The Artful Ewe

Connecting Threads

2010-06-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post, and I cannot even begin to put the journey into words. Suffice to say that I am here, whole, and living this gift I've been given to the fullest. I have to share an experience from this past weekend at my shop in Port Gamble. The event in Port Gamble, the Civil War Re-enactment, brought many into town, including a young 11-year old named Sadie, who has been spinning her own yarn for 2 years now. When she entered the shop I saw her eyes glinting at the yarn, fibers, and spinning wheels surrounding her. Her first words to me were "I've been spinning my own yarn for 2 years", and in that moment we made a connection. Sadie was like this little sponge, soaking up all the fiber knowledge she could. I gifted her with fleece from "Gracie" the "Ya-Ya" sheep who lives on nearby Bainbridge Island. We made rolags of "Gracie", punis of cotton, and of course, spun yarn. Sadie made herself at home on the futon at the back of the shop, carders in her lap, preparing the wool for spinning when one of her friends came over to her and Sadie exclaimed, "this is the cozy corner, watch this" and she proceeded to show her friend how to remove the carded wool fibers from the hand carders - a perfect rolag! This is what it's all about, teaching, sharing and creating community. My gift to Sadie - a little fleece and a drop spindle. Her gift to me - her enthusiasm, and her promise to share what she learned this weekend with someone else!

On Knitting and UFO's (Unfinished Objects)

2008-05-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly 43 years since I tumbled down the magic rabbit hole into the world of knitting, my grandmother, my teacher, holding my hand. Although I have grown passionate about other aspects of fiber arts, knitting was first -- it is in my heart, my soul. It is my connection to my past, to my Grandmother. As in life, knitting is a journey of transformation, full of choices, we sometimes choose the familiar easy road with its predictable outcome; or the new untraveled road where the journey pushes our skills to a new level, and we emerge more confident having traveled it.

I have done a lot of knitting, over a lot of years. So when asked how many knitting projects I have going on at one time, my standard response is "a few". This is an understatement, but to reply with an actual number, as in 3 or 4, would be inaccurate. MY UFO's are most likely in the double-digits and holding. I was confronted with this truth last week as I began to clean what had become my not-so-creative "creative room" due to an overabundance of clutter. This room also serves as a guest room, complete with a bed that was buried under layers of yarn and fiber. So, with a houseguest on the way, I began to sift through the layers.

I unearthed a couple of unfinished projects from the 80's, which felt like an archaeological find to me because I didn't know they were buried there, and I wasn't sure what they were. As I looked at the yarn and the partially knit fabrics I thought, "what was I thinking?" You know the saying about if you hang on to something long enough (especially clothing), it will come back into style. That may be true, however, what I might have worn in my 20's would not pass for appropriate clothing on my body now, more than 20 years later. What to do with these UFO's.

Rather than being shackled with the arduous task of finishing each of these projects as originally intended (I would have to be insane and a masochist!) I began to look at them differently... not what they were originally supposed to be, but rather what they could become... now. A small cropped sweater (no sleeves yet) could very easily be transformed into a vest. A nearly finished sweater "back" that, I admit, holds absolutely no interest for me,not to knit or to wear, may very well become a pillow top with a little fulling in the washing machine. Hmmmmm, these things I can do!

So, here is my revelation. I will no longer refer to my unfinished projects as UFO's. Unfinished Objects... it just sounds so negative, doesn't it? From this day forward they will now be referred to as WIP's - Works in Progress. Now doesn't that sound positively creative, almost artistic!

By changing this 3-letter acronym, my load has been lightened and I've been set free, or at the very least, a couple monkeys are off my back. I got to thinking that this whole WIP thing could be applied to other facets of my life, for example, my housekeeping, which is constantly interrupted by my need to knit or spin ... again "work in progress". My gardening (or lack of)can also be described as a "work in progress", although there has not been much progress there lately, as my bumper crop of dandelions will most certainly become a garden of "blow flowers", as Miss Lily calls them, before I attend to them.

