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!!

I took a journey this past weekend and of course it involved yarn shops! But that was not my main purpose although it was a delightful part of the weekend! I ventured on my own........yes ......did I say I was by myself? No children......not a single one and let me tell you that I can not remember being alone for more then a day in a very long time. And it was odd and yes.....I talked to myself and  missed home and all my little ones but it was also lovely and I was not always alone because I had headed north to visit with my oldest daughter who is on an internship in Canada.

I left Thursday for the 7 hour drive and got through a good part of the second book in the Outlander series. It made the time fly by and I enjoyed the ride. Thanks to Holley at English Girl Canadian Man who I found a few weeks ago right here on the Yarn Along I had some yarn shops to visit and a few sites I wanted to see.  Hand knit Yarn Studio was a cute little shop with beautiful yarns in Hamilton where I picked up a skein of indigo dragonfly yarn in the colorway Tickle Fog......sooo fun!

 I hiked Bruce trail and saw Albion water fall in Hamilton

 I also walked along the Water trail in Burlington which was lovely


 We headed into Toronto on Saturday and visited the Toronto Textile Museum which had an education room filled with all types of looms and drop spindles. Then we also visited the ROM. My daughter Emily and I also visited Spun Fibre in Burlington and we really enjoyed their selection of yarns and fiber. I picked up some Malabrigo nube fiber in the colorway poison and also some Regia sock yarn.


 While in Canada I finished my simple toe up SKYP socks and I was happy to get them off the needles. I immediately cast on for a pair of tube socks for Hannah Grace who is growing so fast I think that is all I will be making her for a while so they fit longer. We have been reading nothing but this adorable book I picked up at the Textile Museum. It's called Feeding the Sheep by Leda Schubert and is about a little girl following her mom and learning all about wool from the sheep to the sweater. So sweet and the illustrations are lovely. Perfect for us moms that love fiber!! 


And of course a few photos from this proud Mom of my girl doing what she loves! She has been in Canada for over a year now but only has 2 more months and then she will be home. For a time before she heads off again.  Here she is riding the horse she has been training.




Well my post had a lot more then yarn and reading but

Joining Ginny over at Small Things for the weekly yarn along. My needles were flying this week and I have finished my Pebble Beach Shawlette.This shawl was a dream to knit and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a light and airy shawl that has an easy to memorize pattern but is interesting enough to keep you going. And did I mention it is a fast knit!!








I used Sunrise Fiber Co. classic sock in a beautiful gradient set of mini skeins in the colorway Escape. It is an indie dyer shop on etsy and I am finding myself heading to etsy more and  more to find amazing yarns in these indie dyer shops. I also found a neat little blog that searches out those little shops and let's you know about them and the treasures you will find there. It's called Indie Untangled and I am really enjoying finding new little shops to explore. Check it out!

I also cast on for a pair of Simple SKYP socks. Toe up and 2 at a time and I just turned the heels so they are going fast. I think I am a big fan of toe up 2 at a time it just seems to be working for me!

I actually do have reading to share this week! I had to see what all the hype was about  with everyone chatting it up and having KAL's all about The Outlander Series. So I decided to download it on Audible and it has been my knitting reading or should I say listening all week. I really want to get the first book done before I see the first show. I'm about half way through and am really enjoying it. I can not remember the last time I read a book just for pleasure. I'm usually reading something for homeschooling or parenting or Christianity. I think part of the reason I am enjoying it so much is the narrator is English and she is wonderful to listen too! It's a great book especially if you love historical fiction.

It is a rainy day here today and so I am going to grab my tea and my knitting and while the kids play board games I will set off around the yarn along links to see what everyone else is up to. Happy knitting!

The past week I have been recovering from the Tour de Fleece and was able to pick up my knitting needles again. I finally finished my Jaywalker socks and immediately cast on another pair of socks. I grabbed one of my Tour de Fleece finished skeins .....a 3 ply in BFL. They just about flew off my needles! I took them everywhere including the lake.  I knit them 2 at a time and toe up. I did a simple vanilla sock with a fleegle heel and since I knit from both ends of the ball the colors are fun and don't line up and I am ok with that! These are going to be my most favorite socks.....they fit perfectly and are so warm and squishy......it's socky love!!
 

Ravelry notes here

I also cast on for a new thing......About  month ago I picked up some adorable mini skeins in a gradient from Sunrise Fiber Co. they are  beautiful shades of blue. I happened upon the Pebble beach Shawlette the other day and knew it would be perfect for this yarn.
 

Ravely notes here

 This month at my spinning guild meeting one of the members taught a workshop on Kumihimo bracelets which is a form of Japanese braiding. It was so fun and I came home and taught some of my kids to make them. They are now braiding up bracelets like crazy and having a blast. I used embroidery floss for my daughters but my boys are using cotton yarn and they are coming out great. There are many sites on the internet to learn how to do this and get supplies. I can see myself using up bits of leftover sock yarn to make more.


I'm deciding what audio book to listen to next....I'm sure I will find some great ideas as I go through todays links on the Yarn Along! Happy Knitting!!