You should see Bettie and how full she is!  Sandy’s taking the majority of the fiber in her car, but Bettie is carrying everything else.  Goodness, I love my PT Cruiser!

We even have our two mannequins in it along with all of the tie-dye, 3 6-foot tables, a smaller, table, light fixtures, two garment racks (one a double-height one), our rolling office, a chair, signs, a small spinner rack, two large bags of wool, a case of water, and my luggage.

At noon, we will be on our way to the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival.

Well, we have everything together, just need to finish packing the car, get some food and off we go.

For those of you coming to the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival, please stop by the Dyed in the Wool booth, browse around, buy something and introduce yourself.  I love putting faces with names.

What we will have in the booth this year are several types of fiber all ready to spin as follows:

Shetland lamb fleeces in black, gray and white

Shetland – double coated fleece in light gray

Lincoln – one black lamb fleece and two different shades of gray adult fleeces including a national champion fleece

East Fresian – black

Corriedale in several sades of gray, white, brown and a sweet caramel color.

Columbia – white – 1st place IN State Fair Winner

Jacob – blended to a lovely warm gray

Romney – medium gray

Cormo – two batches in top form, one of which is the 2012 Indiana State Fair Reserve Grand Champion

A lovely mixed-breed sheep named Charlotte with a dark brown color

Bond in a nice brown

Texel – white – 2nd place 2011 KY Sheep & Fiber Festival winner

Also, we will have some blended batts in several colors and types of wool – a couple have silk blended in – and some balls of yarn that are naturally dyed in wool and silk.

We will have as many tie-dyed items as you can imagine.  There are shirts, of course, but we also have lots of baby onsies, burp cloths, socks from 0-3 months all the way up to men’s sizes, towels, table cloth, purses, tote bags, draw-string bags, hats, sports bras, PJ’s, tank tops, boxer shorts, panties (sizes 7-9), aprons, scrunchies, shoe strings, and several items with part of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.  Also, if you don’t see something you want whether it be in your size or in the colors you want, or just something that is cotton that we don’t carry, we do custom orders and can easily make it for you.

And, of course, we will have a Fiber Binder Club binder there with examples of what club members get as well as examples of what can be done with each month’s package for you to look at.  We will be accepting new members as well as taking renewals for those members wishing to continue receiving monthly natural fibers to test and play with.  Since we are getting ready to ship out the 30th sample, there are lots and lots of fibers to be explored.  Remember, if you are a new member, you start with month 1 so you don’t miss out on any of the lovely fibers and can get the same as those who have been members since the beginning.

We are so looking forward to seeing all of you!!!

Last night I had 4 students in my spinning class, each doing something different.

I had Brenda test spinning about 10 different fibers from several breeds of sheep – everything from coarse East Fresian to baby-soft Cormo.  She even learned how to spin from the fold on some extra long Teeswater locks.  Brenda also has about 2 pounds of Merino to spin up for a couple of different projects.

Caeli is now spinning long-draw with some very colorful BFL that she will Navajo ply for a sweater vest.

Lori, who likes artsy yarns, is now spinning some Crosspatch Creations batts for some really interesting, nubby textured yarn.

And Debbie is doing very well spinning up her Pomeranian fur into a soft yarn with lots of halo to it.

It was such a fun time, all of us talking, me helping them out and the time passing far too fast, as usual.

Tonight, I will get the car packed for the trip to Kentucky this weekend.  That will just leave packing clothes and food, and getting the price signs for the spinning fibers finished tomorrow night.  We are getting there.

Sandy and I worked for several hours yesterday, getting the rest of the tie-dyed items pressed, tagged and packed.  That part of it is done and it is a huge check mark off of our list.

Tonight, I’ll start packing the car.  Tomorrow night, I have a spinning class to teach, then Wednesday night, the real packing will begin.  Boy, oh boy, do we have a lot to get into Bettie!  At least, this year, Sandy is taking all of the spinning fiber down in her car, and the rest of the items can go down in mine.  With our having a 10 X 20 booth to fill, there will be a lot of stuff to pack.

The closer it gets to time, the better I am feeling about it.  I still have several things to finish up before they can be packed, but, as of right now, I am pretty sure I can get it all done in time.

