It's been a week of catching up and getting back in the swing of the schedule.  It's the time of year when we sit on the couch taking turns reading and I get to knit away or spin.

I had so many people asking me at the fiber retreat this past weekend, blogged here, how I find the time to knit and spin. All they could think of was with 8 children how do I have time to do anything? I get asked that a lot. I have always-made time for crafting and I try to include the kids in the process. Before knitting it was scrapboking and I believe it is such good therapy to have a creative outlet especially as a Mom! Including the kids just gives me an excuse to sit down and do what I love more! My oldest knits and spins better then me and I have a couple boys that knit hats and cowls to keep them warm during hunting season. Right now I am teaching a couple to drop spindle. And the three year old loves to treadle my wheel and play with her basket of fiber. I want my kids to love hand crafts like I do and giving them lots of time to practice is a good way to do that. As homeschoolers we can read and knit or do math while Mom spins. I can be there when they need me but also be enjoying my knitting at the same time!




So this week I picked up my Cozy Me Cardigan again and began fighting my way through the lace decreases. I have one side almost done. I say fight because the pattern does not have the decreases written into it and you must read your knitting every row. So I must be able to give my full attention to my knitting and nothing else. I am really liking how it is turning out and I am hoping to have this done for "Rhinebeck"!


 I also finally blocked my Penny Infinity Scarf  and can not wait to wear it! I am still listening to the second Outlander Book. I am about half way through and still really enjoying it. Joining Ginny for the weekly yarn along.......

My weekend started last Thursday when I left my house and headed about an hour away to a retreat put on by my Spinning Guild, North  Country Spinners. This was my first time going and I was so excited!
I helped to set up and organize things with the retreat committee on Thursday and we had a huge issue because one of our main teachers cancelled at the last minute. But with lots of help it all got sorted out and the weekend was a huge success!

I took classes with Amy Tyler all weekend. What an amazing teacher she is! She is funny and can really explain technical things so well.
My first class was learning the long draw technique. And I have to say I had it going by the end of the class!


My next class was spinning energized singles and knitting with them. It is amazing what extra twist in your singles will do to items when knitted up! We added extra wist to commercial yarn and knitted right off the bobbin and the knitted fabric was biasing to the left or right depending on twist.....so cool! Spinning fiber and knitting off the bobbin had the same effect and our samples were zigzagging all over the place!
 
 


My last class was creating marled yarns. A marled yarn is 2 or more different plys......could be different colors or different fibers. It was a class mostly about twist and how to use different length fibers in the same yarn. We learned a lot about plying and how different fibers work together.


My brain is on overload with the amount of information "spinning" through it!! But I can not wait to hit my stash and look at what i can create with the fibers I have already!

Other retreat goers took classes in dying with Kathleen Taylor. I was lucky enough to have Kathleen in my lodge and what an interesting lady she is! She has written many books......this one called Fearless Fair Isle Knitting is on it's way to me right now! Her dying classes where amazing. They took knitting blanks and yarn and created self striping designs that were amazing!



We also had weaving, more spinning and natural dying classes that everyone was raving about! I loved the atmosphere at the retreat! All the teachers stayed in the lodges with the attendees and we all ate cafeteria style meals together. It was such a great way to meet and get to know everyone! We played spinning games at night.......spinning blind folded was really funny!


I was sorry to have the weekend end but glad to get back home to my family. I am so blessed that my kids were able to hold down the fort here so I could experience this weekend and grow in my skills as a spinner and knitter. I think I could get addicted to these retreats! Good thing they are only every 2 years!


My view for the weekend..........

It has been a crazy couple of weeks. It seems I have gone down a rabbit trail and there is no turning back! Don't worry it's a good rabbit trail and I am excited  to share it with you!

At my last spinning guild meeting we were discussing great wheels and antique spinning wheels. I adore looking at them and thought I would really love to have one some day. A working one that I could get my husband to help me restore and make it useful again. Hubby is a wood worker and loves projects! But I did not think I could get one right now.....too much money......no space.....no time! But I decided just to look around on Ravelry.......on Craigslist........and just dream.

I ended up on the CPW Lovers forum on Ravelry. (Canadian Production Wheels) and found a thread about Alvin Ramer. He and his wife have been finding and refurbishing old wheels in Ontario for over 20 years. She is a master spinner and he loves to build spinning tools. They had a museum for CPW's in their home for many years. He is retiring and they are selling a lot of their wheels to loving homes. Hundreds of wheels.......his collection is amazing and the wheels are gorgeous. Scrolling through the thread I fell in love with this one wheel. It has what they call a Christmas Tree Treadle. It's cast iron and is just so unique looking and totally refurbished and spins like crazy......it was calling my name. No really it was!! I showed it to hubby and he loved it an the next thing I know he bought me that wheel!!!!



 
It just so happens that I will be traveling to Ontario the end of October to pick my daughter up and at that time we will visit the Ramer's shop and pick up my wheel........I am still doing the happy dance!!

But wait the rabbit trail does not end there.......no!!!  The CPW Forum is addictive and they are also a group of enablers! They post wheels that they find from all over to see if someone can give them a home. Someone posted about a wheel they saw in a flea market in NJ and it just happened to be one I pass driving to my moms. I was heading that way last Saturday and my husband told me to just go in and look. Maybe it could be a project we could both work on together. So of course I listened to him and can you believe this wheel is now sitting in my living room??? It's in great shape and does not need much work at all and she is just beautiful!!! The best part was the price! They were asking $125 which was great to begin with but I was able to walk out with the wheel for $85!! After a little research I've found she is a Vezina wheel made in 1877.








In between buying wheels there was some spinning and some knitting but it's hard not to just sit and look at this beautiful wheel! We should have her up and running in a couple of weeks. Right before we bring home the other wheel! Looks like my husband and I have found a new hobby!! Hope you are having a great week of knitting and spinning!!! Joining Ginny in the yarn along.

I have had the most amazing weekend! Full of fiber and friends and fun! A jam packed weekend that I am now trying to recover from! But so glad I got it all in!

Friday found me at our monthly Spinning Guild Meeting The North Country Spinners. Where Nelda Davis gave a workshop on identifying fibers and we talked about our Guild Retreat which is happening in 2 weeks.....Fiber Fallout 2014! (another weekend of fiber fun! Woo Hoo!!)

Then on Saturday I headed up to the Pa Endless Mountains Fiber Festival. My 3 daughters came along for more fun and we really enjoyed the day even though it was extremely hot and humid, it never rained and we were thankful for that. A special treat was seeing Karen of  the famous Pumpkin Sunrise blog who was there with her daughter. We chatted in between buying skeins of lace weight......hmmmm.....I wonder what shawl she is thinking of for that?!?!  It was great to meet an internet friend in real life!




Sunday had me heading in the other direction and going to the Garden State Sheep Breeders Festival. Our guild runs the skein competition and holds demos all day. I had entered 2 skeins for the first time and actually placed with both of them! So fun!! We spun all day and taught drop spindling classes.....the weather was just gorgeous cool and breezy! I also got to meet an internet friend today! Lexi is the owner of Queen Bee Fibers. Where she and her husband raise bees and dye beautiful fiber! I picked up a few braids of fiber and their famous bee cream.....it's amazing!!



Whew! What a weekend! Not a lot of knitting got done but I did do a lot of spinning! I bought this adorable little drop spindle on Saturday and can not stop spinning with it! I am spinning some shetland roving.


So now it is back to reality......but I am already gearing up for another big weekend of fiber fun! Only two weeks till Fiber Fallout 2014! Happy knitting everyone!!