On an unusually warm December day, the Cape Ann Waldorf School third grade went outside to work on Penelope’s fleece. Penelope is an English Leicester sheep from Cranberry Moon Farm whose fleece, over the course of the year, the class will turn into yarn for a project.
Here’s Penelope, before she was shorn:
This is part of a weekly fabric arts block taught the handwork teacher. At Waldorf schools, children learn to knit, sew, crochet, and more, beginning in first grade and continuing up through high school. More than just learning skills, they gain a sense of what it takes to make everyday items that we take for granted (knitting hats in second grade, socks in fifth). They also get to experience the satisfaction of finishing a project that may last weeks or months.
The fifth grade shows off the socks they knitted.
Below are photos of washing, rinsing, and setting the wool out to dry.
