In a Sheep to Shawl competition, you have 5 people, 1 sheep, and 3 hours At the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, the Sheep to Shawl event is simultaneously cut-throat competitive and warm and fuzzy.

Sheep producers in the Midwest say wool prices have been dismal for decades, but in recent years they’ve plummeted. Now producers are looking for new ways to add value to this fiber or drop it ...

At the 51st annual Maryland Sheep and Wool festival, six teams have three hours to shear a sheep, spin the wool it into yarn, then weave those threads into a showstopping shawl.

For centuries, we have relied on sheep’s wool for clothing and blankets, and they relied on us for shearing. Now, sheep can’t molt without human help, though we’re using little of their wool.