Pocono News Section

Team to Defend Title at PA Farm Show

Team to Defend Title at PA Farm Show - Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 1:36PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Thursday, Dec 31, 2009 @ 01:36pm EST
Danville, Montour County-

A state championship team is ready to make another title run at this year's Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.

Welcome to the practice ground of the Fort Freeland Flickers.

They’re a local fleece-to-shawl team. And they're some of the best in their age group at carding, spinning, and weaving- turning simple wool into beautiful creations.

Confused? Allow them to explain. It starts with the carder.

13-year-old Megan Webster, of Cogan Station, explained, "The carder just brushes the wool out. So it takes the dirt out and straightens the fibers so it's easier to spin."

Then the spinners take over, turning the cleaned-up wool into yarn.

14-year-old Emma Olshefski, of Danville, noted, "It takes a lot of coordination. You have to have your feet going and your hands going at the same time. It's almost like pedaling a bicycle."

And did I mention it's a timed event?

I can tell you after trying this for several minutes that I can’t make a yarn of any uniform consistency. This is a very hard thing to do. But the girls were kind enough to allow me to keep the mangled wool I attempted to spin.

Anyway, back to the pros. Once enough yarn is spun, it's handed off to the weaver, who goes to work on her loom, eventually turning out a beautiful shawl.

Each team member has her favorite part.

15-year-old Erin Webster, of Cogan Station, explained, "I think all the different patterns and colors and stuff, because you can pretty much do anything you want and you get to be creative."

17-year-old Katie Watson, of Warrior Run, said, "I say it's something you should try. It's a dying art and it's a lot of fun to do. You get to meet good people."

The girls will head back to the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg in mid-January to defend their fleece-to-shawl competition title.

Watson added, "I like seeing our products that we make afterwards and just seeing what you accomplish. And saying that you made it yourself, it's really cool."

The girls say they enjoy things like shopping and having sleepovers when they're not practicing.

They'll compete at the PA Farm Show on January 13th. For more information, log onto .