Betty Stover, Fiber Artist: A visit to Spinnakee’s Fiber Farm in Augusta, Maine will leave you inspired!   As owner and shepardess she has been involved in fiber and raising fiber animals for twenty-two plus years. Her barnyard is home to several varieties of fiber producing animals, including 5 Angora goats, 8 German Angora Rabbits and 23 sweet little Olde English “Babydoll” sheep. She is also developing a “Babydoll”/Romney breed for longer, finer fiber using the old fashioned short legged Romneys.

Betty started getting serious about selling her beautiful fiber and fiber creations at Maine shows about 8 years ago. She and her daughter Jessie both started making needle felted dolls from Betty’s fiber, and have expanded their sales to Common Ground Fair, Cumberland Arts and Crafts Fair, Artistree summer and fall and to other select craft shows in Maine.

Along with spinning, knitting, needle felting and Australian locker hooking, Betty enjoys rug hooking and she comes rightfully by her talents. She discovered a few years ago that her grandmother Slade from St. Anthony, Newfoundland hooked rugs for the Grenfell Mission, who helped start cottage industries to help feed local families. Betty’s mother, Margaret, learned to knit from her grandmother and knits up many items for Betty out of Betty’s yarn Stash.

Projects Betty creates from her fiber includes Betty’s Bag Lady Hats, Mohair/Angora purses (great for credit cards/cash), which are made out of her specialty roving and many other items made out of her yarns. Betty’s newest project is a homespun yarn using tuffs of Angora and a kerchief/neck scarf with lace rows of Angora. Betty’s newest yarn Babydoll/Bunny is made at Bartlett Yarns in Harmony, Maine. She says this is the softest yarn she has ever designed with the help of her wonderful critters and of course Bartlett Yarn. Betty believes her success lies in her One-of-a-kind items from designing, dyeing and her fiber animals.

Spinnakees’ Fiber Farm is a small and very workable for Betty and her husband Bill who continue to improve their farm by adding pastures, fences, daily maintenance with her animals and barn. It is a lot of work, but so rewarding. When you see a lamb born and both ewe and lamb are okay it melts your heart, and makes everything okay. When you meet someone new and you can help them pick out a yarn or a knitted item for a friend or loved one, it makes everything worthwhile.   Betty enjoys everything she does from start to finish!