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Sheep to shop in eight hours
7 Jun 2004
To shear, spin and knit in under eight hours is the challenge - the international Back to Back Wool Challenge to be precise, in which teams have to to shear a sheep, spin the wool and knit a jumper in the quickest possible time.
The contest originated in 1811 from a wager in Berkshire, UK that a man's coat couldn't be made in less than a day. It's now run by the Scottish Wool Centre and organised here by the Australian Wool Showcase. Contestants have to shear the sheep with blade shears, spin the wool without combing or cleaning, and knit to a set pattern without dropping stitches. The original feat was completed in 13 hours but today the record, set in Scotland's Shetland Isles in 1997, is five hours and nine minutes.
Queensland's only entrant in the competition, which is run to make money for cancer research, is the Rockhampton Fibre Arts Group. They will hold their attempt at the Walter Reid Cultural Centre, Rockhampton, from 8am on Sunday June 13.
The Courier-Mail, 7/6/04.
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