Intrepid Fiber Wizard

D is for...

Delight.

a feeling of extreme pleasure or satisfaction.

I have been absent a bit from blogland, since I took two blessed days off from both jobs and attended Madrona Fiber Arts Fair in Tacoma, WA last weekend. It was indeed delightful. (and I have a bunch of photos to share)

Friday night about 20 of us celebrated my friend Barbie's birthday at Indochine. The tables were decorated with rose petals (and after a few glasses of Sake, so were our noses) and a humongous organza bow was wrapped around the table like a present itself. The food was nothing short of magnificent.

Knitting later around tables in the hotel was a hoot. (That's a water glass of champagne... Barbie's favorite.. ahem)

Saturday I met up with another friend, Celeste from Oregon and we toured the marketplace. It was a bit bittersweet to be there. Seeing my ex-partner, and wandering as a spectator held both joy and sadness. I could not even walk three feet without stumbling across friends from all over the world. This was delight.

Yarn and fiber was wall to wall.

We paused in the day for a leisurely lunch at Two Koi, then returned for more fiber shopping. My dear friend, Virginia (who owns TootsieP Yarns in California) came up to see me and had an amazing booth. There is nothing like a fiber pal, is there ?

I even got to see Tina briefly, and pick up some of her Raven line of yarn (yippee)

Sunday morning brought yet a delight of another kind. I treated myself to an early birthday present (my birthday is next saturday) and took a spinning class with Judith MacKenzie-McCuin, "To spin a fine thread". I have said it before, and it bears repeating..... if you ever have the opportunity to take a class with Judith, do it. She is remarkable.
We learned how to fine tune our spinning wheels so that we could go from spinning our "default yarn" to spinning yarn thin enough to run through a sewing machine. amazing, incredible, fabulous. I won't share all the techniques here, since I still believe that you should take her class for yourself - but here is one small sneak preview:

I laid out my samples on my knee during class, just to give you some idea:
My "default spinning" is a fingering weight yarn (on the top of the photo) and the bottom is the 'thread' I was able to even spin a bit finer than this, but alas, no photos of it.
Judith gave us generous samples of many fibers: three different merinos, with varying micron levels, yak-merino blend, bison, tussah silk and ramie.
Three hours of non-stop spinning was delight. My hand and arm are now talking loudly to me, but it was worth every single moment.
May your week be filled with delight.

What a weekend !

Were you there? Did we chat?  Did we spin together?? did we match / coordinate fiber colors for you ? ah that was so fun! (I really love that part) Did I teach you how to use a drop spindle? Way to go!  (there were at least 40 of you that were brand new spinners this weekend !) We're all proud of you! (I love that part too... new spinners!!) All of you who stopped by to chat and tell stories are the reason that I do all of this work; and I send you a great big smile! There were several thousand of you that we chatted with (and unfortunately I'm not quite as quick with my camera as some knitting wizards that we know.. ahem)

Truly... thanks so much :-) It was good to see you - really!! It's just that this very moment, the past 6 days are a blur - it was a wonderful weekend at Black Sheep Gathering. I saw so many people that I know - and laughed with them so much. It was wonderful. (did I say that already?) We arrived home last night around 1:30 am, and we're still waking up (smile).. but I couldn't wait to share!

One friend said that she couldn't walk 2 feet without bumping into someone she knows (heh heh.. yeah that was you Cynthia ! (I know you're out there lurking!) hop on over to her site - she grows grapes and makes awesome wine, has a great sense of humor... and she made me a CD of all the Sock Hop tunes - She's a wonderful pal - and one of the many that we enjoy playing with over the weekend.. but I digress..

Indulge me while we go back a few days (though it seems like it was a year ago) - Klaus was loading up to go, and he spied the resident 'thief' of Braveheart's food (oh.. if you're just tuning in,  Braveheart's our outside kitty, mouser & mole catcher-extrodinaire).

Go ahead, zoom in a bit, you'll see the tail  wagging under the feeder and get the idea. no, he's not our cat.....  He settled for birdfood, since Klaus had closed the screen door on the porch this time between fiber loads to the RV... In the past few weeks, he's just walked right up to the front door, as though he's expecting to be given his dinner. Hopefully he got a little bored while we were away, and is looking elsewhere for a handout. silly rah-rah-coon. (he's just a little one, thus I named him)

So we began our epic weekend. Here's where I was last thursday morning around six a.m........