As I see it, it's all one big work in progress, really. You, me, our lives in general, and today, my knitting stash in particular, as my hands meander through seemingly endless bags and baskets of yarn. Yarn gathered over years because it "spoke to me", because I just knew it would become something, eventually. You "yarnies" out there know what I am talking about. Today I realized that my stash already is something, and has been something all along... my inspiration!

Quarterly Post?

2008-03-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay... It's been nearly 3 months since I last posted and I promised myself (and a few friends) that I would better my average posting time of every 6 months so here I am posting. It's not that I don't think about it, I just don't seem to get around to it, between dyeing, spinning, knitting, and trying to weave (yes my floor loom at the shop still sits there waiting to be warped...). Life is busy. We all know that feeling of not enough time in the day (or night) to get it all done.

Well, as of this morning "they" have given us another hour of daylight, while robbing us of a precious hour of Sunday morning sleep. In a few days our body clocks will forgive "them" and we won't even realize the time change until they give us our hour back in October.

Much has happened since last post, mainly the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat! Woo, Hoo. It was a whirlwind 4 days in the marketplace, and what a wonderful market it was. Twice as many vendors this year and major sensory overload for us yarnies and fiberholics. A few of my new spinning friends hit the market for their first time and were quite simply breathless.

For those of you who visitied our booth and helped make the market a great success for us - a sincere thank you on behalf of Judith, Kathryn and myself. Also, if anyone out there took a picture of our booth and would share it, please e-mail me. I forgot to replace the batteries in my camera... (yes, all 4 days I forgot...).
So, for lack of a "booth" picture, I posted one of my felt pieces (which also hung in the booth). The inspiration was a Winslow Homer painting. I used local Romney wool as the canvas, other wools, silk, and mohair to create my felted interpretation of Homer's beautiful painting. The felt wall hanging now resides in the home of Jan M. who lives in Alaska.

The weather is warming up so this week should be spent dyeing more fiber (and yarn) in preparation of the Whidbey Spin-In the first weekend of April. Hope to see many of you there!

Country Christmas in Port Gamble

2007-12-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

For the past 3 Saturdays, the town of Port Gamble has celebrated "Country Christmas" with an old-time flair. There were arts & crafts, heavenly baked goods, tractor-pulled hay rides with Santa, and a Christmas Tree lighting celebration followed by an amazing fireworks display. We had carolers strolling through town --they even came into the shop several times to sing for a while, and warm up of course. If you haven't made it out to Port Gamble yet, it's worth the trip.

Country Christmas in Port Gamble

2007-11-27T02:55:00.001-08:00

Just a reminder that Port Gamble Country Christmas starts this weekend, December 1st and 2nd, and continues for 2 more weekends in December too. We put the tree up at the shop this past weekend and will finish decorating it this weekend. I hope to see many familiar faces these next few weeks at Port Gamble, and many new faces too.

If you haven't been to the shop in Port Gamble yet, we are in the old red Fire Hall across from the General Store (next to the yellow Post Office building). Our hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Weekdays are by appointment only.

Duck at my Door

2007-11-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

When I arrived at the shop one morning last week I was greeted by a Duck. A lone duck, quacking and pacing back and forth along the front of the shop. A friendly duck looking for attention maybe, but more likely food so I fed him my bananna (it was that or an apple and I decided to save the apple for MY lunch). The duck stayed around for a while, waddling back and forth outside the front of the shop. He peered in through the overhead door a few times, then just wandered off. He didn't appear to be hurt physically, and he certainly had a good appetite as he devoured my entire bananna in seconds! I guess he was just a very friendly duck passing through Port Gamble ... likely heading south to warmer climates.

Rebecca's Shawl

2007-11-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

A little while back my dear friend Karen B. introduced me to Rebecca, who is an absolutely extraordinary person, and an artist too! Rebecca and Karen came to spend the day and "play" at the shop in Port Gamble. Rebecca's goal was to learn to spin, which she did on a drop spindle - yes, another spinner was born!

Here is Rebecca wearing one of my felt shawls, correction.... now her felt shawl! Thanks Rebecca!!

