Great Women Building a Gracious World
Editors: Volume 1, Issue 1
Sandra Bennett July/August 2006
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Great Women Building a Gracious World Editors: Volume 1, Issue 1 Sandra Bennett July/August 2006 |
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Fiber Femmes is published bi-monthly on-line by:
Fiber Femmes 12206 Squirrel Spur Road Meadows of Dan, Virginia 24120 Email: fiberfem@fiberfemmes.com
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Fiber in the News
Virginia Highlands Festival Includes Fiber Art Show
July 29-August 13, 2006
Abington, Virginia
The historic Virginia Highlands Festival, held in beautiful Abington, Virginia, for two weeks full of arts, music and fun, now includes a two day show that features fiber artists from the area and beyond. On July 29th and 30th a Fiber Arts and Quilt Show will be held in the Virginia Higher Education Center Grand Hall. Artists will demonstrate their crafts and demonstrations include felting, quilting, spinning and other arts. For more information visit the Virginia Highlands Festival.
Australia's ugliest sheep to 'outspin' synthetics
June 6, 2006
University of Adelaide
The search is on for Australia's ugliest
merino lambs which may hold the key to securing Australia's $2.8 billion
wool industry and challenging the dominance of synthetic fibres in world
markets.
Scientists from SARDI (South Australian
Research and Development Institute) and the University of Adelaide are
looking for 'xtreme' sheep with unusual wool that provide the keys to
unlocking the genetic library pointing to superior wool quality.
University of Adelaide's Professor Phil
Hynd says these lambs are usually culled because they may have uneven wool,
strange fibres, clumps of wool that fall out, bare patches, no wool, unusual
crimp, extra-lustrous wool, or even highly wrinkled skin.
"These lambs, typically viewed as
worthless, are in fact highly valuable to the industry, because one of the
most efficient ways to identify the genes that impact on certain wool traits
is to study animals that have rare or extreme features," said Professor Hynd.
"When something goes really wrong with the genes, it is the most powerful
indicator about where to look to identify the genes that can - paradoxically
- make things go really right. "It's as
though in a mirage of thousands of genes, we can suddenly see a flag
pointing to those that are critical to wool follicle formation and fibre
synthesis.
"Ultimately, through the latest DNA-based
technology, it's the ugly sheep that will help us make quantum leaps to
advance the qualities of Australian merino wool to make it more stretchy,
less scratchy, shinier and easier to spin, and to compete better against
synthetic fibres."
Dr Hynd said that it was estimated that,
among the national merino flock, there will be about 100 'xtreme' lambs born
this autumn that will exhibit the naturally occurring random mutations that
cause unusual fleeces. "Currently the wool industry is making small,
incremental improvements to wool quality - about 1% a year. The development
of studying unusual sheep could lead to dramatic improvements in genetic
gain and secure a healthy future for the Australian wool industry."
Scientists are calling on producers with this season's 'xtreme' sheep who would like to offer them as part of the joint Australian Wool Innovation Limited and Meat and Livestock Australia initiative - the Sheep Genomics Program.
More details:
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