Loading ...There has been a lot of fibre arts going on around here lately and boy am I having fun! Thanks need to go to Cheryl who suggested learning to spin! Spinning class not only resulted in us learning to spin, but also in new friends, me starting to learn to knit and weave, and to the possibility of the sheep earning their keep.
At the first spinning lesson the topic of blogs came up and our teacher said she didn’t have one, but had been thinking about it. I suggested that perhaps we could do a trade, I would set up a blog for her and she could show me how to deal with our 17 bags of dirty fleece.
After the second spinning lesson I was super excited about my fleeces and so following the instructions of my shepherding mentor Steve built me a skirting table and we got started with skirting the 2009 fleeces.
Following the instructions from Elizabeth my fibre-arts mentor, Steve and I got a couple of the fleeces washed. Then Cheryl and I went and spent a most fun day at Elizabeth’s playing with fibre.
I took Hopeful Maria and WillowGarden Donna Summer’s newly washed fleeces, these particular two were chosen because Maria has a soft single coated fleece and Donna has a double coated fleece. Cheryl had washed and brought along Windwater Sweet Pea’s fleece.
From fleece to yarn in a couple of hours – how cool is that!
While I was amusing myself with the carder, Elizabeth and Cheryl were doing what looked like chemistry experiments! Then they put it in the oven! I must admit that I didn’t pay enough attention, but I figure for the moment I have enough to learn, so I will focus on breeding my sheep for the widest variety of natural shades.
For now Elizabeth has lent me her carder, I have my new-to-me Cricket loom and I am supposed to be learning to knit (which is turning out a little more like knotting at the moment), and I still need to practice my spinning. I just don’t know what to do first! Plus I am supposed to be working on a couple of websites – don’t you just hate it when work gets in the way!
I hear you’ve put me to shame and finished your scarf already! Mine is creeping along, a bit at a time each night…
Let me know when those fleeces are ready
Comment by Leslie — January 11, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
Hey, when can I come play too!! (not tomorrow — have a kid to get registered at a new school which just might take most of the day)!!
Comment by Cheryl — January 11, 2010 @ 7:30 pm
@Cheryl – Anytime. Plus I have borrowed E’s carder if you want to finish Sweet Pea.
Comment by Heidi — January 12, 2010 @ 9:18 am