This week has been filled with color, growth, and JOY!
Last Sunday, I taught my first class on dyeing fiber and yarn. My students, Rose and Pat, learned very quickly and created some gorgeously bright and saturated work, and it kicked me into gear for getting more dyeing done, myself. I mean, it’s SPRING and everything is blooming and blossoming and growing and bursting into life… of course it’s the right thing to do, to add even more color!
As you can see, it’s been tough to rein myself in. 😉
There’s been a lot of things happening behind the scenes. Some of those things, I get to finally tell you about!
One of the awesome things I have been a small part of is The Spinner’s Notebook – a New Resource for Fiber Artists. Here’s a bit about it, from Pam Blasko:
“Pam Blasko of Dream Come True Farm and Ashly Ann Bartholomew of Ashly Ann’s Hands have put together an important resource that brings together a community of fiber artists and shepherdesses. The Spinner’s Notebook has been created to help those who want to learn more about animal fleeces including micron count, crimp, and other important characteristics. This book will help its readers choose the right fleece and/or fiber for spinning, felting, knitting, and other related projects in order to get the best results in their work.
The pages are filled with helpful descriptions of the animals, beautiful photographs and actual samples of their fleeces. These animals are lovingly raised by local farmers who are dedicated to having their animals produce first quality fibers. There are also instructional pages written by experienced fiber artists to help in the decision making process. Visit my farm page to see more pics of the Notebook.”
There are entries from many skilled shepherds discussing the animals that they raise, and it includes much insider info and fiber samples, too. Plus there are informative articles from folks like Arlene Thayer of Spin Artiste, Suzy Brown of Wool Wench, Kelley Corbett of Romney Ridge Farm, and yours truly – I give advice on choosing the right spinning wheel for you, and more!
You can purchase this on Etsy for $40.95 plus shipping, and I highly recommend it!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123908961/the-spinners-notebook-wool-spinning-wool
The other big big news that I’ve been sitting on…
My antsy-pants have been on FIRE to tell you all about what Arlene, Suzy, and I have been cooking up! If you aren’t aware of Fibery Goodness, it is a collaborative effort between Spin Artiste and Wool Wench [Arlene and Suzy, respectively], to create an extensive resource for spinners of all levels and experience to learn more about the fiber arts, with a stress on the creative and expressive. They are the masterminds behind the Journey to the Golden Fleece course, as well as their own artistic projects. And they have been responsible for sparking creative excitement in the minds of many fiber artists! So for me, this is a huge honor – I will be joining them on April 11th for a LIVE broadcast, where I will talk about and demonstrate spinning artistic, expressive yarns on a drop spindle. For a lot of people, this is something that intimidates them; in fact, I’ve had people insist that it can’t be done. I, of course, immediately strike down that idea by showing off a technique. [because I’m a show-off like that, I know.]
For this class, which is FREE, you can either tune in live at 1pm EST, or you can get the recording a bit later. Either way, I’d love it if you joined us – and if you want to play along, I would be thrilled! I recommend that you gather up some well prepared fiber, some pre-spun singles, and several spindles – include a bulky one if possible. And of course, your imagination and sense of fun!
My teaser for the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lPwEzRvJuI
All the info you need to join us: http://fiberygoodness.com/2014/04/upcoming-live-broadcast-spindle-spun-artistic-yarns-class-with-christiane-knight/
The event page on Google+: https://plus.google.com/events/c52ob0daror7kraaprsoiinpkvo
So YES! So much happening! And I even took some photos of what I’ve been looking at in the shop and around this week. About the seedlings – can you believe that I started those on TUESDAY and they had started sprouting by FRIDAY? And some of them are already getting leggy! I will post up the tomatoes in buckets and other goodies next week if I remember – I plan on getting them started sometime this week. Are you growing things? What’s been happening that’s wonderful in your world?
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