We set off and drove about 5-6 hours south of our house, and landed in Eugene, Oregon at about noon... and began setting up for our sixth Black Sheep Gathering. It was awesome. (did I say that already?)

We unloaded all the boxes, and Klaus began building cubbies (this takes quite a long time)

Fortunately this year, the weather was awesome (read that cold... good for fiber fondling)

We actually wore sweatshirts and long pants and socks.. amazing given that last year it was 103 degrees.

The booth looked pretty full as we began - I snapped photos as fast as I can, but the crowds began to descend as soon as the doors opened... and they continued the entire 3 days. Essentially, I didn't sit down all weekend - it was fun.

Here's some shots of the booth: We did our normal setup in 5 hours flat that's a recent record! (woo hoo)

 

 

 

 

 

I taught about 40 people to spin on Turkish Drop Spindles who had never spun before (I hope that they all now go and buy Judith's new book) I caught the first two on camera - they look quite happy, don't they! They should! They learned a totally new art in about 20 minutes - way to go!

I stepped outside the booth for a minute or two, held the camera high and snapped some photos.

There are three buildings that are connected here at the fairgrounds in Eugene - vendors as far as the eye could see.... and lots of people.

My guess is that they topped way over previous years' attendance. It was lots of fun. Please plan on joining us next year - there are loads of classes as well (tho' I didn't get to take any this time)

I did catch a photo of one of our buddies - Tina ! (Yes, she not only rocks with her socks, she laughs with friends as well! - you go girl!) She stopped by at about 8:30 sunday morning, and I had my camera in my hand (just back from snagging photos of the animals) So glad you were there with us - gratitude abounds for big blessings in small packages!. (you know what I mean sweetie!)

 

Every evening, we hung out by the RV - we made a circle of tents and RV's, and did a major potluck every night.

there was laughter and perhaps a bit of vodka or wine involved.... mostly we laughed and enjoyed each other.

We've been playing with this crowd of people for six years, and I count myself fortunate to call them friends.  When the year gets long and lonely, I have only to think of them and I smile.. many blessings to you all.
Although I see them only 5-6 times each year, the friendship bonds are deep and true.

I even snapped a photo of the ever tolerant "mother" of the crowd.. Jean. Isn't she a sweetie?! She puts up with all our silliness, and bakes Klaus a cake for every event. I think we'll keep her! (She evens puts up with us being rowdy and laughing until midnight * (or maybe just a little later than that!)

Most of these lovely folks don't have blogs, but they secretly look at mine (heh heh.. yes, you've been caught!) Please know that I love you all, and look forward to every moment that we share together. I'll be seeing you in Oregon soon again!

So, there aren't many more photos of the weekend, since I was pretty much chained to our booth, but I did manage to find a few cute sheep and goats on sunday morning before the fair opened; This is not only a fiber "show" but also a sheep and goat judging event - complete with shearing demonstrations, talks on healthy pasture control, fleece sales etc. This is a group who appreciates where those lovely spinning fibers come from ! These are the real stars of this show:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I talked to so many people who were concerned about "spinning a fiber wrong"...... and after about the 100th person,

I finally began to remind them that the sheep will grow more fleece, and that this is an art that they can dive into, since we're not in any danger of running out of animals or fleeces anytime soon. We all laughed at even the thought of this! It's not possible! (how cool is that!)

The motto of the weekend: Have fun - try everything - there's always more! It's an art, and we are meant to experiment! Isn't that wonderful!! (did I mention this already? - grin)

thanks so much for everyone who stopped by to chat or share or buy a bit of fiber from us - I loved every minute of it! We can't wait to see you at the next show!