A Week's Work

2007-08-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a picture of this past week's dyeing - lots of yarn and the usual fibers... 8 colorways of dyed top - Corriedale, Blue Face Leicester, and Merino. I also dyed tencel and bamboo for the first time... different process using fiber reactive dyes so learning along the way. I did achieve some beautiful colors so it was a success! I dyed some baby alpaca top that is dreamy soft; more silk, and mohair locks in new colors (well, they are all new since I don't try to repeat and I always mix my own!) So, here it is, what is going to the shop in Port Gamble tomorrow morning.

My Dyeing Day

2007-08-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been busy over here, dyeing up a storm... yarn, yarn, and more yarn, and a little silk top and some mohair locks too. Summer weather disappeared so I've got a fire in the wood stove and the yarn and fiber drying on a nearby rack. Good grief, August and I have a fire going!!!

I also made my first attempt at dyeing silk chiffon fabric and what fun that is! The blue and green piece is my favorite and I named it the Goddess Scarf. Maybe it is just me, but it looks like there is a Goddess in the center with her arms outstretched! Does anybody else see it??? Anyway, I decided I have to do more of this..

Wrist Distaff & Yarn Caddy... Felty Staff?

2007-08-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is another one of those "creations"... you know, the 2 a.m. and you're just knitting along and well... whatever. So, I tossed it in the washing machine and out came the "Felty Staff". (No, I didn't name it, a friend did.) The original Felty was smaller and seemed ideal for finer fibers like cashmere and yak and bison, Oh my! Hmmmm, but I knit too... so the next Felty was large enough to hold an average size center-pull ball of yarn. I can free up my hands in an instant without having to put it down, just poke my needles or spindle into the felty and slide the loop handle up my arm - voila, hands free! I knit this one from some of my hand-painted wool yarn and finished it by embellishing with beads.

Pieces Shawl

2007-08-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of comments on this creation so I thought I'd post it. What started out as knitting a "swatch" of one of my hand-painted yarns evolved into a shawl. It is simply stockinette stitch - no sewing involved as the 2nd and 3rd pieces are knit directly onto the previous piece. The border (3rd piece) is yo's and k2tog's over 7 stitches and is knit right onto the edge of the rectangle. The beads are added as you knit by placing the bead on the stitch with a tiny crochet hook. The beads provide just enough weight for the edge to hold it's shape and drape nicely. For those of us that fear lace this is an interesting alternative. I am writing up the pattern.... Once again I should have made notes as I was knitting it. Now, how many times have I said that!

Romney Batts

2007-07-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

These are enormous batts, certainly nothing I could produce! When I learned they were batts of Romney fleece raised right here in Kingston, Washington, of course I had to have them. I wanted to dye them in one piece, which obviously would be a challenge as they weigh over 2 lbs. each. I managed to fold and scrunch them enough to squeeze them into the pot. Whew! Now, what to do with them? Maybe a "felting day" on the patio in front of the shop... I think they would make interesting felt rugs!

Finishing Felt

2007-07-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

Near the end of day 2 and the work is nearly done. Yes, we are tired and sore from the endless pounding and rolling but we are not fighting over felt... this is actually part of the finishing technique!

Felt as Art

2007-07-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

These are just 3 examples of the beautiful artwork created over these 2 days...

Felting Workshop

2007-07-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

To all my friends that were around me for the past couple months "I'm sorry". I had literally worked myself into a heap of nerves (worse than usual, that is) in anticipation of teaching this two-day workshop on laminated felt using merino, silk, and cashmere fibers. You can see a picture of one of my pieces in the Summer 2007 issue of Spin-Off in the Handspun Gallery of Felted Items (Page 90-91). I lost track of how many yards of silk I had to mordant, and I have absolutely no idea how many pounds of cashmere, silk, and merino I dyed, oh, and lots and lots of kid mohair locks too!

