Random Fiber Shots

Because we all need more fiber...


This is a Romney/Perendale blend that came in with an interesting shading, I really like it.

Have a happy weekend!

Sock Summit

We're getting pretty excited about Sock Summit in August! Tuesday was class registration day, and I just want to commend the whole Sock Summit team for a really amazing job! I'm really hoping that they'll want to do this again, but know that I have only the faintest glimmer of an idea of the amount of work that has gone into this. THANK YOU x100000 for all this work!!

We've got a booth there, and would love suggestions on what you'd like US to bring! Know that there will be a ton (or 20) of hand painted yarns there, so we won't be bringing any of that! Also keep in mind that if anybody would like to place an order ahead of time we're happy to bring it there so all you have to do is grab and go. We do this for Black Sheep Gathering too! We've already got the box for that started....

I'm excited! It's going to be a fabulous weekend!

Artfelt class

We had an intro to Artfelt class here recently with Joanne Ellis, and I thought I'd share some pics of what the students took home with them. Not all of these are finished, but you'll see where they're going with them, I think. These squares can be used as pillow fronts, or little purses, or a bunch of other things. There was a lot of creativity in the room!!

Off to the Printer

Hurray, hurray! The spring knit catalog is off to the printer, and with luck will be out on its own in the big big world within a matter of weeks... Depending on the speed of the mail service, some could have it as soon as next week, if the stars align and all that... Tim did a great job, as always. Check out the cool infinity cover he did... Now we're working on the next Wool Rag.

It's less than 2 months till Black Sheep Gathering, which is hard to believe. It's coolish and rainy today, so hard to think that June is just around the corner.

Maryland Sheep & Wool festival was this past weekend. I used to live about 5 minutes from there, and it's because of that that I learned to spin and weave. Well, maybe I was destined to learn, but Md S&W played a big part, that's for sure. I found the lady who taught me there! I bought my first spinning wheel there! It was a used Peacock, which was made in New Zealand, and evidently no longer made. Cutest darn wheel, I should get a picture of it. I'd determined that I would buy a wheel, but I had zero confidence in spinning in front of anyone (let alone the masses and hordes at the festival!), and looked around at wheels everywhere, but of course wouldn't try any of them... then I spied this little used wheel, MUCH cheaper than all the fancy new wheels. I didn't really want to spend a lot of money, not knowing just how likely I was to continue this little hobby, so I told the person selling it that if they could prove that it did indeed spin yarn, I'd buy it. They did, and I did, and so the story began. Funny the paths we take... had I not lived near the Md S&W festival, where would I be today?

May your paths be interesting and happy!

Some Assembly Required

I've been making slow progress on my Monday Night Knit Night project... This sock first made its debut on the cover of our spring knit catalog. Last year... Now it's a completed sock! ONE completed sock. I started the 2nd one last night. I took time out in the past year to try my hand at some stranded Selbuvotter mittens, which also aren't finished. Gads, somebody's going to take away my License to Knit if I don't get something finished pretty soon!
Sock yarn used: Alpaca Sox from Classic Elite
Pattern: Hellen's Favorite Socks from Fiber Trends

I love this yarn, it's lovely soft, and with alpaca in it, it's going to be nice and warm & toasty. I only knit on it at Monday night knit night, so a max of 1-2 hours per week, and I don't make it every week, plus the mitten hiatus in there explains why the progress is so slow. At least, that's my excuse anyway!

Hope your knitting is speeding along!

Diane

Lendrum Saxony wheels

We recently got a shipment of Lendrum Saxony wheels in, and they are so beautiful! I wish we could have put them all together and had a photograph of the whole herd, but no such luck. We did get to finish one walnut wheel, and it turned out gorgeous. My photos don't do it justice. We use a couple of coats of tung oil to finish wheels. It allows the gorgeous wood to be the star, as it should be.

The boxes for shipping that Mr. Lendrum designed are a pretty amazing feat of engineering in their own right. There was obviously a great deal of thought put into these, as well as the boxes that the regular folding Lendrum wheels come in. To be able to fit so much wheel into such a small amount of space takes a lot of skill! We photograph the packing when we need to finish a wheel for a customer and put it BACK into the box, because it's like a big puzzle. All these pieces couldn't possibly fit in here! And yet...

The wheel itself is in the next layer below this... A marvel of engineering! This is a maple wheel in the box.

Happy new Saxony owners!

Festivals & Shows

Wow, this is turning out to be quite a year for festival and show possibilities! We always have a booth at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, and the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival in Canby and have entirely too much fun at both. This year we're also going to have a booth at the brand new Sock Summit at the Portland Convention Center. AND I've put in for a booth at SOAR (Spin Off Autumn Retreat) at Sunriver. Twice as many shows as usual! I won't know about SOAR till April, so cross your fingers.

I'm pretty excited about these. Seems far away right now, but I have to remind myself that Items on Calendar Are Closer Than They Appear.