Are you ready to explore animal fibre in the Vancouver Island Fibreshed? Interested in experiencing the differences between in breed-specific fibre? Let the Islands Fibre Passport lead you through the specific breeds farmed in our island communities and discover all that our local breeders have to offer.
How does it work?
The Vancouver Island Fibreshed (VIF) has created passport-like booklets containing entries for many of the different local breeds present on Vancouver Island and the surrounding Gulf Islands. Fibre artists (that’s you!) who acquire 100g+ of a purebred local fibre receive a sticker for the associated breed page within the passport. The animal source does not need to be registered pure bred, but must be considered pure bred by the farmer.
Our hope is that you will use the passport to learn and experiment with purebred fibres available within our fibreshed. Your initial purchase is intended to be raw or processed fibre (such as scoured, carded or combed, spun, yarn, etc) that you will then process at least one step further.
Example steps include, but are not limited to:
- Turning raw wool into scoured wool.
- Turning combed wool into yarn.
- Turning yarn into a wearable product.
- Combing or carding raw or scoured wool
- For example, you could scour wool that was acquired raw, or combed/carded to spun, etc.
Is there a cost?
An Islands Fibre Passport costs $20.
How do I find purebred fibre?
Sources of purebred fibre for a variety of animals can be found on our Producers Directory.
How do I join the passport program?
Sign up through THIS FORM, submit your fee via e-transfer or cheque, and we’ll send you a passport in the mail! Passports will also be available by cash sale at various in-person fibre events around the Islands in spring/summer 2026. Check out our Events Page for where we’ll be!
How do I share my work?
Email photos to info@vancouverislandfibreshed.ca to have them shared in our quarterly newsletter. Other options include the #vanislefibre #islandsfibre #islandsfibrepassport and #vanislefibreshedShare hashtags on Instagram, as well as the Vancouver Island Fibreshed Community group on Facebook.
Other Frequently Asked Questions:
Unlisted breed? I’ve found a breed that’s not in the booklet. What can I do?
Is the farmer/producer part of the passport program? They can provide a sticker for any pure breed they produce. “Additional breeds” pages can be found below to print and staple into your booklet.
I’ve found a breed that I’d like to work with, but the farmer isn’t listed in the Vancouver Island Producers Directory yet and/or doesn’t have stickers. What do I do?
Direct the farmer to our project webpage where they can sign up as a producer and request stickers. Conversely, you can show them THIS LINK and have them fill out the form. There is no cost for them to be listed on our directory.
I’ve found a breed but the farmer only has raw (unwashed) whole fleeces for sale and that’s not how I’m used to working with fibre!
Each producer can choose what products to sell and many of our island farmers do not process their wool/fibre and sell only as whole fleeces. Our suggestion is to team up with friends in the passport program and purchase a whole fleece to split between the group (ask the farmer for enough stickers for your group). You could also seek out an Island fibre broker (Jill’s Fibres, Copperspoon, New Wave Fibre, etc) – the brokers may have purchased fleeces to split or to process.
Downloadables:
Breed study sheets, extra booklet pages
These two documents are intended as supplements to the program. The Additional Breeds pages can be printed and added to one’s passport in the event that you find local breeds that are not mentioned within the passport itself. Feel free to download these sheets and add as many as you like to your passport. The Breed Study Sheets can be used as a template for your projects.