Monday, September 24, 2012

2012 Oregon Flock and Fiber Weekend

This year was super fun. The weather was sunny and warm.
Delightful under the trees. There were, I think, 250 vendors
and I did well to support the local economy. In a new sock
book I purchased the author said you can't throw a skein
of yarn without hitting a new hand dyer of artistic sock yarn
in the Portland area! Many were represented and the 
selection of hand dyed rovings, yarn, beautiful combinations
of a variety of wool, alpaca, mohair and angora.Enough to 
delight the finicky spinner or knitter. I went thinking I wouldn't
need to purchase anything (I have quite a stash already) but
I broke down.

Lavender Sheep booth
Lavender sheep with the great book on socks from local dyers




My daughter Tracy truly appreciating the fiber!

Wonderful day for spinning on the grass


New Hue silks

merino silk braids

more wool with silk (lots of silks added! this year)

just one corner of one room (many more rooms + outside canopies)

Diane Cutlers blends of kid mohair/ Cormo
                                      This is where I got my lovely striped rolags.
Cute puppets

Kenleigh Fibers lovely felted creatures (Note border collie, my personal favorite)


Wolf Ridge Icelandic sheep pelts

The pelt I fell for and adopted, it's on my chair! Cushy!!!

                    There were quite a few ladies demonstrating bobbin lace.




The grand champion winner, shawl hand dyed and spun, then knit. Gorgeous
                 John Beard had a fabulous showing of his Ravenstail weavings.
                 My daughter and grandson were mesmerized. The weaving is so
                 intricate and best appreciated by mathematical minds like theirs
.                It was just facinating. I have much more appreciation for
                 Pacific Northwes Native art. It is interesting that the colors to
                 accent were yellow and a beautiful pale turquoise. (no red)


Nice Fleece!!!
No fiber show is finished without a trip to the barns and visiting
the animals.

A little baby bunny

Fleece for sale in the Sunday parking lot sale. Great buys!!!!

Gotland fleece on the hoof (resting!)
Really cool new spinning wheels. My grandson spent a long time spinning. He's hooked!!! He was actually telling the girls how to figure the ratios on the wheels! He is a walking factual repository.
Wolfhound show next door! They all got howling and it was a kick!!!
We ended up the day with a lovely trip home and ate a really nice
 dinner outside at the Terminus on the Willamette River in Corvallis. 
Then home very happy. Wonderful weekend

Total: 1 fleece (lamb Gotland) 1 flick carder, 3 bobbins for my lendrum,
 3 rovings and a great book: "Indie Socks" by Chrissy Gardiner.
Wonderful new patterns for hand dyed yarn.
Oh and 1 skein of "Socks That Rock" (my favorite sock yarn)

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Finally Finishes!!!




Wild Apple Bohus, colors are fairly true here!

more of the Bohus Cardigan, the brown is actually more "greyish" in reality
I have finally gotten some items completed. Thank heaven
my arm is pain free and I have been knitting and spinning
a whole bunch this summer and loving /appreciating every
minute of it. First I got the buttons for my completed Bohus, in
Tromsø, as I couldn't find any small enough in Oregon. It is the
Bohus "Wild Apple Cardigan" from Poems of Color by
Wendy Keele done in the original Fairy Hare angora blend
spun at Kimmet Craft Fibers in Wisconsin. I am embarassed to
say how long I had this yarn! I don't think it is still available.
I think these colors are simply fantastic!!! The yarn is 25% angora
and 75% Rambouillet. It is a "cloud" to wear, and very warm.

From left to right you can see the evenness improve. I finally have gotten
the right idea in spinning! It is still not perfect but more so, and much more
enjoyable to spin.The multicolored merino is enough for socks. It was hand
dyed in Washington. Tracy, my daughter gave it to me for my birthday. 
The brown green is 70% merino/ 30% alpaca. I purchased two 8 oz bumps
a few years ago at Canby, the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival,
from Sara Anderson, who dyed it. It is so fluffy and soft from the alpaca.
I spun it in a 3 ply DK for a little vest in Folk Vests. The white is fairly
uneven but close to lace weight for a shawl. It is Falkland wool and
snowy white!!!
I am still working on getting it the right and even size. The pattern I have is
"Fragaria" purchased on Ravelry. (strawberries) It has lovely nupps and
lace. I got the Falkland roving from a local lady in Depoe Bay Oregon.
Falkland sheep are raised on an island with no "bugs" so the sheep don't
have to have chemicals on their wool. It feels heavenly soft and is a really
long fiber- 5" or so. Super easy to spin.
By the way the OFFF is soon, Sept 21-23 and I am going!!!
Tiny Selbu mittens 1 1/4" across
These were just for fun! I want to make more for Christmas ornies.
They were made with fingering wool and size 0 needles.
These mittens are one of the motifs from my new sweater (I am up to
the neck on the body!) They have the shield of Norway just in time to
celebrate the "Grunnlovsjubileet" 2014 in Eidsvoll.
The 200th year of the Norwegian constitution. The sweater is a little
different colors.
This pattern will be published quickly on my website and on Ravelry.
The English version is complete and I am working on the Norwegian translation.
I took a break from my "Norwegian travels" blog but will get back to it soon.
Thank you all for your nice comments on my trip pictures.