Northwest Regionals Spinning Conference - Idaho

What a great long weekend we had! Full of good friends, lots of spinning, a bit of buying, and a successful weekend of sales. We just got home from the annual spinning conference; it was held in Coeur d'Alene Idaho this year (that's about 7 1/2 hours drive from our house).
I've got oodles of photos to share  - and a tale from our journey home. It's been a wild ride. You know, someone  once told me that if you wanted to inspire a close knit family, go camping.... but I am getting ahead of the tale a bit... back to the beginning:

  We set off early last thursday morning, driving up through Snoqualmie pass - it was spectacularly beautiful going through the mountains. I was knitting, of course, on my most recent sock. It's the colorway "Happy Together" - I'll share completed photos soon, it is drying as we speak. Yes - I actually finished three socks on this journey... how did I do that when I was spinning all day long?.. read on...

It was a long drive, on a hot day, yet we were content with the breeze coming from the windows, and a few times of turning on the AC. The majority of the drive looked alot like this.... desert. Hard to believe that 4 hours worth of desert exists in this "Evergreen State" of ours (WA).

We arrived mid afternoon, and set up the booth. Spinning conferences are very laid-back, casual-type affairs... translate that: the spinners descended upon our booth in droves as we set up (big grins) and "helped" (bigger grin) - fiber flew out of my hands, before I could even put it up on shelves! (gotta love those buddies of ours!) We laughed, and totally enjoyed ourselves. A wonderful friend, Celeste, showed up and helped us set up - she was a godsend! Thanks again, Celeste - you're the best! (sorry I didn't get a photo of her.. we were too busy shelving fiber!) With her help, the set up went quickly and soon the booth looked like this:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The conference was held on the North Idaho College campus; we took over the gymnasium and the student union building. Hundreds of spinners everywhere! Here's just a few of them. Have you ever seen so many wheels?
 

 

Spinners came from Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon.  I also snagged some photos of other booths that were at the conference:

the basket lady

Marcia Adams booth - Rainshadow Farms - all of her work is dyed fiber from he coopworth sheep - all nautral dyes. gorgeous!
You've seen bits of Marcia before on this blog, she's also our wonderful shearer!! Yay Marcia!

Our friend Jim was there, of Herndon Creek. He makes a delightful array of spinning and weaving tools.

Sarah Anderson was there too with her lovely hand dyed fibers. Sarah won the spinners prize for a four ply cabled lace weight yarn. It was amazing.

 

 

I taught a bunch of folks to spin on Turkish drop spindles. There were so many - I didn't get photos of them all, but here's Patty with her first time ever spinning! Woo hoo! Another spinner is born!

 

There was loads of shopping - which to choose, which to choose...  I spent the days spinning, and helping  our long time friends play with which fiber to choose  - it was  grand!

 

There were demonstrations taking place all day long, and well into the evening every day. Here is one my friend Marilyn Knapp held. She is an incredible weaver - and this is a technique of three dimensional weaving design - It was even more dramatic in person. Marilyn made it appear easy, yet as I even attempt to reconstruct it in my mind to describe here, it eludes me. Perhaps one day she'll teach a class on it!

We played from 8 am to 10 or 11pm every day. Then on sunday, we loaded up to head home. We were happy and weary - it had been fun! Our pack and load went super fast, and we congratulated ourselves on the early start we made, thinking that we'd be home in time for dinner on sunday.... famous last words.

We were about 2 hours into the drive - yes, that's me knitting on another sock,  colorway " Glad All Over" (notice the awesome knitting bag... thank you Mom.. (she makes them)). We were in the very middle of the desert - it was hot, we were exhausted from all the play... when all of a sudden, Klaus noticed that the blinkers didn't work on the RV - then he noticed that, hmmmmmm... the battery gauge was registering zero energy... not good. We pulled off into the next rest stop, and found a helpful trucker who chatted and agreed that we should pull off the road asap. So, with a bit of concern (only a bit at this point) we drove to the next exit (still in the desert)... bless everything, it was actually in a town: Moses Lake. Moses Lake is a hot place in the summer.

The truck stop boasted two gas stations, and a Shilo Inn, and  Shari's restaurant. We were in luck. (remember it was sunday... all the other things were closed). Klaus hiked around, trying to find current phone books, auto mechanics (hah! on a sunday?? ) or something - all the while, we didn't dare turn off the RV. It was getting even hotter outside.