Well, much to my amazement, the workshop went well and everyone went home with a beautiful finished project. So, "Thanks" to Suzanne for the opportunity to teach this technique in a workshop environment; and "Thanks" to fiber enthusiasts Amy, Kathy, Robin, Linnea, Katie, Liz, Lisa, Roxana, Cathy, Tiffaney, Judy, Susanne and Spring for signing up giving me the opportunity to share this with you. It was simply too much fun!

Last of the Sheep to Sweater AMP - Felting !

2007-05-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

Our two days with The Bush School students nearly over and only one project left... Felting!! We did a small wet felting project over a resist and all the creative energy was flowing like a river run wild. No two projects were the same! Thanks to all the students for allowing us to share our knowledge with them .... and also teaching us so much in the process.

Wheel Spinning...

2007-05-09T00:24:00.000-07:00

After everyone had their try at hand carding and drum carding we had a group lesson on drop spindle spinning. That afternoon everyone was spinning their own yarn on drop spindles... a few even went on to wheel spinning!

More on the AMP... Hand Carding & Drum Carding

2007-05-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Sheep to Sweater AMP at Rainshadow Farm

2007-05-08T23:31:00.000-07:00

Marcia assured us that Homer was quite comfortable....

Last month's Sheep to Sweater AMP with The Bush School was a tremendous success. The AMP (experiential education at its acronymic finest) led by Lisa Keller (Head Librarian at The Bush School) was designed to immerse 13 high school students in the process of yarn and feltmaking from sheep to finished product. Marcia, Claudia, and I had two days to show them our stuff and boy did they get an education (and so did we!).

Marcia kicked off the event by demonstrating her famous "sheep flipping" technique, then proceeded to shear her ram, Homer.

Constance and the Basket of Bison

2007-05-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

Constance was again with us at the shop on Sunday, her last day before the big move to Morgan Hill. Linda, who has Constance following her around like a little puppy, decided to take Constance outside to do her "business". We decided that day 3 in sheep life is the discovery of running and jumping, as Constance leaped out the door and began trotting across the parking lot as if to say, "Look Mom, No Fences!!". Linda caught up with her and safely returned to the shop where curious Constance seemed to be attracted to the basket of Buffalo Gals Bison fiber.

Constance

2007-05-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

This is Constance, just 2 days old on Saturday! She is Linda's "Bottle Baby" who for reasons unknown, was rejected by her mother. Linda, on the other hand, bonded with this sweet lamb immediately and has been bottle feeding her every 4 hours, so she was at the shop with us all weekend... The word was out on the street early Saturday that we had a 2-day old lamb (Jacob Breed) in the shop. She was quite the attraction as people entered the shop asking "Where's the Baby?".

By the end of Saturday afternoon there was an adoption offer on the table from a friend and local B&B owner, Marcia Breece. Marcia's sanctuary, Morgan Hill Retreat in Poulsbo, is already home to a family of fortunate critters, and I personally couldn't think of a better home for Constance. Linda slept on the offer (and checked out Marcia's references) and agreed to the adoption (with visitation privileges I am sure!) . I heard that Marcia spent a sleepless Saturday night waiting for Linda's decision and researching the Jacob Sheep Breed!

Happy news is that Constance will be moving to Morgan Hill Retreat (www.morganhillretreat.com) on Monday afternoon, where she will be most wanted and lovingly cared for by Marcia, her new shepherdess.

Sunday Spinning at the Artful Ewe

2007-05-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we made a new fiber friend, Vickie, who is also a member of NwRSA (Northwest Regional Spinner's Association), and has been spinning for about 20 years. She was so excited to find us and said she would be back. Well, one week later she was back, with her wheel, and spent the afternoon spinning with us!

It's an Open Invitation to Spinners/Knitters/Fiber Enthusiasts! Bring your wheel, needles, or whatever you're working on and spend the afternoon.

We're Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

(Weekdays by Appointment - Please call me at 360-297-3493 or 360-643-0183).

Oh, and we don't have a lot of chairs yet so please bring your spinning stool or something to sit on!!!

