RECENT EVENTS
Spinalong 10th June
A lovely relaxed day kindly hosted by Anna with encouragement and direction from Kay. Participants were able to explore Art yarn and core spinning where everyone seemed to be pleased with their achievements.
Smallholders Show 20th/21st May
A Successful weekend helped by glorious weather was enjoyed by members and public alike. There was a lot of interest in the goats and displays and new members were enlisted. Demonstrations of spinning, sorting and weaving added interest and showed what can be achieved from processing mohair.
Felted Fleece Rugs
4thMarch 2023
Thanks again to Jo for providing the venue for this meeting.
Kay led the day demonstrating the process of making rugs using curls and wet felted fleece and the simpler process of utilising fleece which has been felted on the sheep prior to shearing. she brought some beautiful examples to inspire us. We are grateful to Jo who allowed us to" flood" her barn (its a messy process!) We had a very enjoyable time.
We saw and experimented with a variety of fleece preparation tools, namely a picker, drum and hand carders, combs, blending board and diz. We also tried spinning with fleece prepared in these different ways to see how they affected the resulting yarn, and discussed our methods of washing and drying fleece. Thanks to Debbie for providing the tools and awning.
Thanks to Jo for hosting, giving us a tour of the estate, and introducing us to her many goats, pure and cross-bred. We had a useful discussion on various aspects of goat keeping, where we all learnt from each other. The barbecue was also much appreciated by all present.
Deb led the discussion on what supplies to keep in your goat first aid kit, and on how to cope with the health problems experienced by older goats.
Dot Tyler spoke to members via Zoom, describing what judges look for when goats are shown. This meeting was also made open to members of BAGS outside Wales & the West.
For what was probably our first international meeting, we were joined via Zoom by Jackie Gant and Marco Coetzee of the South African Mohair Growers' Association. They were as interested to hear about our goat keeping activities as we were about theirs. Perhaps one major difference is reflected in our organisations' names. We see ourselves as a goat club: they are mohair producers.
We met over Zoom for a chat about our goats and mohair crafts. Many members were able to how what they've been working on.
Meeting largely in the barn to allow social distancing and ventilation, we discussed the features of a good fleece and looked at a number of fleece samples from members. It was interesting the see the variation in crimp, curl, oiliness and colour. We also visited Sue and Julian's goats (and Angora rabbits) and compared mohair with rabbit fur and Shetland wool. Notes have been distributed to all who attended.
This meeting was held via Zoom, and a number of members contributed their experiences of selling goats for meat, and of having skins tanned or tanning them themselves. Notes were distributed to all attending.
After some instruction and discusion on shearing and clipping, Debbie bravely allowed those who wanted to, to have a go at shearing a couple of her goats. This was the first time for some new owners, and the more experienced owners had the benefit of trying each other's equipment; shears, and battery- and mains-powered clippers. It was also good to welcome some new members.
Our first face-to-face meeting since February of last year, outside and with appropriate precautions! A dozen members or so went a little off road in the Elan Valley, where Tanya and Erinna showed us some of their prize-winning (and potentially so) goats. We also met some working ponies and watched sheepdogs at various stages of training. Finally we went further off-road up the hills behind the farm to take in the landscape.