After an hour or so of evaluating, asking around, and coming up with no good solutions, we pulled in to the Shilo Inn and rented a room for the night. It was time for a cold beer. The bartender told us that it was reported to be 107 degrees outside (gee, no wonder we were hot and thirsty). Wonder why we didn't just sleep in the RV?? hmm... it looked something like this inside: - still stuffed with fiber, even though a bunch of boxes were empty... plus it was just so danged hot.

Dinner and a good night's sleep in a motel with AC improved our outlook considerably.  (and now you understand how I was able to knit three socks on this trip!)

The next morning, we called and got a jump start, then found (to our great pleasure and surprise) there was a chevy dealer less than 1 mile away, AND, they had time to take a look as soon as we got there. (yay!)

Four hours later, we were back on the road. Man were we glad!... and fortunate... what they discovered was that a mechanic who had installed the new alternator last week, had accidently hooked the cable up to charge the wrong battery (there's 3 of them in a motor home - yeah, it's very confusing!)... The cable had literally melted from the heat it had generated - we were so fortunate to not have had a fire. Phew! Talk about your guardian angels riding on one's shoulders. wow.

  A couple hours later, we got to see this lovely sight...  mountains + snow + cool temperatures meant that  home was close by.

And  so, as I mentioned in the beginning of this post,  they say that it inspires closeness in a family by going camping... why?  Well, something always goes a bit wonky (grin... don't we know it!) and it is the retelling of the tale in years to come that creates fond memories.. we made it - everyone will say.. and remember when....
Man-o-man, I figure this story will be retold for a few years (grin)... we made it.

On the Road again...

So tomorrow, bright and early (think 6-7am folks) we'll be on the road to Idaho. It's about a seven hour drive. (think tons of knitting time! woo hoo)
The big ol' RV is rolling down the road - me knitting, Klaus driving (yay) and our first "road show" of the fiber season.
We're headed off to Idaho, Coeur d'Alene, to be specific. It's the annual conference for Northwest Regional Spinners Association.
Everything's a go - the food is ready, the RV's loaded , the fiber's packed, the wheel is packed, the knitting's in my bag,  - WAIT... the frig in the RV isn't working. sigh.... it's always something (grin) - truly, it's not working. bummer.... yet, we rally !  We'll go loaded with a coleman ice chest or two, and plenty of ice. It'll be fine. The weather predicts mid to high 90's for Idaho this weekend. wow. This show goes from 9 am to 11 pm .. long days, yet wonderful people. good times!

Rv's ..... definition: a hole that drives on the road that you pour money into. yup . that's true. $230 just to fill the gas tanks. (however do those retired folks do it?!)
Anyway, we're off - a grin and a giggle, and looking forward to meeting up with a bunch of spinning friends of ours.
Yay!
Oh - I keep forgetting... here's some lovely stash enhancement from Mia, that I won from a blog contest she held a couple weeks ago. Nice yarn Eh? I love it - thanks so much!

And here are a few parting shots

of my office garden beauties - I just loves me my flowers.

Have a great weekend all - we'll be back Monday or Tuesday. (with an empty RV we hope!)

Seatac Knitter's Expo

After every fiber show, it seems that  "re-entry" to normal life takes a few days. (grin) Time to unpack, answer emails and phone calls that came while we were gone, fill orders that were placed during the weekend, and generally get back into the daily routine of life. Monday is normally the most hectic, as I am also answering all the messages at my office - and this past week has been no exception.

We just returned home from a wonderful weekend at The Seatac Knitter's Expo. Here are a few photos of the booth just after the initial set up.(as per my usual habit, I did move things around a bit more the next morning, but this gives you an idea of what it was like) I was actually so busy during the show that I didn't pull out my camera even once after the initial setup.(silly me)  Whenever we are busy, I find myself completely engaged with helping whomever is right in front of me, and then it seems as soon as we are finished, the next person steps forward... thus, the thought of taking photos slips my mind (or is it that my mind is slipping?) Either way, I'll make an attempt to get some 'people' photos next time. (smile)

It was a fabulous weekend - made very joyful by the many people who came by to say hello. One of my favorite things about having a booth at fiber shows is when people return to share with me all the beautiful garments they have made from yarn and fiber that they bought from us. The creativity is awesome. (and perhaps next fair I will remember to click photos during the day) Seeing people be excited and creative  is what  makes all the work worth the effort.

