasted. As far as I'm concerned, the person sending the sample deserves the assumption that their fiber is valuable and should not be treated wastefully. I am not going to spin a full ounce of fiber just because I already carded it and it is plain out WRONG to waste that fiber. The second problem is that you simply cannot compare how one fiber drum cards to how another drum cards. The drum is intended to make ALL fiber easier to work. There simply is no judgement to the process. Alpaca is known for needing minimal processing for use and that means flicking.
The last tool in the photo might be my hand but in reality, it's what is ON my hand; namely the bracelet. I find it essential to my process but that is better shown than explained.

Flicking. The flicker - yes, it is a cheap cat slicker brush and it's served me well for the $3.50 I spent on it 4 or 5 years ago - is bounced, not dragged, over the ends of the fiber. This serves to simply open up the fibers. On really long staples like the suri pictured it takes a patient effort to work from the end to the middle of the staple without breaking and losing the fiber. Fiber that is brittle or tender won't stand the process and ends up wasted. How well the fiber opens up and the amount of loss contribute to the score. I give every staple 3 taps per end. More than that and the points start decreasing. Extremely long fiber may well lose points here, but may gain them right back in the spinning and as a fine yarn later.

Drafting is an important part of how the fiber is scored for spinning. The best fiber is one that is not so slippery as to resist twist but no so tacky as to resist drafting. A great fiber lends itself to any type of draft I choose; short draw, long draw, spinning from the fold or novelties like slub or boucle. Huacaya fiber almost always drafts evenly from the cut or tip end but suri often spins well only from the tip. Basically, the more the fiber allows me to do, the better it is and the higher the score.


This is an example of what you do NOT want your fiber to do! This fiber was so covered in a black (?!) substance that my hands were covered after spinning just a small handful. The fiber was very sticky and required a lot of work to keep it reasonably smooth and even. This fleece would require washing before any preparation could be done. It's unpleasant and un-versatile. That equals a very poor impression on the customer and a very poor score for the fiber.


And here is my personal secret to success. After the fiber is spun into a single strand, the tension is released completely and the strand is drawn back out through the orifice. I catch the end of the strand under my bracelet (if I lose that end, I'm skunked!) and then wind the strand around my hand into an Andean bracelet.


Once I reach the far end of the strand, I release the bracelet, meet the near and far ends of the strand (effectively folding the strand in half) and then ply the two ends together into a 2 ply yarn. The strand never leaves the bobbin.







The plied yarn is wound on a Niddy to make one large loop of yarn.



The plied yarn skein can be evaluated for it's performance right off the niddy. Does it balance easily and allow it to lay (lie?) relaxed? Does the fiber resist twist causing slubs and excessive barbing of the fiber?


The next step will be to wash the skeins and then evaluate the finished yarns. The photos of that might take a few days since I can't for the life of me find my battery charger. It's here someplace.

For all you Canadians out there...

Just showing off a little

I attended the Lehigh Valley Rabbit Breeders (LVR&CBA) show in Hamburg PA this past Saturday. We had about 12 inches of snow the day before so I wasn't real keen on taking a whole slew of rabbits, but Thriantas are so easy so I took 2 bucks and a doe. It was a double show and the same doe, CCR's Greitje, took BOB both shows! Even better, she took
RESERVE IN SHOW in Show B! Judge Paul Kyle awarded her the BOB and Judge John Soper awarded her the RIS. Judge RuthAnn Bell awarded her BOB in show A. There were between 1200 and 1500 entries and the show was sanctioned with the ATRBA. Yah!

Not to be outdone back at home, CCR's Nefrure a Red Satin Angora Sr Doe wanted to show that Thriantas aren't the only fireballs around here. Gotta love RED.

Alpaca judging step 2

So today I'm presenting the next stage of my process but the first stage of the actual judging. I do find this step to be a bit tedious but it's so very important! The Handcrafter's Spin Off is intended to represent sending your best alpaca fiber to handspinners for a premium price. Imagine that I, as a handspinner, has requested a 2 ounce sample of your alpaca. I am looking for a source for alpaca fiber and I know that I'll pay premium price for the best. How will the breeder/shepherd respond to my request? Will they grab the first handful or two on the top of whatever bag of fleece and jam it into a bag? Or will they skirt out the finest fiber from the better fleeces, prepare it carefully and present it to me like the premier fiber it is reported to be? This first part of the scoring is all about that presentation and quality. The way this contest is judged, a fiber seller could well use the scores to advertise to spinners the quality of their services and product. I know of one breeder who scored exceptionally well and sold the judged fleece for over $500!!! directly because of the scorecard. You can easily imagine the effect on the stud's breeding schedule.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, I have not chosen the photos because of their quality. I'm simply showing a random example. I've also blanked out entry numbers for the sake of privacy.

The first Judging criteria is First Impression. I look at the packaged sample before ever touching it. Is it presented well? Was time and care taken in selecting and preparing the sample? Is the fiber in good condition; not dirty, matted or messy? Can I easily sort the fiber for spinning? This is one step that can make or break a contest. ALL fiber can be presented well or poorly and that is the FIRST impression you make to your buyer! Mediocre fiber will sell for more if it is presented well and outstanding fiber will sell for less if you look like you couldn't care less how you treat your customer. There is simply no excuse for jamming a random sample in a bag and expecting people to pay top dollar.