Fiber Station

2007-05-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

Is it a Fire Station.... or a Fiber Station???
We're Open!! Our first weekend and wow was it busy. The building we are in was part of the Port Gamble Historic Home Tour on Saturday. I can't count how many times we were asked "where are the fire engines?".

Just a couple more pictures...

2007-05-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

This building is such a cool space to work in!!!

2007-05-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Setting up at Port Gamble

2007-05-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

We're pretty much set up at Port Gamble and ready for the Historic Homes Walkabout tour today (Saturday). Still a few things left to do this morning but we should be ready by 10 a.m. Linda and I are Looking forward to sitting and spinning today!

Weekends at Port Gamble

2007-05-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

Old Fire Hall at Port Gamble

2007-05-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple more pictures of our progress setting things up. Between me, Linda and Laurie I think we've managed to make it feel comfortable and inviting. I especially like the sitting area where you can spin, knit, read or whatever. Woo Hoo! There's even a view of the water!!!

Our fingers are crossed that we'll at least be there through the summer... maybe even longer. Having a workshop or two... hosting a spin-in.... or simply enjoying the many events the town has planned over the next few months. Every Sunday there is the outdoor market and antique market, May 5th (Saturday) is the Historic Home Tour, and the 10K Spring Fling is on Sunday the 6th.

June is hopping with the Medieval Faire on the 2nd-3rd; Old Mill Days Country Carnival from 8th-10th, and the Civil War Re-Enactment on June 22, 23, & 24th.

You can check out the Port Gamble Calendar of Events for the entire year at www.portgamble.com. So come on out to Port Gamble! We're in the old Fire Station across from the General Store - Open Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Weekdays (M-F) remain studio hours by appointment only - please call 360-297-3493, 360-643-0183.

Home from Whidbey... Well Hello Miss Molly!

2007-05-03T06:27:00.000-07:00

As if the day wasn't full enough, I came home to find out that we had a new kid! A baby goat kid that is. Miss Molly was born that same Sunday morning, April Fool's Day, without any human assistance (or intervention depending on how you look at it). fact, by the time Frank found her in the shed, Emily's motherly instincts had kicked in and little Miss Molly was already clean, dry and wobbily walking about investigating her new world. By the time I got home Sunday, it was already dark, but I wasn't waiting until morning to see the new baby kid. Flashlight in hand, Frank and I walked up to the goat shed. I sat down on the straw and held tiny Molly in my arms. Oh my gosh, how sweet is this !! I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. Okay, Okay, to all you shepherds, shepherdesses, farmers, and others that witness this birth thing on a regular basis, cut me a little slack here. I am a Newbie Goat Mom, and a sentimental one at that. I will forever be amazed and humbled by the miracle of life, no matter how small. Honestly, I had the same kind of reaction when this little nest of baby birds hatched in the rafters of our front porch last year! Doesn't she tug at your heart, just a little? (Molly - 1 Week Old)

Desperate Spinner

2007-05-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot of explanation needed here I'm afraid. I believe this is evidence that I've gone over the edge... Sunday afternoon heading home from Whidbey, we just missed the ferry so it was nearly 1-1/2 hours until the next one. It was pouring down rain so stuck in the truck we were. Linda had her knitting to occupy her time, I on the other hand had forgotten mine, along with my drop spindle. Linda had also won a fiber door prize (she had also won an amazing door prize at the Edgewood Spin-In.... hmmmmm... she was holding both of our tickets...) and I was curious how it would spin up. I had dp needles (used to make camelid fiber punis in the workshop) but no yarn. I attempted to spin Linda's wool by rolling the dp needle along my leg to build twist... a hopelessly lame attempt to create any reasonably sound yarn. Linda, watched me for a moment then grabbed a baby carrot from the bag of veggies, "Here, use this!" she exclaimed as she handed me the baby carrot. I quickly stabbed the dp needle into the carrot and voila! The carrot spindle was born. Honest, it really did work!!! It was a little wobbly, but a bit more precise placement and perhaps a nibble off one end would have made a more balanced tool, but usable "as is" it most certainly was...

