Sweet Home resident Kris Noland returned home with 13 of her Angora goats, five of which won ribbons during the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Albany on Sept. 21-22.
Noland and her husband, Jeff, operate Back Corner Farm out of Holley, where among their 30-plus animals are 23 colored Angora goats that produce mohair fibers for fiber hobbyists.
Winners from her herd are: James, Grand Champion Senior Wether; Smart Little Lena, Reserve Champion Colored Doe; Zippy Pine Bar, Reserve Champion Colored Buck; Get Back Jack, Reserve Champion White Buck; and Maybel, People’s Choice.
This was Maybel’s second year in a row earning the People’s Choice award, and last year Noland’s colored Angora buck, Andrae, won the Diamond Award, making him the top goat in the show.
Noland moved to Sweet Home 12 years ago, where she soon met and married Jeff. Together, they operate the farm, more to the pleasure of Kris than Jeff, it would seem. His role seems to primarily be maintenance, fixing fences and general farm chores.
“I don’t do any sortin’, dyin’, spinning, anything like that,” he said.
But there are two goats he favors due to their friendly nature. Their official names are Dash ‘n’ Swirl and Dash for Cash, but, as Kris explained, they call the two Swirl and Pearl.
“Most of them are not very friendly, but these two were very friendly,” Jeff said. “They run up to you and chew on your pant legs and you can pet ‘em, where most of ‘em do not.”
Others among the herd are on his least-favorite list.
“There’s a couple of them that are very mean to the other ones, so they are not my favorites,” he explained. “If somebody’s eatin’ and they wanna eat that dish, they just go knock ‘em out of the way. So there’s definitely a pecking order.”
Beside definable personalities and the ability to earn ribbons, the goats provide a sustainable source of fiber for Kris, who processes the hair from start to finish, then sells it to other fiber-loving fanciers. Showing a shawl she crocheted, Kris explained what it took to produce the completed item.
“Raised the goat, sheared the goat, skirted it, washed it, dyed it, carded it, spun it, plied it, weaved it and crocheted it,” she said.
Kris started working with Angora goats after she saw a Craigslist ad for the animals about six years ago.
“I had Nigerian dwarfs, but I wanted to be able to do more,” she said. “With the Angora goats I can process their fiber and spin and weave.”
Once she had some Angoras in her care, Kris took to YouTube to learn how to process and use the mohair. She decided that the enjoyment of the hobby, for her, was split 50/50 between loving the animals and raising them, and working with the fibers.
“I really like working with the fiber,” she said. “My husband would like me just to sell all the goats and just buy my fiber so we’re not locked in at home at the farm, but I wouldn’t be able to do that.”
The OFFF, which began in 1997, moved its festival to the Linn County Fair & Expo in Albany from Clackamas County after the pandemic, giving area residents and crafters easier access to the event, which features about 100 vendors, multiple workshops, fleece sales, livestock, exhibits, shows and contests.
Noland said anyone interested in taking up fiber arts should begin with a drop spindle, some roving and YouTube tutorials. After making yarn from the roving, use it to crochet something.
“Or you just hang that yarn on your wall and say, ‘This is beautiful and I made it.’”
Noland now has plenty of goats and roving to keep her busy, with Jeff noting that the hobby takes a lot of her time.
“Some of the stuff she makes is pretty cool and unique,” he said. “I had no idea what spinning or making yarn even was four or five years ago.”
Noland’s products can be found at Etsy.com/shop/BackCornerFarm, or she might be found next year at the annual OFFF.