Today is Mother’s Day.  I know I am not alone in that this is the first Mother’s Day without my mom.  It is my brother’s first Mother’s Day without both Mom and Wife and his kids’ first Mother’s Day without Mother and Grandmother.  It is my dad’s first Mother’s Day without his Wife, the mother of his two kids and who shared nearly 50 years in marriage with him.

Today is not going to be an easy day on any of us.  I know I miss my Mom very much and just knowing I cannot talk to her today and hear her voice is very hard for me.  I know that where she is that she knows how much I love and miss her.  I know my brother’s wife, Lori, is standing right next to her and that they are loving all of us from Heaven.  Still, the tears that are running down my cheeks and the ache in my heart are real and it almost feels like I am losing them all over again.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom and Lori.  Your family left behind here on Earth have you in our hearts today and we honor you as God wished us to, and more.  Without your influences in our lives, we would not be the people we are today.  The love you shared with us during your lives have been reflected back to you thousands and thousands over.  You are sorely missed.  I love you!

Time is pressing, or, actually, it is time to press.  I have over 100 items to get pressed (thank heavens you don’t have to press socks) and get ready.  I have a new double-level garment rack that is going to be getting its first workout today.

So, while it is cool and rainy outside, it’s going to be hot and steamy in the studio. 

When I got home from work last night, I spent the next 3.5 hours cutting rubber bands and washing out most of the tie-dyed samples.  By the time I went to bed, the first two batches was in the third washing with the dyes being set with vinegar, and the second two batches were in the dryer from having the excess dyes washed out.

I love looking at the patterns and colors of what Sandy and I do.  We get bored with the traditional “swirl” type of folds, so we tend to experiment quite a bit.  Some of the odder folds have produced some of the neatest patterns.

This time, we had fun with the colors.  Oh, we used some of the typical turquoise, lemon yellow and fuchsia dyes, but we had some fun playing around with different greens (bright green, forest green and teal), plus violet, bright orange, coral pink, hot pink, red carmine, an intense blue, and rose brown.  Whenever we would run out of a dye, we’d chose another out of the stash and give it a try.  This is how we find other colors we like and eliminate certain colors we aren’t interested in using again.  The intense blue is a keeper, but the rose brown… meh.

Also, this time I tried a different technique of dyeing than anything I’ve done yet – parfait dyeing.  I used plastic Folger’s Coffee containers and layered in socks with dyes.  They came out very cool, looking marbley with the way the colors blended.  And this time, rather than just do women’s socks with a few mens thrown in for good measure, this batch of socks were baby and young children’s socks (from size 0 to 4), girl’s socks (size 10 – 4) and men’s socks.  We’ve sold the men’s socks quite well and only had one or two pairs left so more was needed.  I definitely will do more dyes with this technique.

And we are almost done with the dyeing.  This Friday, I will finish up the remaining T-shirts, as well as get all those that are finished pressed, tagged, in inventory and on hangers.  We will have enough tie-dyed items to warrant a second clothes rack at the fiber shows.

In fact, yesterday, Sandy and I sat down and worked out the layout of our booth for the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival.  And, it’s a good thing we did, too, because we went through several permutations before we landed on something that worked with what we are taking.  I still need to do a “scale” drawing to make sure everything fits.

Friday also will be the last day of dyeing until later this summer, and I have taken it off work to finish things up.  It’s hard work getting ready for these shows, but it is very worth it.  The people we get to meet alone make these shows worth while.

If you are going to be at the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival on either the 18th or the 19th, please come by our booth and say hi.  Remember, we are Dyed in the Wool, and just look for the tie-dyed clothing and accessories – we are hard to miss!

Eleven more prep days until we leave for the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival on the 17th.  Those eleven days are going to be full ones.

Yesterday, Sandy and I spent several hours dyeing the shirts we already had tied.  In fact, there are six full trays and two full half trays of colorful baby items, purses and T-shirts for kids and adults.  On top of that, there are two containers full of socks being parfait dyed.  Tonight I’ll get the first round of washing them out done.