An important observation at this point is looking for parasites. If ANY infestation is found, the sample is placed in the freezer for a few days. If I suspect the infestation is active and poses any threat to my own home and fiber stash, I remove that sample from my home and double bag it. You send any spinner a sample with parasites in it and you won't only lose their business, they will make sure that all their friends know not to buy from you! Spinners will not sacrifice or risk their own precious fiber collection no matter how good your alpaca is.

Every sample is weighed. Was the correct amount of fiber sent? If you sent less, did you overcharge me? If more, did you charge me for more than I asked?

Points are also given for staple length with a minimum of 3 inches required. 5-7 locks are chosen from all over the sample. There are no extra points for a particular length of staple, but are the lengths CONSISTENT? It's rare to find all staples exactly the same but they should be very, very close. Points are deducted based on percentage of difference. a 1 inch difference between 3 and 4 inches is much more severe than between 11 and 12 inches. A very important evaluation is for fiber that is sound and has no tender breaks or weak tips. Either of these things can ruin an entire fleece by creating noils and pills in the resulting yarn.

Cleanliness is also very important and allocated 10 points. Now, washing the fiber is absolutely prohibited but there are things a fiber provider can do to minimize dirt. Separating, blowing, stroking and picking out short cuts is all expected. If this is done then the only dirt left will be some dust within the staple structure itself. How do you reduce that? Do not use overhead feeders to keep hay and chaff (this is VM = Vegetative Matter) out of the fleece. Keep pastures green and clean of bushes and trees that shed seed pods. Use hay that does not include seed heads!!!! Keep animals out of pastures that include mud and clay if at all possible. I have actually seen fleeces where the tips were clogged with what appears to be TAR. Whatever?!

Cleanliness is important because ideally, alpaca should be able to be spun without washing first. That will be more clear as I show you the next step of the judging in a few days.

Another criteria is Lack of second cuts. Second cuts happen when the blade goes back over the same area more than once. I have noticed that as the popularity of using Fiscar shears to do the shearing themselves, the incidence of severe second cuts has increased dramatically. The worst of these is mid staple cuts. Let's say you have fiber with a 5 inch staple. If you cut it down the middle, you know have 2 staples of 2.5 inches and that is 100% wasted fiber. At best you have very inconsistent staple length which no spinner wants.

Next is judging the fiber itself. Lack of medullated fibers, lock structure, Uniformity, Fineness, Hand, Luster. These are all traits that have everything to do with the genetics of the animal and less to do with husbandry.

Some specific notes:

Lack of medulatted fiber - these are the especially coarse fibers usually in the center of the lock of fiber. These fiber tend to stick out of the yarn like barbs on a wire fence.

Lock structure - Fleeces that are more dense will tend to keep staples distinct and separate. Locks that are open and loose will be prone to cotting and matting at the base near the skin. This cotting makes the fiber miserable for a spinner to process. On the other hand, a lock that is very tightly twisted together is also very difficult to open up without breaking the strands and creating noils and pills in the yarn.

Uniformity - this includes Lock and Fiber style, color, texture, crimp (huacaya only) and color. If a sample has much variety in any of these features it will diminish the quality of the resulting yarn.

Fineness - slightly obvious. Finer fiber is generally softer.

Hand - even fine fiber can be dry, brittle and fragile. Alpaca should be very soft and Suri should be distinctly silky. Healthy fiber should feel robust and stable.

Luster - I choose to break this scoring into two parts, one before spinning and one after the yarn is complete and washed. The presence of dust (alpacas are dust bathers) can hide the luster that is still present. The luster on the animal is important but the end result is even more important. I try very hard to balance that.

So now I check that all the information is correct, that the cards are filled out and legible.

I add a tag to the package because that is how I identify the skein after it's spun. Incidentally, I learned something about the pens I use. I was just looking for a pen that was resistant to running and bleeding if it gets wet. What I found was that this particular pen is designed to be resistant to solvents. According to the packaging, a current method of fraud is 'washing' checks to remove the written dollar amount and fill in a fraudulent amount. Wow, and I thought that just using ink was enough. Apparently not.

If there was something particularly notable about a sample, such as the presence of kemp fiber, mid-staple cuts, infestation, tender breaks...I will attach a sample and perhaps a brief explanation to the back of the score card. I go on the assumption that the breeder wants to learn about their fiber and would welcome an explanation. I also sometimes will include positive info on the back especially if it's unrelated to the judging. Perhaps something amusing about the sample (certain lock types give me the giggles they are so cute) or a color that really strikes me aesthetically. It's not taken into account in the scoring, but it might mean something to the breeder.

Now the sample locks and tag are placed in the marked small baggie and set aside with the corresponding score card in a small bin for that class. I process ALL the breed (Suri or Huacaya) samples before moving onto the next step of judging. This gives me the chance to forget any prejudices I might have about one sample or another. Trust me; after this process on 100 samples, I do NOT remember that one really awesome fawn sample. I'm lucky to remember my NAME.

So today, onto the next step of the process; combing and spinning the samples into a yarn. Until next time....