One of the many people who stopped by was Megan - she brought the lovely scarf that she made from her handspun Chasing Rainbows bombyx-merino yarn. (colors Chantefleur and Primrose). She had sent me this photo a few weeks ago. It was even more beautiful in person.

We are adding a lovely line of hand made shawl pins, created by artist Leslie Wind from New York. They sold really well at this show, and I think that they will be a big hit on the website. Hanging right beside them are the lovely wristaffs that Beki makes.

I taught about 20 more people to spin on Turkish Drop Spindles - it was very fun. I completely enjoy the look of delight on each person's face when it suddenly dawns on them that they are spinning ! They're really doing it! While it appears to be a complex, impossible task, suitable only for the strong of heart, and nimble of fingers,  the truth is that it is extremely simple, straightforward and natural....little children all over the world have been doing this for centuries.(smile)

And while I admit it takes quite a bit of practice for most of us (myself included) to achieve a teensy-tiny-itsy-bitsy yarn, the basics of "spinning" are completely simple and easy to learn.  I remind people that the very first yarn they create will be irregular, unique and usable! Spinning is meditative, and remarkably easy  - (it is often  our desire to create a yarn that looks 'store bought' that makes it complex). For those who are able to set aside their notion that "yarn" has to be perfect in order to be yarn, spinning can be a fun skill to learn in a relatively short period of time - (say versus downhill skiing or rock climbing) All this is not to say that 'perfectly spun' yarn is a bad goal per say, just that it isn't required to enjoy this hobby.  There are many amazing spinners out there who are far more skilled than I - and I completely admire their beautiful creations. They are the true spinning "teachers" of the world. I still consider myself a '"student" of this amazing art. I hope that I am not inadvertently offending any of the remarkable spinners of the world -  rather I'd just like to encourage all you curious folk out there to give it a try - and don't be intimidated by how complex it appears.

We had lots of other "goodies" in our booth as well, but that's for another story (smile) You'll just have to stay tuned! Here's  yet another peek at some of the little things - (we'll be adding them to our website as well very soon) And if you look amid the fiber in a couple of the other photos, you'll see some other cool gadgets as well. (just think of it as a treasure hunt!)

Thanks to all who came by and were brave enough to take the plunge and learn to spin- I enjoyed every moment of teaching you - the giggles and laughter over "dropped" spindles was fabulous. And thanks again for all you bloggers who came by and introduced yourselves. It is great fun to put faces to the names. It feels like the world grew much more cozy after meeting all of you!

I did indeed enhance my own personal stash (how could I not?!)  - if the sun is out tomorrow I will take some photos and share it all with you. It appears that my small loom has been calling my name.

Enchanted by Cables

I have long wished to knit a cabled sweater. Many moons ago, I purchased a copy of the book Viking Patterns for Knitting by Elsebeth Lavold. I would linger over the photos and dream about the day I would be able to understand the small hieroglyphics . The day has arrived. I have been knitting cables like a woman possessed! Here's a sock knit from Do You Wanna Dance Sock Hop Yarn - knit up in Rib and Cable pattern by Nancy Bush. And I am working on a wild pattern that includes cables for my Bloomin Feet Sock swap ( that's a post all unto itself soon)

Perhaps I could back up for a moment here and share yet another class I took at the Madrona Fiber Arts Fair.... yes - another one (actually there is yet one more, after this,  that I will share at some future date.. ahem) The class was titled "Morphing Cables" with Fiona Ellis.
What did I learn? (you mean aside from the fact that I can make very ugly class samples?) I learned that I have absolutely no desire to become a designer. The class was very free-form, and many students simply took off with their designs. Not so, this wizard. I just messed about a bit, moving one stitch over 3 (not so pretty) moving one stitch across row after row (also not too pretty) etc. Ultimately I came to appreciate and love my knitting books even more! You might also notice in the photo that the sample is off the needles, and momentarily going to be ripped out!

And here, I have evidence that I spent a bit of time in our fiber booth (hee hee) a blogging friend, Marisol, stopped by to say hello - and Klaus snapped this photo of us. It's one of my favorite parts of fiber fairs (to have people stop by and say hi) - me? I'm the red-head wearing the swallowtail shawl.

