Spinning workshop.

So excited!  This weekend we are sponsoring a spinning workshop.  Jacey Boggs will be coming up to North Dakota for two days to hold a spinning workshop on her awesome art yarn techniques.  I have watched her videos and practiced her yarns, but being able to see it in person is an exciting thought.  I will do my best to get pictures.

 

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Time for Demos....

It is the season of demonstrations again.  Seems like they pick up in the fall again.  I really enjoy doing the demonstrations because it gives me a chance to share something I enjoy with others. 
The first one for the fall will be at the Central North Dakota Steam Threshers Reunion.  They have the school children come through to look at all the different displays.   I get to be in the Potters Pavilion where everyone goes through.  The school children always seem to love watching the spinning and I send them home with a little piece of yarn to remember the day.  I usually spiff up my old traditional wheel for this event, but I don't feel like dealing with an aching back and hip the next day.  I plan on take a bit of raw wool and then some scoured so I can demonstrate how to prep the wool for spinning in front of the children.

The pictures below are from my demonstration that was held on Saturday during the Legacy of the Arts Festival.  I was set up just off the art display and was demonstrating spinning and fiber prep as well as talking about the different wools.

Drum carding wool for batts.  I also demonstrated dizzing off the drum carder to make roving.

Here I had my combs and hackle set up to demonstrate hand combing to make combed top.  I combed fiber and then also did fiber blending on the hackle.

My wheel and chair set up to spin.

The lay of my booth area.  It was a good day.

Fall in the air....

Well it looks as though fall is in the air.  The temps have cooled and the birds have started gathering for their fall migrations.  Most exciting though are the colors that have begun on the trees.  I am always so inspired by the colors that they produce.  It really calls for a dye day to bring the inspirations to life on the wool.  We have all sorts of colors to enjoy.  The yellows of the cottonwoods and aspens, purples of the Amur maples and chokecherries, reds from the flame maples and dogwoods, strong flashing silvers of the silver maples.  The colors are spectacular.  Now to decide if it warrants dyed top and roving or inspirational batts.

Fiber

I spent the past week taking an inventory of my raw fiber and was amazed I had forgotten about some.  I found some lovely locks that will make some incredible long lock yarn.  I think as soon as I have this weekend under my belt I will dye some up for the shop.  Then it is also time to set up my combs again and work on some more combed top.  Love spinning hand combed top.  The stuff nearly spins itself.  So many things to do and so little time to do them in.