Meetings

April 2026: Dagmar Klos, “Sheep Talk”

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Turning fiber into string (thread) is one of the oldest accomplishments in the history of the world. One of those fibers is wool – sheep wool. There are hundreds and hundreds of different breeds of sheep. In this presentation natural fiber and dye espert Dagmar Klos talked about multiple sheep breeds that produce fine wools, long wools, crossbred wools, down-type wools (think natural super wash), and feral/primitive wools.

Guild member Dagmar Klos is a dye master, fiber artist, and teacher living in Chicago. Locally, she has taught at many of our weaving guilds and at Fine Line Creative Arts Center. She has also published articles in Piecework and SpinOff (where she was also a technical editor), was an editor for the Turkey Red Journal and author of “The Dyers Companion.” Dagmar achieved the Certificate of Excellence in Dyeing from the Handweavers Guild of America.

Older white woman wearing glasses, blue shirt, and blue and green scarf, holding a file folder, seated in front of a laptop computer, answers an audience question.
Dagmar took questions during and after the presentation.
Two fringed blankets folded on a table. The blanket on the left has a checked-type pattern in shades of brick red, gold, and brown. The blanket on the rights has a "log cabin" color-and-weave pattern in shades of black and white.
Two blankets woven and dyed by Dagmar.
A blanket-like coverlet with two shades of wool shearling (gray and tan) on one side and a stamped gray and white design on the other.
Example of a traditional Norwegian coverlet incorporating shearling on one side and a design motif on the other side.
Various forms and colors of wool resting on a table.
Fleece, handspun yarn, and knitted object samples showcase the range of wools that are readily available to fiber artists.
Five books on a table - "In Sheep's Clothing," "The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook,": "British Sheep & Wool," "Beautiful Sheep," and "The Field Guide to Fleece."
Some of Dagmar’s favorite wool resource books.
Older white woman wearing glasses, blue shirt, and blue and green scarf holds two knitted items in cream-colored wool.
Dagmar shows two completed wool projects to highlight the different wool traits that contributed to each.