Once we got home from the show, I  awaited a special order that I had placed ...... it arrived about a week ago (could you hear the loud applause all across the land?) - I ordered this  dk weight merino  to be hand dyed  by Jessie (the queen of subtle dyeing!)  The color has been difficult to photograph in its true likeness - I would call it a dusty rose, or maybe even a soft raspberry sherbet... whichever - it's glorious.

I quickly got out my ball winder, made cakes of four skeins, and cast on for the sweater that is featured on the book's cover. It is knit with size 4 and size 5 needles.
The more I knit with it, the more I love it.  I wanted soft changes in the color, that would move throughout the sweater, adding depth to the eye. And Jessie gave me exactly what I had hoped for.  Isn't it wonderful!  Jessie has a great blog, and also an online store, A Piece of Vermont. Hop on over and check out her yarns.

In order to avoid becoming marooned on the fabled "Sleeve Island", I started the sleeves first! I've completed even more than this photo shows - and am only about 20 rows from finishing both sleeves. I'm hoping to begin the front of the sweater later on today.

Celtic cables have captured me with their charm.

On a final, yet unrelated note: SusannaHansson (who taught the Lapland Mittens class) has announced that she will be teaching this class at Webs (in Massachusetts)  in Sept. 2007, and perhaps even at Stitches East. She will also be at the Nordic Knitting Conference in Seattle, as I mentioned on my earlier post. This is an amazing class - I highly recommend it!

Madrona Fiber Arts: Modular Knitting

Ginger Luters taught a great class at Madrona Fiber Arts. Her designs are fabulous - her choice of color incredible. She made it look so easy. And she also communicated her skill in a simple, concise way. I was motivated to take this class because of this: Yup - left over bits of skeins that continue to grow in my basket - eventually I will have leftovers of all the Sock Hop Yarn colors after I have made all my socks.. (at least that is my hope). But what to do with them? Read along and you'll see.

Ginger's class was chock full of information. We learned many of the types of modular knits fabric.  I shot photos of a few of her pieces. Aren't they lovely?

While I am not able to go into all the techniques (you'll need to take her class or perhaps buy her book) I  can share a few of the really ugly things I made during class.... (I had already ripped apart most of them before I realized I should take a blog photo - oopps)
We made garter stitch squares that magically attached to each other, stockingette squares that seemed to bloom out in all directions, and even a few triangles. (yeah - I know, I probably could have chosen better colors to mix - but you get the idea. We learned a great technique to make stockingette squares really square - and learned when to use a cable cast on instead of long tail (and why). There was so much information that finally made sense to me. I had purchased the book awhile ago, but had not fully comprehended it.

So I came home, ripped out all the other really ugly squares I made in class and began to play.
In the back of my mind, a design for a Sock Hop Afghan was taking form. I've gotten a small start on it - and the jury is still out as to whether it will be one of those funky-ugly things that I hide whenever company comes over, or will it be an astoundingly creative show piece..??? I plan on continuing to add to it as I finish spinning all the colors. I'm rather amazed at how different this yarn looks when knit in mitered squares versus knit as socks. (note to self: write down the pattern I made up for this afghan - so that I will be able to keep adding to it in another month or two)
What's your vote? thumbs up or down?

Madrona Fiber Arts: Color Progression in Plying

Back to the excitement of my classes at Madrona Fiber Arts. I was fortunate enough to take a class with Judith MacKenzie-McCuinn. She is a master in fiber arts. If you ever have the opportunity to take any class with her at all - just take it :-) This class taught us the effect of colors on each other  when they are blended in different ratios. Judith had us select three colorways to work with, and encouraged us to choose at least one that made us a bit uncomfortable (as in out of our normal range of taste). I selected a deep burgandy, a lilac, and a shocking electric pink (yes the pink was my discomfort place) We spun fine singles of each colorway and then began to blend them according to her directions. We made various three ply yarns :

first three of the burgandy singles were plyed together,
then two burgandysingles were combined with one lilac single,
and then two lilac singles and one burgandy single.

As you can see, the color tonality of the yarn changes relative to the number of singles used of each colorway.

