While researching and writing my book on festivals, Fiber Gathering, published in 2009, I went to a lot of festivals and events. Every experience was different, with so many special things to buy or new experiences! Here are some tips for how to research and plan purchases, classes, and adventures to make the most of your next fiber event.
In a things-are-somewhat-back-to-normal-but-not-quite year, 2022 became not just a time to reacquaint myself with society, it also became a year to carve a new identity.
A dream trip to Scotland in 2019 culminated in a visit to the 10th annual Shetland Wool Week. After an eventful 12-hour ferry ride from Aberdeen, we arrived in Lerwick, Shetland at the beginning of our 9-day visit to the lovely Shetland Isles.
Mni Sota Makoce rests on unseated Dakota and Anishinaabe people’s land and recognizes eleven federal tribes within its borders. I am currently residing near Wakpá Tháŋka (the Mississippi River), just a few miles upriver from Bdoté, the place where the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers join. I am joyful to be living in this land with three natural watersheds, where farming and shepherding are a piece of our robust state economy.
Just because you’ve learned to spin doesn’t mean every group or experience with “spinning” in the title is a perfect fit. (Hint, the exercise classes are not the same thing!)
Author Jacqueline Harp brings you an exciting interview with shepherdess (mother of five daughters, veterinarian, and knitter) Meg Falcone of Five Sisters Farm for an insightful Q&A about raising Shetland sheep with the theme of Place in-mind. Read more now!
In different seasons of our life, we may feel the wheels are just spinning. We can’t get out of the ruts. Same problems at work. Same issues with kids. Same health (mental and physical) struggles. Same relationship issues. Our wheels keep spinning to find a way out.
Handspun yarn has always been a favorite of mine for knitting. It makes fabric with interesting textures and color combinations, and I always feel excited about how the fabric will turn out. These yarns are also wonderful for weaving fabric for the same reasons. Anything made with handspun yarn has a bit of magic in it.
Are you “up to your neck” in a project or in stash? Perhaps you’re concentrating instead, and you’ve hunched up your shoulders practically to your ears. That experienced spinner at the guild meeting, she stands “head and shoulders” above the rest.
