Contact: Frank Buatti: Email – fbuatti@gmail.com
Location: The Grange Building at South County Park, Fairgrounds Section, Ringoes, NJ
Number of Teams: 1st 4 teams to register. One backup team will be accepted, in the event of a team’s cancellation.
Registration fee is $20.
Online Registration Form
Teams:
Each team will comprise 4 members: 2 spinners, 1 weaver, and 1 spokesperson. The spokesperson’s role is to engage with the audience and answer any questions. The spokesperson may assist with carding, spinning, or weaving, as needed. Team members may switch roles at any time during the competition. One member will be designated as Captain.
Each team will be attired in coordinating costumes, and provide a sign or banner with the team’s name. Teams will provide a display with information including, but not limited to, the team members, weft fleece, warp, and design choices.
To help teams share their design process with the audience and judges, the festival will be providing a 3-ring binder and three 8.5 x 11″ page protectors to each team for their use. Teams may opt to bring additional materials in page protectors to explain their design process and decisions.
Materials: Teams will provide their own fleeces. Fleeces may be washed and/or dyed, but they must be intact (in one or more large pieces, not separated or picked). Warp yarns may be commercially-milled or handspun, with handspun yarn eligible for extra points. Warp may be natural colored or dyed, but in keeping with the spirit of the Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival, the yarn must be at least 90% wool. Using fleece or warp yarn from a GSSB vendor or member of the Garden State Sheep Breeders will be eligible for bonus points. Please be prepared to show proof of purchase in the form of sales receipt or email.
Equipment: Teams will bring their own equipment such as: hand cards, wool combs, wheels, looms, rotary cutter, cutting mat, and all other tools. Electric spinners will be permitted, but as we cannot guarantee access to outlets, they must be battery-operated only. Teams may not use a drum carder or an electric bobbin winder, or an electric fringe twister. Looms will be pre-warped, with no header.
Timing:
All equipment must arrive and be set up between 9 -10 a.m. The Competition will begin at 10 a.m. and the finished scarf (cut off the loom, trimmed, and finished) must be turned into the judges’ table by 2:00 p.m. No formal break time will be provided.
Finished scarf:
There is no minimum sett or picks per inch. Teams will use their best judgment to produce a finished scarf that best exhibits their artistic sensibilities and technical abilities. Scarves must measure at least 12” wide and 72” long off the loom, excluding fringe.
Judging:
Team Presentation
● Sign and Display (5 points)
● Costumes (5 points)
Competition
● Spokesperson’s engagement with audience (5 points)
● Teamwork (5)
Finished Scarf
● Fleece preparation (10 points)
● Spinning consistency (10 points)
● Evenness of woven edges (5 points)
● Evenness of beating (5 points)
● Finishing details (5)
● Hand and drape (10)
● Weaving design (10 points)
● Overall appearance (15 points)
Bonus Points
● First Finished (10 points)
● Second Finished (5 points)
● Use of handspun yarn for warp (10 points)
● Use of fleece or warp purchased from a GSSB vendor or a GSSB member (5 points)
Point Deductions
● Less than 72 inches long (10 point deduction for each inch)
● Less than 12 inches wide (10 point deduction for each inch)
● Failure to comply with rules regarding materials or equipment used in competition (10 point deduction for each infraction)
● Excessive amount of treadling errors (up to 10 points)
Cash Prizes: $200 1st Prize; $100 2nd Prize; $50 3rd Prize
Finished pieces will become the property of GSSB to be sold at a silent auction. Monies from the auction will be used to fund next year’s GSSB Sheep and Fiber Festival.
Printable Version of the Judging Rules(.pdf)
Page Content Updated: 30 July 2019