We then did the same with the second colorway (lilac in my case)

and then with the third colorway (shocking pink)

As a final step, I blended one strand of each - burgandy, lilac, and pink. I ended up liking this one best of all - and have had fun contemplating whether or not I might be able to dye up some fiber to create this colorway (so far it hasn't come to me...)

I've lined them all up here for you to see just how amazing the progression is.
It was a delightful class - filled with fun engaging people. I enjoyed myself immensely - and wish it could have gone on all day.**

There were some other fun tidbits of wisdom that I gathered during class (as is always the case when you take a class from Judith.
Judith showed us a technique for spinning from "top" so that we never have to "split" the roving again (or pre-draft). Judith described the fact that top is often difficult to spin fine because the fibers are not "compacted" enough. She demonstrated how to compress the top by rolling it between the palms of our hands - thus making a dense tube to spin from. This technique involved much laughter - licking on ones' palms to add moisture  and then a tiny bit of disbelief... but try it. You will be totally amazed. (and you'll never have to do any of that splitting or pre-drafting again when you spin top.) It's amazing. (as Judith normally is)

here's the pre-compressed top (in it's normal state when we buy it:

here is me rolling it between my palms to compress it . I've spared you the licking-of-the-palms-photo - (smile)

and here is what it looks like with one end of the top "compacted".

Judith also mentioned to us that one end of "top" is easier to spin from than the other. You can discern this by gently tugging on one end of the top (before you compact it) and then the other. The fibers will pull out easier from one end. This should be the end we spin from.
So I encourage you to try your own little experiment. Take some top, and just spin from it (without splitting or pre-drafting).
Next take a small bit of top and compact it as I have shown here - and spin again (without changing any settings on your wheel) .Viola!

Last but not least, I picked up a cool new "toy" - Judith has come out with a line of dyes that have no known toxicity*. This is very important to us and our environment. Here is a picture of the kit:
It is called "Mother MacKenzie's Miracle Dyes". We hope to be selling them on our website soon.
From these nine colors, you can create a huge number of colorways by blending the powdered dyes in various ratios.
I also picked up a book that has been produced by Linda Jacobs (of Cedar Hill Fiber Farm in Suquamish WA) that is a guide for the blending ratios. I am keeping my fingers crossed for good luck that I might be able to persuade Linda to allow us to sell her marvelous book as well.
I haven't had a chance to try out these dyes yet, but I will - and I'll keep you posted.
All these colors were made with the nine dye pots pictured in the photo. amazing.

Last (but not least) there was someone special in a few of my
classes (including this one) and she even signed my copy of her book!
She is even more delightful and funny in person than she is in her books (can you believe it?!)

*edited to note: although there is no "known" toxicity in this type of dyes, please use common sense and caution. ALL dyes can be toxic in powdered format (even so-called natural ones) if they are inhaled into your lungs - wear rubber gloves, and wear a dust mask/respirator at all times when using any type of dyes.
** although I have given you quite a nice sample of what we did in Judith's class, there was alot more information that was taught than what I have presented here in this tiny post. Take this class. I learned so very much more than what I have shared here.

Madrona Fiber Arts; Lapland Hand Garments

Madrona Fiber Arts Fair is one of the few shows that we do every year where I enroll in classes. This year I took a bunch -(yippee) and learned so much information, that my brain still feels stuffed full. I will share some of them with you during the next few posts. My favorite of the knitting classes was taught by Susanna Hansson: Lapland Hand Garments: The Mittens of Rovaniemi.  Her class was described as being for "expert knitters" (which I am not yet) and suggested that we bring our patience (and sense of humor) due to the fact that it was teaching us how to knit mittens on size 000 dpn needles, using  11 balls of yarn.  (that's right, I said eleven!) I think that my sense of humor is correctly in tact, since I did not even hesitate to sign up :-) Here are a few examples that Susanna shared which she purchased during a recent visit. These were knit for sale to foreigners - and are not knit up on tiny needles. Yet they are gorgeous still.

These photos are samples knit by Lene - all on size 000 needles with Satakeli yarn. They are even more incredible in person.
Soft - gorgeous color patterns - perfectly knit. Thank you to Lene for sharing.

