Surrey Museum hosts a wild and wooly competition later this Saturday, when three local weaving guilds face off at the annual Sheep to Shawl competition.
The teams race to see which can create a completed shawl from the raw wool in the fastest time. They'll have four hours to card their wool, spin it into yarn, and weave it into a shawl.
But the star attraction of the May 14 event will be the sheep themselves. Several sheep will be onsite (outdoors) for families to enjoy and learn about.
There will be sheep shearing demonstrations (from 1 to 2:30 p.m.), and other interactive activities. Weave a colourful bookmark on special inkle looms. Or visit the textile library to see the Jacquard Loom, which is often referred to as the first computer.
At 4 p.m., the winning guild will be announced.
Sheep to Shawl contests – also known as Sheep to Coat contests – are held in sheep producing countries around the world, as they have done for centuries.
Families are invited to the Surrey Museum event to learn more about sheep and their offerings.
The Surrey Museum is located at 17710 56A Ave., Surrey. It's open from 9:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Closed Mondays and statutory holidays.
Admission is sponsored by the Friends of the Surrey Museum Society. For more information, call 604-592-6956, or visit www.surrey.ca/heritage.