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KEARNEY -Kay Kreutzer began her weaving career backwards.

"I kind of backed into this," she said. "I got the sheep first. And then people told me the sheep had such wonderful wool and I could do so much with it."

Next she tried doing some spinning and was very pleased with the results.

In 2002, Kreutzer joined the Spinners and Weavers Guild and worked at the Plum Nelly, a store that sold weaving supplies in Hastings. Iris Nunley, the owner of the business, asked Kreutzer if she had ever tried weaving.

"I told her no," Kreutzer recalled. "She said I should try it, and there was a loom all worked up and ready to go. After about three or four shots of weaving, I was hooked."

A "shot" in weaving is the process of sending the thread or yarn between the alternate strands of warp.

"I enjoyed weaving even more than spinning," Kreutzer acknowledged.

Kreutzer's artwork will be available for purchase from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday as part of "A Kaleidoscope of Art," a benefit gift boutique at the Museum of Nebraska Art. The event is sponsored by the MONA Guild.

Kreutzer lives on a farm north of Kearney with her husband, Charles. Her introduction to weaving came from the breed of sheep they raise. Jacob sheep are known for having "lofty" wool that is easy to spin. For Kreutzer, the main attraction to the animals comes from the multicolored wool.

"They are an old, old breed of sheep," she said. "They have mostly been conserved. When we first got them, they were on the endangered species list. They are spotted sheep - white with black spots. That allows me to have several naturally colored varieties of yarn."

Those natural colors allow Kreutzer to eliminate the need to dye her wool. And it doesn't hurt that the baby sheep are especially cute, she noted.

Shearing the wool, spinning and weaving are not economically rewarding.

"There are markets out there," she said, "but they're tough. There are a lot of people marketing wool. Wool is gaining more popularity again because for a while it wasn't the fabric of choice."

Kreutzer uses a 26-inch, eight harness loom that works well for a wide variety of items. She has created shawls, scarves and table runners and hopes to get a blanket set up on her loom in the future.

Her process of weaving takes planning, but she still keeps room for spontaneity.

"I do work very carefully and precisely," Kreutzer said. "I get my plans made and I follow them. And then sometimes I'll see something I like, and I'll say, 'Gee, I could make that.' So it takes a little more planning and calculation until it becomes reality."

e-mail to:

rick.brown@kearneyhub.com

WHEN AND WHERE

Jacob sheep is a breed of primitive multi-horned sheep with black and white spots. The America Livestock Breeds Conservancy considers the breed "threatened" because there are fewer than 1,000 annual registrations in the United States and fewer than 5,000 throughout the world. The breed usually has two horns, sometimes four or even six. The history of the breed is unclear, but they are believed to be related to breeds in Southeast Asia and Africa. In southern England, Jacob sheep were used as guard sheep to protect farm property from vandalism. For more information about Jacob sheep, visit www.jsba.org.

WHEN AND WHERE

The MONA Guild presents "A Kaleidoscope of Art," a benefit gift boutique, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday at the Museum of Nebraska Art, 2401 Central Ave. 865-8559; mona.unk.edu. The event features the work of 33 artists with examples in metal, jewelry, ceramics, glass, paper products, weavings, baskets and paintings. Refreshments will be served. Free admission.

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