And so, packing my humor in my knitting bag, with excitement and a good dose of humility - I went in..... fully prepared to gently excuse myself from the class if it went over my head.
I entered the classroom that first day (thursday) and my stomach filled with butterflies. Looking around, I saw half the room filled with teachers of knitting arts (Stephanie, Karen, Janet to name a few - oh be still my heart - ) .......then Susanna began, and  she asked us to describe ourselves. Most listed how many years they had knit (20, 25..30+) Yikes, I thought. I better shrink as small as a mouse.. my measly 6 years seemed like a drop in the bucket - yet intrepid, as I am known to be, I sat willing myself to be glued to my chair (despite the frantically beating heart)

Susanna and Lene had spent years working out the technique and patterns that were being shared with us. Susanna began slowly, by having us knit up some wrist cuffs on size 4 needles with worsted weight yarn(kind soul that she is). We learned an amazing technique for controlling the 11 balls of yarn, by beginning with just five of them. I was astounded by this clever, productive way to knit. It involves holding the yarn on a long straight needle while you knit - and I cannot really say much more right now, as Susanna will be continuing to teach this class throughout the country.
What I CAN say, is that it is fantastic - easier than you can imagine, and it works.

If you have the opportunity to sign up for this class, run, don't walk (check Susanna's blog for her complete class schedule) .. and take it right away. wow. It is being taught in the Pacific Northwest again soon .. check it out here
We learned about the history of the Laplanders - and their colorful use of yarn.  Lapland is the land of the reindeer  - think really cold. I imagine that the brilliant colorways light their days through the long hard winters.

Susanna had us choose our own colors. She provided the yarn. It was great fun. She then had us color in our graphs to match the yarn we chose - so we could follow the pattern more easily. With many deep breaths, and pauses to stretch my hands - I found myself completely enchanted by this clever style of knitting. It is efficient, productive, and every single stitch is caught as you knit along - which leaves no loose floats on the back as in Fair Isle. Incredible. Susanna had us make small wristlettes in the class. Here's how I began:

and then after 3-4 hours here's where I was when I left:

Yes, that truly is all I accomplished in 3-4 hours.  Size 000 needles, Satakeli yarn. I am in love. The magic of this technique keeps all your 11 balls of yarn untwisted - and easy to manage. It is a technique that reminds me alot of weaving....

Susanna is a kind a gentle teacher - who encouraged all of us.  I will say it once again : take this class. There are now 19 people on the North American Continent who know how to do this technique... Susanna, plus the 18 students who were there last thursday. Let's make it hundreds of folks who learn how to do this. It's such fun.

At the end of class - and it was a very quiet class, full of "expert knitters" (and me.. sigh)  - who were so focused that they were silent -  knitting intently on their beautiful wristlettes,  we were all jubilent. We pulled out a big table, and all layed out all our partially knit projects on the table. Here's the photo. It is amazing how one pattern blossoms into all of this. The colors were such fun.

And so I now leave you with one last photo.. it touched my heart. (sorry for how dark it is.. but I still had to share it with you all) These teensy little mitts were knit by a 79 year old man. To give you an idea of how big they are; these little sets of mittens  are pins to wear on your lapel. .. with one of those tiny gold safety pins in the back ... think, just how tiny those little gold pins are - then realize that they barely show behind these mittens... AND, these teensy mitts all had THUMBS knit into them.... lets all have a moment of silence for this amazing knitting.

So what did I do after finishing this class? I went out and bought 5 skeins of Satakeli yarn, of course! I see some sort of complicated Lapland Mittens in my VERY near future.
Applause to Susanna - it was a great class. And if you don't believe me, check out Stephanie's blog as well.

Fiber Fair Photos

say that title three times fast ! hah! This was the beginning of Madrona Fiber Arts Festival We are still in 'recovery' mode, but I thought I'd start off with a few photos.. you know, the kind that shouts.."Wish you were here". (grin)

we went from  this:

to this:

(and it only took about 6 1/2 hours to set up!)

After the set was done (and every evening after the classes and vendor market closed) we could be seen hanging out with friends in the hotel lobby. There were small groups of people like this everywhere.  These photos were early on into one evening. By the time 11pm rolled around, there were about 30 of us  hanging out in each small group.  I wish I had gotten more photos of everyone together, but I was having too much fun playing to be serious with my camera :-) It was fabulous! Wish you'd been there too!