Spinner's Lead

Tonight was the annual Black Sheep Gathering Spinner's Lead. One can't help but be happy after watching the farmers walk their animals around the arena while simultaneously modeling a handspun knitted, crocheted, woven, or felted garment. This event is an absolute hoot!

Black Sheep Gathering

We are having a great time at the gathering this year! Yesterday was a bit chilly in the morning, so there was ample opportunity to wear handspun swag. There were some absolutely gorgeous shawls and shawlettes.

Here are some pictures of the booth before we opened for business:

Ashland

We walked around Ashland in the morning and stopped by The Web-sters Yarn shop. They have a great selection of yarns from Habu Textiles. I picked up a couple of Habu silk yarns for weaving.



Ashland is home to the natural Lithia water spring. I never sample the sulphur-rich water, but many people do. The local signage claims that the water has health benefits, but I'm not so sure.

Summer Solstice

Our trip began before sunrise today. The scenery was so beautiful! Along the way we saw wild sweet peas, lupin, and scotch broom blooming along the side of the road. Every year Lori and I enjoy the many views of Mt. Shasta, and this year the mountain appeared to have more snow than usual.


We were very excited to finally arrive in Ashland. It is warm this evening, and we enjoyed some window shopping and dinner at our favorite little restaurant, Pangaea, before turning in for the day. Tomorrow we are off to Eugene!

Black Sheep Here We Come!

I can't believe how long it has been since I wrote about my fiber life. Though I have been busy, I try to spend a bit of time every day doing something fibery.

In the past couple of months I have been feverishly preparing for Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon (June 24-26).
I will once again be sharing a booth with Lori Lawson of Capistrano Fiber Arts. We are going to have lots of new things this year, including new yarn and roving colorways.



Also, I will be debuting my handcrafted soaps at Black Sheep Gathering. I am bringing three different scents: Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey, Lavender Patchouli, and Pepper Rose.

Lori and I are both excited for the trip. We always have a great time meeting friends and talking fiber. Hope to see you there!

A flashback

I grew up watching Jim Henson's television creations, including The Muppet Show, and Fraggle Rock. To this day, I still enjoy watching these classic shows. A couple of years ago, I downloaded Knit One, Purl Two, a song featured on Fraggle Rock. I stumbled upon the source video for this song yesterday, and I wanted to share it. Enjoy!

Stitches West

Today I went to Stitches West for the first time. It was very overwhelming, to say the least! There were tons of people, and just as many booths to take in. My favorite booths at these conferences are always those of the indie producers, and at this show I especially enjoyed the booths of Slipped Stitch Studios, Ranch of the Oaks, Never Not Knitting, and Miss Purl.



I demonstrated amazing restraint, and only came home with the Cosette Wrap pattern by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting. I can't wait to knit one out of leftover bits of handspun yarn.