R&R

Work has been very busy but I took some time off and went to Eugene Oregon for the Black Sheep Gathering last weekend. The BSG is a festival with fiber animals from sheep to lamas and there are vendors who sell books, wool, yarn, spinning wheels, patterns, jewelery, soap, felted items, knitting supplies, and much more.

Above are some restful moments taken over the weekend. Missy was resting at home, Autumn was being cute at the Ernst home, and the sheep and goats were of course getting their beauty rest - getting ready for the show ring.

I took a class on spinning Bison, Yak, and Cashmere from Judith MacKenzie McCuin. We had some special treats as some Qiviut and some Chinchilla were also provided for us to try spinning. Wow! Judith and all those lovely fibers. It was a fantastic class and I really feel like I learned so much about how to take on these oh-so-fabulous fibers.
One of my favorite sheep, Jazz, was on her toes. She has changed over the time since I last saw her, but she is a cute as ever. I was so happy to get to see her again, and her owner Suzie Sizemore. They did very well at the show.

Here is Sheila, Kate, Jen, and Angela. Kate is Sheila's youngest daughter. It was so wonderful to get to visit with her. Thanks for joining us Kate. Keep up the great artwork!

I was lucky enough to have Jen join me on the trip. The miles flew by with her riding shot gun, or driving. Sheila and Michael invited us to stay with them, and we gladly accepted. What fun to get to see them at the show and to stay with them afterwards in their lovely home. Thank you Sheila and Michael!

Can you believe I did not bring any raw fleece home? I am amazed too! I did find some wool roving and some baby surry alpaca that followed me home. I also found a lazy kate for drop spindles and three matching maple spindles. I'm wanting to take some spinning with me on those week long trips to Georgia, and the spindles will allow me to do that. Having the kate will let me ply from my spindles easier. I'm really looking forward to trying them all out. I found a don't drop spindle (is it the year of the spindle?) that called to me, and a set of Mother McKenzie's Dye. I'll be telling you more about these as I start new projects with them.