Summer marches on and we are getting into Fall. Where does the time go?
Around The Spinning Loft it has been a busy spring and summer. We worked with the lovely Jennifer Heverly at Spirit Trail Fiber Works for a great Tour de Fleece competitors and their prizes have been issued. We have met (and “met”) some lovely new shepherd friends and their sheep. We’ve been working with Beth Smith, Deb Robson and a few others for some upcoming class supplies. We’ve even been working with a few Spinning Guilds for breed studies.
But, you ask, what else have you been doing? It’s true – somehow you all know I’m up to my ears in fleecey fun!
You got me. I admit it. We have designed 2 new samplers!
Many people have asked us about down breeds and we created a sampler of down/meat sheep to help explore them. Down breeds can be whacky – they’re floofy, they often resist felting, they take up a lot of space, it can be hard to find their locks and know what to do with them. But more importantly they’re so often called “meat breeds” and their fleece gets so short! Fear not the fluff, fiberistas! My favorite processing and spinning method for a down breed is to toss my fiber in a bucket of super duper hot water with scour in it, let it soak (do this a couple times) and let it dry. Then I grab a handful, shake out any VM, tap flick it up a bit and just spin away short forward draw. Lofty deliciousness will ensue. It’s often crispy (good crispy, not oh no breakage crispy), but it’s always lofty and warm. And that felt resistant quality makes it great for socks, especially hiking socks, and mittens and warm lofty outerwear.
The second sampler is really fun. Perhaps even more fun, if there is such a thing. You see, Beth Smith’s new book, The Spinner’s Book of Fleece, is out and we created a sampler to accompany it! You can buy the book separately from the sampler, the sampler separately from the book, or buy both together and explore some of the breeds Beth loves alongside her while you read. Every spinner who loves breed specific fibers needs this book!
We are also partnering with Storey Publishing for the 2014 rendition of Spinzilla. Spinzilla runs from October 6th through October 12th Team Spinner Registration is available from August 4th through September 22nd. Spinners of all levels are welcome to join. Our team, like the others, is limited to 25 spinners. Spin miles, spin a rainbow! SPIN SPIN SPIN like the wind! Registration started Monday, August 4th at 10am ET. To register, go to http://www.tnna.org/event/SpinzillaTeamSpinnerRegistration and select “Storey” on the team selection page.
More next time… after I can find my way to the top of my pile of fibery goodness again.
Alison, James and Max
Keep Calm and Spin On