Saturday, besides prepping the dye area for Sunday, I discharge several tied black shirts.  They turned out very interesting looking and I can’t wait to see what people think of them.  Of course, I still have to press them, tag them and add them into inventory, but at least they are ready for that part.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Kentucky in two weeks!

Monday night was the final beginning sock class for this group of students.  One student wasn’t able to make it, so I have offered to work with her at the spinning class next Tuesday night if she wants to come.  The other three though came and were doing very well.

Working hard on her sock.  She didn’t quite get done, but finishing it will be no problem for her.

This one was actually ready to bind off by the end of class, but it is destined to be completely frogged out.  The owner decided she wanted to add in another yarn and make a “hunter’s sock” with her yarn.  So, the next time I see it, it will have some hunter orange added to it.

And the third student got hers all done and was looking forward to starting her next sock.  Already, she was talking about making her mom and aunt socks, too.

I think all three who were able to finish the class will be making more pairs of socks.  I hope the fourth student comes next Tuesday so I can help her finish.

The funny thing about the class Monday night, though, was all three students wore clothes that matches their socks, and non of them realized it until I mentioned it.    People are so interesting!

Beginning yesterday, we have had Judith McKenzie here teaching a workshop with our own local spinning and knitting maven, Kate Larson.

It is Sandy’s turn to take a class, but, last night, Judith gave a talk about judging and choosing fleeces and those who were not in the class were invited to join come to listen and learn.  Needless to say, I was there.

This is a sweet Jacob fleece that Judith loved and reviewed very thoroughly.  We got to think of Jacobs in a different light, that as lawn ornaments in English manor gardens where they liked having exotic animals grazing to add interest, and how hard it is to shear Jacob sheep, especially the ones with 4 or 6 horns.  I had never thought of having to be careful of those horns sticking out 3 feet and not getting impaled on them while shearing the animal.

This is a primitive Shetland fleece, incidentally one of my favorite types of fleeces.  The soft, downy undercoat can be worn next to the skin, and the wiry outer-coat weaves up into beautiful, long-wearing fabric.  The next time I get a dual-coated Shetland, I am going to separate the two coats and spin up the outer coat for something woven.

Like this.  This plaid was worsted spun and woven from naturally colored Shetland outer coat and was quite lovely to look at.  Personally, I would love a skirt and vest from this fabric.  I could wear it the rest of my life and pass it down to another generation when I was done with it.

One of the things we all love so much about Judith is her knowledge and enthusiasm for wool.  And she imparts that knowledge freely.  We learned about rueing lines on fleeces, copper deficiency and how it affects the fleece, scurs and how ugly that can get, and why some animals should be eaten and not used to produce wool.  Sandy and I know more on how to judge fleeces, although a lot of what we have been doing has been right, thank heavens.  The more we learn, though, the better we will be.  What I’d really like to do though is to take some kind of wool judging and classing workshops and classes so that I can learn even more.  And I’m pretty sure Sandy will be right there along side me learning as well.

Now, let’s talk about Kate Larson.  Several years ago, at the first spinning and knitting workshop I ever took with Judith McKenzie and Nancy Bush, Judith told me and a couple of other people to keep an eye on Kate; that Kate was destined to be on the the “great” spinners.  And Judith was right.  Not only does Kate spin beautiful yarn, she is an exquisite hand at knitting and designing knitwear.  As I show you the following pictures, you will recognize several items that you have seen in many magazines like Spin-Off and Interweave Knits.

This purse, for example was on the front of a recent issue of Spin-Off magazine.

Kate’s color sense is always spot-on.  She knows how to blend and match colors in ways I would never have thought – and it works!

And guess what!  She samples and makes swatches all the time.  I have seen her produce a swatch in an evening after classes (like at SOAR) and the next thing you know, that swatch, or one with a slight alteration in it to better fit her design, is a hat or a mitten or a sweater.

And speaking of sweaters!  I have seen her wear this one quite often and it amazes me every time.

Again, I am in awe of her talent and skill.

If you get the chance to take a class taught by Kate Larson, please take it.  I love teaching and am good at it, but Kate is better by far.  I have been lucky enough to learn from her myself and always come away with a better understanding of what it is I want to do.