Whidbey Spin-In

2007-04-30T23:36:00.000-07:00

There was a cluster of local spinning events the first part of 2007 and I ambitiously attended all that I could. The Spin-In on Whidbey Island was memorable and quite simply, too much fun! Whidbey 2006 was what I considered to be my first "real vendor" event and "Deer in the Headlights" pretty much describes how I felt doing this a year ago. This year, much, much more relaxed. I also have to say how much I appreciate the awesome fiber friends I've made along the way. It's those friends I think of when I'm loading my truck at 5 a.m. in the pouring rain... the ones I know will be there... with a smile... and ready for their next "fiber fix"! (You Wooly Yarn Girls know who I'm talking about...). Okay, so I dyed what seemed to be a dump truck load of fiber the first few months of the year. My hands were perpetually purple and fiber was everywhere! This photo was our dining room just before the Whidbey Spin-In.

Bi-Annual Blogging

2007-04-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

Returning from the depths of bad-bloggersville (it's been almost 6 months since I have updated my blog). Here is a brief and condensed account of what has been going on in my world. To some of you this is very, very, very old news. Please bear with as there is more exciting recent news to follow!!

Many of you know that I was lucky enough to share a booth with Judith MacKenzie-McCuin at the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat (Tacoma, WA) in January. Wow, what an experience that was for a total newbie (me). Thank goodness Linda J. was along! Here is Linda chatting it up with customers!

Low Twist Single Spun Yarn

2006-11-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

I was trying to spin a single that would resemble Manos del Uruguay... this is as close as I got. I have come to the conclusion that this type of yarn, although it looks like it should be easy, is the most difficult to spin, at least for me. The wool is Blue-Faced Leicester that I dyed and then drumcarded. I spun it "woolen" on my Louet, with the drive band on the largest whorl and plenty of take up so I wouldn't be able to accidentally add too much twist. The staple length was between 6-8 inches so not too much twist was needed. I know it is impossible to spin a "balanced" single, but this skein was hanging pretty darn straight and relaxed!!

Cooking on Thanksgiving Day

2006-11-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a blustery day, complete with heavy rain and winds and decided stay home and cook instead of spending several hours on the road with other happy travelers in search of food. I put a turkey in the oven and quickly headed off to the garage to dye... Both skeins are Superwash Merino. I mixed up several colors and hand-painted both skeins using the same colors, however the "base coat" and the "top coat" as I like to call them, were dramatically different in both skeins. Interesting.... now let's see how they knit up!

Dyeing Brave...

2006-11-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

They say that you're not being brave if you're not afraid... well, dyeing can be quite frightening, especially when you are dyeing 2+ pounds at a time! Well, I am happy to report that the results are becoming more and more predictable... here are more recently dyed yarns - Left: Merino/Silk/Cashmere. Right: Baby Alpaca/Merino/Cashmere.

More on Dyeing...

2006-11-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

Here are two more colorways - both are 100% Superwash Merino Wool Yarn.

The Color of Leaves...

2006-11-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist trying to capture Mother Nature's Palette... this yarn inspired by falling leaves.

Dyeing Superwash Yarn and other Blends

2006-11-20T00:46:00.000-08:00

I've been dyeing... so what's new! Here is some 100% superwash merino yarn (top left); and 75%merino/25% Nylon superwash yarn (top right) both are great for socks. The bright rusty orange at left is a novelty nylon yarn, as is the brownish yarn peeking through the center. The two bottom skeins are merino/silk/cashmere blends. I am using Judith MacKenzie's Eco-friendly super-milled acid dyes and regular household vinegar. What fun this is!!!

Spindle Storage Basket

2006-06-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here is my solution to spindle storage... I bought the wire basket at Pier 1, then wrapped a piece of foam with a wool batt for the bottom. The spindles stay put and the open basket makes a nice display!

