Lamb Festival

The Lamb Festival (used to be Lambtown) was last weekend. I was so busy that I didn't get very many photos of the event. I have been on the Board and organized the classes for 3 of the last 4 years, but I have already given notice for next year. Someone else can have a turn...maybe someone that doesn't have quite as many things going on as me.  I had a vendor booth, taught, a class, managed the registration table, and showed sheep all at the same time. How? Thanks to my good Farm Club friends and others. Jacki, Shelby, Kathy, Tina, and Anna all helped. Shelby showed the sheep with the help of my husband. Too bad we don't have photos of that. Granite, the ram lamb that won Reserve Champion at Black Sheep Gathering received a Champion ribbon although I'm not quite sure how the divisions were set up.  Here are a few photos.

This knitted vest was awarded "Best Item of 100% Jacob wool", sponsored by meridian Jacobs. Isn't that gorgeous?

And here is some beautiful Jacob novelty yarn.

My friend, Nancy Jane Campbell, did a fantastic job of organizing the Sheep to Shawl contest and the Spinning Contests. One of those was a spinning triathlon which included blind-folded spinning as well as spinning with rubber gloves.

The Lamb Festival was on Saturday but we had addional classes on Sunday, three of which were held at my place. While I taught a weaving class and Nancy Campbell taught knitting at the shop, Rebecca Burgess set up in the barn and  taught Natural Dyeing. Here are some photos of the class samples.

These are yarns that Rebecca brought with her. Rebecca has a fascinating message and you'll hear about it in future posts. It's too late now to explain more but if you google Fibershed you'll find out about it.

And what was happening at home? I put these 4 ewes in with Savor before leaving for the Lamb Festival and when I came home they were all marked. I think my sheep are ready.

Weaving projects unearthed

I think I have figured out how to link WP and FB but to try it out I should have a real post. When I reorganized my shop I unearthed boxes and boxes of yarn, etc. Here are some scarves from a warp that I wound and space-dyed quite awhile ago. I like to plan warps and design projects but sometimes there are those days when you don't want to have to think. What fun to pull out a warp that is ready to put on the loom.

The towels below are from a warp that I remember winding about 19 years ago. How do I know it was that long ago? When my now-19 year old son was a baby and would be awake in the middle of the night sometimes I put him in the backpack and kneading bread or winding warps would put him back to sleep!

I guess I won't quit my day job.

I thought that maybe I would switch jobs and be a wildife photographer. Here are some photos I took in the pasture the other day. This marsh hawk (birder friend, Claire, tells me that it is a northern harrier, but marsh hawk is the name I remember) was flying around the pasture, would land, and then as I stealthily snuck up on him, would take flight again.

Same with the egret. The hawk is on the ground and the egret comes in for a landing.  I don't have a very long lens so this is the best I can do before they take off again.

So I guess I'd better keep at the fiber business and just use wildlife photography as a side-line!

Some of this weeks scarves:

These first three have supplementary warp of various odds and ends.

More log cabin scarves:

These are the same except that one has a bleached white yarn and the other has an ivory yarn.

A friend and I did an impromptu dye session this week.

She dyed yarn and I dyed fiber.

More Color

Saturday was Fiber Frolic at Meridian Jacobs. Colleen Simon (friend down the road) put this on and each teach two classes. Participants get to pick from two classes in the morning and two in the afternoon and lunch is provided. In the morning Colleen taught minature sock knitting--it is the same as regular sock knitting, but many fewer stitches. While she was inside I was outside with the dyeing group. Good thing that this class was in the morning because the high temperature that day was 107!

Look at the fiber and yarn that we dyed!

We all went inside for the afternoon. I taught a Novelty Yarn class while Colleen taught Needlefelting.  These are the butterflies that students made:

On the weaving front--I finally finished a batch of baby blankets. Here is what they look like when they come off the loom:

Not too impressive, huh? That's 18 blankets. Here are some that are finished and ready for sale:

I have sold 6 of the 18 blankets already so I'd better get busy with another warp!

The State Fair is going to get in the way of that though! That is coming up this weekend and I am still working on my display.

I taught a dye class today.  In my dye classes I warn everyone that what we are doing is not repeatable but it's always fun and so far I haven't dyed a batch I didn't like (or couldn't overdye).

The 3 skeins were in balls when I put them in the dyepot. The fiber was on top. I added 4 colors of dye and steamed the whole thing.