Every year, the Great Lakes Fiber Show features fleece and skein competitions that bring out the best in sheep owners and spinners alike.

Skein Competition
Show off your spinning skill — whether you're a newbie or a practiced hand. Registration runs from 9:00 - 11:00am on Saturday in Building 13, and judging will take place at noon. Ribbons will be awarded for First through Fourth Places, with cash prizes for the top three spinners in each category —

1st	$7.00
2nd	$4.00
3rd	$3.00

Skeins may be entered in nine classes —
class 1	Fine singles
Class 2	Medium singles
class 3	Bulky singles
class 4	Fine plied
Class 5	Medium plied
Class 6	Bulky plied
class 7	Spinner's choice of fiber & ply
class 8	Novice spinner, 2 ply yarn (spinning one year or less)
Class 9	Novelty yarn (ie, boucle, knot, spiral, slub, cable) Reference: Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning, McCuin

A few rules —
1.  Entries are limited to two skeins per category.
2.  Skeins must have been spun since May 31, 2007 and therefore not entered in a previous
     Great Lakes Fiber Show competition.
3.  Each skein should weight at least two ounces for medium and bulky yarns, and at least one
     ounce for fine yarns. Each must measure at least one yard and be tied loosely in one place
     with a figure eight.
4.  An entry fee of $2.00 per skein must be paid upon registering. On-grounds entries will be
     accepted Saturday, May 24 from 9am until 11am in Building 13. Entry cards will be provided,
     which require a statement of fiber content and intended use.
5.  Skeins must remain on display until 2:00 pm Sunday, and may be collected until 3:30pm.
6.  Judges retain the right to combine or subdivide the classes if necessary.

Hints for entering skeins —
•  Spin fiber and wash skein
•  After drying, re-skein yarn and tie loosely in one place in figure eight.
•  Do not wind into a tight skein prior to entering competition.


Fleece Competition
Saturday, May 24
Dedicated to quality fleeces for hand spinning, this competition offers ribbons and awards for 1st ($6), 2nd ($4) and 3rd ($2) place in each of the entry categories. All first-place winners will be judged against each other for Best of Show.

Division I
White fleeces, judged in four classes: fine, medium, coarse, double-coated

Division II
Natural-colored fleeces, judged in four classes: fine, medium, coarse, double-coated

Please note —
•  All fleeces must be entered in the competition by May 1 using the official entry form.    Download the entry form from the PDF above.
•  Fleece entries will be accepted on Saturday from 8:30-10:00am in Building 11.
•  Fleece sale will begin at 11:00am. Fleeces will not be weighed.
•  Fleece judging will be conducted at 1:00 pm.
•  Purchased fleeces may not be removed until 30 minutes after judging ends.
•  All unsold and not-for-sale fleeces will be released at 4:00pm on Sunday and must be
   removed by 5:00pm. Any unclaimed fleeces will be disposed of at the discretion of the
   Great Lakes Fiber Show.

Each officially-entered fleece must be accompanied by an attached card containing the following information —
•  Name & complete address
•  Breed type
•  Asking price for fleece. Fleeces not for sale must be so marked.

All fleeces must be from the current 2008 wool crop and owned by the exhibitor. Each fleece must be clean and free of chaff, burrs, tags and second cuts, and must be skirted and stored in a clear plastic, untied bag. Exhibitors bear responsibility for entering fleeces in the proper classes. Monetary awards and proceeds from the sales of fleeces will be mailed to exhibitors. A 10% commission will be charged for each fleece sold. Every effort will be made to display and care for entered fleeces, but the Great Lakes Fiber Show assumes no responsibility for damaged, lost, stolen or erroneously sold fleeces. Several fiber processors will be available to take fleeces to their mills for processing.