Shearing Goats - Emily and Mo Freckles

2006-05-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yippee! I am happy to report that the arduous task of shearing our herd is finally done. Okay, so we only have two goats but it was still difficult. Linda and I started to shear Mo Freckles a few weeks ago - we got about 1/3 of him done and had to quit. Then it rained, and life happened and it rained some more... Linda came over last week to "help me". I held the goats while she operated the scissors.... After all, she has experience shearing her own sheep, so she's naturally better at shearing a goat than I am. So, you ask, just how long did it take to shear 2 goats? Well, about 3 weeks!!

Spinning on Whidbey Island the 1st of April

2006-05-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

What an exciting weekend we had at the annual Whidbey Island Spin-In! Not only was this my first time at the event but I was also a vendor (and boy was I nervous!). Fortunately, I had my fiberholic friend, Linda Two Sleeves (aka Linda Jacobs) with me to calm my nerves. We commuted from Kingston to Oak Harbor each day - less than 60 miles but a ferry boat ride in between so we were up and running muy temprano! Of course, our husbands think we are nothing less than nuts to get up at 5 a.m. to go SPIN -- they just don't get it. Two days in a gymnasium filled with other spinners... AND Judith MacKenzie McCuin. Well, it just doesn't get much better than that! Well, actually it does!! Day 3 of Marathon Spinning... Eve and I were up at dawn. We had a glazed look about us from lack of sleep but the adrenaline was pumping... we're off to Whidbey again for a Plying workshop with Judith MacKenzie! Frank, my husband, still doesn't get it "didn't you spin enough in two days?" Enough spinning? Is that possible? Besides, this isn't just spinning, this is "Plying" with Judith! Frank just shook his head... Eve and I loaded our wheels in the truck and sped off to pick up Linda and catch a ferry boat ... and ply. It was great!

2006-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

Need more fiber in your diet???? Check out my website at www.theartfulewe.com !!

Spinning Kid Mohair Locks

2006-02-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

Being a spinner/knitter I cringe at the thought of acrylic yarn but really like the look of the furry novelty yarns... here is my acrylic-free version. This is dyed kid mohair locks, spun "Z", then plied "S" with a silk thread, and plied again "Z" with silk thread. I washed the yarn and gave it a good whack while it was still wet to help it "bloom", brushed it up with a soft bristled brush and hung it to dry.... What a fun yarn to spin and knit with!!

Emily and Mo Freckles

2006-02-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

Emily and Mo Freckles are our little Angora Goats (Emily on the left, Mo on the right). They are hilarious!! Their personalities are great but their fiber is even better.... I can't wait to shear them in a couple months!

Yakkity-Yak about Spinning Yak....

2006-02-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

Yak Fiber... well here is a skein of the light brown that I spun and plied (2-ply). It is soooooo soft and springy... I also did another 2-ply with 1 ply Yak and 1 ply of Angora and it is super soft with a beautiful halo.... Now, the big decision.... what do I do with it?????

Saturday Weaving at Linda's House

2006-02-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

Our Weaving Study Group met last weekend at Linda's house. Our leader, Leone, has us studying plain weave.... very simple. Yeah, right! I decided to do hand towels out of cottolin at 20 epi. Well, I wound my warp wrong and ended up with a tangled mess that seemed to take forever to untangle. I thought I had it under control as I took my rigid heddle loom home, warped and ready to weave, only to discover a threading error.... I can see how one might abandon their loom or toss it in the wood stove! I am finally weaving!

Making Slippers

2006-02-21T16:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I am still knitting and felting slippers with my hand dyed yarn. I need to make a natural pair with pewter sheep on them... Size 11. Well, I worked up a pair this last week but they were odd looking to say the least! I guess I need to adjust my pattern a little to make them come out right (they looked like tubes!). Anyway, I'll post them if I can get them to turn out right.

Knitting Socks

2006-02-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

I wetted some sock yarn for dyeing last week and decided to go ahead and dye the yarn over the weekend. Leave it to me to pick the coldest weekend on record! I had the space heaters going full blast in the garage as I hand painted my 2-lb. skein of yarn. It was hung to dry by the wood stove and I started my sock... It is a little slow going on Size 1 Needles but here is what I've done so far...