It was the last Sunday in May and time for an annual treat—a visit to the 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre Fair, a wonderful celebration of local products and people.
The fair is held in Coombs, British Columbia, a small rural town on central Vancouver Island that is known as a tourist destination on the way to Pacific Rim National Park.
There was a lineup to get in at 9:30 a.m. and the fair stayed busy most of the day. Early attendees rushed to the vendors who had raw fleeces, getting their hands into the bags to search for the perfect fibre for their next project. Every year, shoppers come from all over the Island and from the mainland too (Coombs is about two hours north of Victoria, one-and-a-half hours south of Campbell River and it’s a ninety-minute ferry ride, plus a forty-minute drive from the mainland), so it’s a great place to catch up with friends.
After getting my initial shopping done, I wanted to visit with some of the vendors, many of whom have become friends over the years, so I waited until things calmed down—but it never really did, and I hardly got a chance to talk to them before the event was over at 3 p.m.!
The Bradley Centre in Coombs, B.C., home of the 100 Mile Fleece & Fibre Fair.
I have attended this fair for quite a few years, but I couldn’t remember when it started. As I spoke with some of the volunteers, we realized that this was yet another thing that Doris Stephens, long-time local spinner who was widely regarded as the “keeper of the memories” would have known, but unfortunately, Doris passed away in September last year at age ninety-three-and-a-half. Without her to confirm, we’re pretty sure that the fair started in 2010 or 2011.
I sat down with event volunteer Dawn Ryan to chat about the history of the fair. It was initially started to create a venue for sheep farmers to connect with people who would buy their wool. Some local lamb producers were throwing away the fibre from their flock or composting it on the dung heap. Organizers wanted to let the farmers know that they had a saleable commodity and that with a little care in shearing, spinners and felters would love to buy their fleeces.
In the early years, vendors were required to have more than fifty percent of their product produced on the Island and each had a cute little sign for their booth: a sheep displaying “Island Grown.” And this is where the festival name comes from—the vendors and their products all come from within a 100-mile radius. The region includes Vancouver Island and the surrounding small islands, and does extend into the Fraser Valley of the mainland, and occasionally, some vendors have come across on the ‘big ferry’ to participate. In recent years, the requirement for locally produced products has relaxed a bit, but vendors all still live in the region and the focus of the products is definitely local.
At first, the fair was organized by volunteers from the Thursday Spinners who meet at The Bradley Centre. It is now organized by the Mid-Island Pensioners and Hobbyist Association (MIPHA), whose volunteers act as booth support and parking attendants, and staff the entrance and prize draw stations. The fair is funded by entrance donations and, new this year, a silent auction with items updated throughout the day. MIPHA had coffee and baked goods for sale, and more food was available just down the road at Old Country Market, the famous “goats on the roof” landmark.
Bags and braids of local fibre processed and dyed by Jill’s Fibres. Photo courtesy The Bradley Centre.
Vendors
Fiddlehead Farm (Gabriola Island) and Inish Eile Farm (Pender Island) were set up just below the stage. These two farms raise purebred Cotswold sheep and offered gorgeous fleeces, spinning fibre, and yarns. The lustre and drape of Cotswold is a delight! And the yarn is that much more special because the shepherds could tell me all about it.
Ultreïa Icelandics brought raw and washed lamb and adult fleeces.
Horizon Heritage Farm had Romney fleeces—and the Romney from Vancouver Island is softer and more lustrous than any other Romney I’ve ever spun. We’ve got some great Romney genetics here!
Batt Sheep Crazy had a variety of fleeces from the north Island. It was the owner’s first time vending at 100 Mile and she was thrilled with the response to her products.
It’s not all about sheep at 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre! Theresa of Morrison Creek Alpacas brought alpaca fibre, yarns, and socks, and Jen of Up A Creek Farm had dyed and natural mohair locks and yarns.
One of the vendors selling processed fibre was Jill’s Fibres. Jill hand processes local fleeces, washing and dyeing the fibre, then carding it into batts for spinning or felting. Her vibrant colours just pop! Jill’s husband, Pieter DeMooy, is a well-known shearer on the Island and he knows where the best fleeces can be found. Another vendor who works with local and Canadian farmers is Catherine of Small Bird Workshop. She finds the “right job for good fleeces”, evaluating the characteristics of the wool to design the best yarn structure or fibre preparation to highlight its features, then has the fleeces processed into spinning fibres and yarns at mills across Canada. She also dyes delightful colourways.
A busy room! Tools, pottery, mohair, and coffee.
Beyond the fleeces, there were dyed braids for spinning, handspun yarns, and yarns dyed with mushrooms and flowers and commercial dyes. Other vendors offered handmade wooden tools—spinning wheels and spindles, dizzes, lucets, mini-looms, and yarn spindles. One vendor had frames for sprang and spindle whorls based on Viking finds. Many fabric goods were available—from handwoven tea towels and yardage made with handspun yarns, to eco-dyed fabrics and vintage wool blankets. Vendors had project bags of various sizes and shapes, including a pineapple leather option! There were pottery yarn bowls and mugs and handmade buttons made from all sorts of different materials, including ceramic and deer horn. A knitting pattern designer showcased her patterns with sample garments. A few yarn stores were represented—one featuring animal-free yarns and another that has started a farm yarn line—and a weaving store had new and used tools and reeds available.
But all good things must come to an end, and at 3 p.m. the vendors packed up and headed home. Customers left with goodies to keep them going until next year—or at least until the next Island fibre festival!
Shoppers admire the purebred Cotswold yarns and fibres from Fiddlehead Farm.
Photos by Sarah Thornton unless otherwise noted. Featured image: Bags of Romney fleeces from Horizon Heritage Farm.
