As you may have guessed by how few posts I have done this year, 2018 has been a little hectic. All the more reason to greet last weekend for my annual trek to Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair.
As usual, I taught many classes. I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach at this wonderful show! Walking around the workshop building, I see so many people I admire. Thank you to Lisa and Anne Marie for their great job guiding all the instructors through the teaching process.
I did not do much shopping this year. Partly that is due to my large stash. Partly that was due to my busy teaching schedule. I did pick up a few things.
Dorper
I picked this up from Hippie Chix Fiber Art. This is one of my favorite vendors for spinning fiber, as they have tremendous variety. I was hoping they would have glow in the dark fiber from Kreinik. No such luck. But they did have this inexpensive Dorper top. I bought 8 ounces for about $12.50. I have a spinning weekend coming up in January. I've been spinning for a specific weaving project for awhile. I think I need a break. At this point, I'd like to spend a few days with "play" fiber and just try different things. I bought Jacey Bogg's 51 Yarns when it came out. Since the Dorper is non-precious fiber, I can use it to try a variety of techniques. It may not be the best suited to everything, but it should give me plenty for practice, experimentation, and illumination.
Carol James books
Ursula's Alcove had some lovely items (including bone weaving tools). She also happened to have sprang books by Carol James. I'm signed up for Carol James' 2-day sprang workshop this weekend at Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance. Coming across these two books was serendipitous. For those of you who are multi-craftual, note the lace pattern on the right edge of the sprang lace book cover is very similar to the strawberry Orenburg lace pattern.
Saori
I've previously picked up a couple of the Saori clothing books from HanDen Studios. People talk about being either a process or a product crafter. I'm probably closer to a product crafter — I like to use what I make — but I also enjoy learning new processes. I adore the look of Saori weaving. This book is the basic introductory book. While I don't plan to purchase a Saori loom, it is possible to weave in the Saori method on a table or even rigid-heddle loom. And for someone who sometimes spins art yarns, Saori is a great way to show off those special yarns.
Oh, I almost forgot — I won two blue ribbons in the fiber arts competition.
I entered the red and black snowflake twill pillow that I wove so I would be more comfortable in my car on long trips. I entered it mostly because it uses Aunt Lydia's crochet cotton, which is ubiquitous at the big box craft stores. I wanted other weavers to see that this inexpensive 3-ply can make good fabric. I entered the grey scarf I designed for the fall issue of Cast On magazine just to drum up interest in the magazine. When I picked up my items on Sunday, I learned there were very few entries in the crochet category. So, this is a reminder to everyone for next year — please consider entering items. Part of the fun of a show like this is seeing what other people have done. I always discover a new technique or an example of something I would not have tried that worked out brilliantly.
Thank you to all the volunteers, vendors, and participants that make SAFF such a delightful gathering of our fiber community!
As usual, I taught many classes. I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach at this wonderful show! Walking around the workshop building, I see so many people I admire. Thank you to Lisa and Anne Marie for their great job guiding all the instructors through the teaching process.
I did not do much shopping this year. Partly that is due to my large stash. Partly that was due to my busy teaching schedule. I did pick up a few things.
DorperI picked this up from Hippie Chix Fiber Art. This is one of my favorite vendors for spinning fiber, as they have tremendous variety. I was hoping they would have glow in the dark fiber from Kreinik. No such luck. But they did have this inexpensive Dorper top. I bought 8 ounces for about $12.50. I have a spinning weekend coming up in January. I've been spinning for a specific weaving project for awhile. I think I need a break. At this point, I'd like to spend a few days with "play" fiber and just try different things. I bought Jacey Bogg's 51 Yarns when it came out. Since the Dorper is non-precious fiber, I can use it to try a variety of techniques. It may not be the best suited to everything, but it should give me plenty for practice, experimentation, and illumination.
Ursula's Alcove had some lovely items (including bone weaving tools). She also happened to have sprang books by Carol James. I'm signed up for Carol James' 2-day sprang workshop this weekend at Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance. Coming across these two books was serendipitous. For those of you who are multi-craftual, note the lace pattern on the right edge of the sprang lace book cover is very similar to the strawberry Orenburg lace pattern.
I've previously picked up a couple of the Saori clothing books from HanDen Studios. People talk about being either a process or a product crafter. I'm probably closer to a product crafter — I like to use what I make — but I also enjoy learning new processes. I adore the look of Saori weaving. This book is the basic introductory book. While I don't plan to purchase a Saori loom, it is possible to weave in the Saori method on a table or even rigid-heddle loom. And for someone who sometimes spins art yarns, Saori is a great way to show off those special yarns.
Oh, I almost forgot — I won two blue ribbons in the fiber arts competition.
Thank you to all the volunteers, vendors, and participants that make SAFF such a delightful gathering of our fiber community!
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