the connecticut blanket

The 2020 blanket has been a very long process so far. Our first hurdle was the Covid restrictions that resulted in an inability to use the facilities at UConn for wool collection, storage and pickup for trucking to the scouring facility in South Carolina. Twist of Fate Spinnery in Portland stepped up and offered their facility which we greatly appreciated and wool was collected a month late but it was accomplished.....only to be de-railed by Isaias who left Portland in shambles and resulted in the wool leaving for South Carolina two weeks later where it had another couple week delay due to Isaias having been a stronger storm when it visited them. Next stop in the process was the spinning mill which is normally very busy making baseballs for the season but since the season was canceled due to Covid we would be getting right in. Yup, the League decided to have a short season so they needed baseballs ASAP. The wool finally gets spun and is ready to go to the weavers but the building they rented was sold and they have to move all of the looms and associated equipment to a new facility and get them all wired up and re-dressed before weaving can begin. Our blankets use the largest of the looms and they were the last to be installed and supposed to be ready by 4/16/21. It if May 12th and we have now been informed that they still aren't on the looms...maybe they will be this week. Thank you to all who have been waiting patiently.

2021 BLANKET

Wool Collection - Sunday, June 6, 2021 9am - 3pm

36 Broad Brook Road, Ellington, CT

UConn is still off limits to the public and Rick had offered for us to use his place again but we worried about what would happen if it was a rainy day because the wool bag towers won't fit under a pop up so our wonderful secretary offered the use of her large 2 bay garage for wool collection this year. We are asking that you wear masks even if you are vaccinated so we don't have to be nosey and ask all kinds of Covid questions. Remember fleeces MUST BE SKIRTED. Wool staple length is now a minimum of 3" as the spinning mill said we had some that was kind of short the past 2 years. Please email smurray@ctsheep.com with an idea of how many pounds of dark and white wool (or how many fleeces) and what time you expect to show up. DO NOT SHOW UP LATE

That being said, as you know the Wool Quality Workshop has been a requirement in order to participate in the CT Blanket and we have not been able to hold any since Covid began. We have made a short video Wool Quality Workshop and had a technical gliche so it did not get posted to the Official 2021 Virtual CT Sheep Wool Fiber Festival page on Facebook. I will see if I can get it posted somehow I have a copy of it on my iPad and I believe someone made a you tube page for us but don't know for sure. Plans are to move the video here to the Blanket page after the festival and also to re-make it as to align it more with what you would normally see if you were to attend the Wool Quality Workshop in person.