...and a bit of a new obsession :)
Last weekend I went to Spinning at the Winery thanks to the mad driving skilz of Helen and her husbandwhoneedstolearntospin (hi!)-- I posted on Ravelry and Twitter about trying to find a ride and one found me :) I was a girl on a mission though, because it is already June and I was almost out of raw fleece to wash and play in! (Next shows for Bay Area that are under my skin? Lambtown in Dixon - July, California Wool Festival in Booneville - September... no more farm fresh local fleece after that til Spring!)
And Cormo Sheep and Wool Farm was going to be there...
...and yes, she would bring her very last two colored Cormo fleeces and hold them for me til I got there. (Thank goodness, later I had a laugh with a woman who wanted them and was hoping I wouldn't show up ;)) They are spectacular though, and they were the last ones! Can't imagine the firsts.
Hester, half fleece. 3.5#, 3.75" staple length. Variegated silver to taupe to steel grey
I have washed up a mesh bag of Hester and had to start carding right away... more on that later (you know me, so many pics so little space!)
Carla, 4.5# and 2.75" staple length
The color on Carla is fantastic, but her staple length was a little short. (I have been toying with the idea of washing fleece and spinning it over the fold from locks, so that wouldn't work.) I had heard SO many good things about Morro Fleece Works and their pindrafted roving, and many of the vendors at the Retzlaff spin-in had some of their own Morro-processed fleeces for sale and were beautiful, so I walked Carla over to Morro across the way...
...she'll come back to me as a sweater+ worth of pindrafted roving around July. (Morro's on colors now, if you were looking for a processor. I know Tikabelle sent some Lincoln-Corrie crosses out to Morro and I can't wait to compare.)
Sue from Cormo was really nice, even though I've bugged her no less than four times since Retzlaff asking for more colored Cormo knowing she has no more for 2008 :) (She does have whites though... one less cos SOME PEOPLE split the cottonballiest fleece I've ever touched!) Her 2008 white page is here, though she told me it wasn't up to the minute updated and to email/call about particular fleece availability. They really are fantastic, covered year round with no VM and wash up beautifully. (Word of caution-- felts easily!) She also does something new to me-- lays the cut side down on butcher paper when bagging. Makes finding where the fleece starts and ends SO much easier.
Nebo Rock Textiles was there with some showstopping merino fleeces as well-- if I hadn't lightened my wallet at Cormo one of those "old ewe, no tag" charcoal fleeces would have been mine.
RenCon Ranch had awesome shetland roving, and had spinning stories to tell that had Helen and me laughing for a good five minutes :)
Oh and Carolina Homespun... lord. I visited this booth no less than four times (being good, buying only a strauch flicker) but save me. I fell HARD for a pair of beautiful combs they had tucked away-- I'm making myself wait til at least Lambtown though. Don't want my carder to get jealous :)
Even with all this, and the reason for me going to buy a fleece (or two)... the best part of the day? So.Many.Spinners.
(kinneared!)
I remember telling Kristine* that (as much as I go onandonandon here on my blog about it) spinning for me is a thing done on my own-- I love it, don't get me wrong, but there is something just absolutely right about SO many spinners just sitting outside in the sun, spinning. Like nothing.
And not like evil chickens.
(the one on the left growled at me. no joke.)
* Speaking of Kristine, she and her better half are hosting an open studio for A Verb for Keeping Warm this weekend! My kid and I will be making it down there; look for the little blur with a curly head-- I'll be the one chasing him :)
Last weekend I went to Spinning at the Winery thanks to the mad driving skilz of Helen and her husbandwhoneedstolearntospin (hi!)-- I posted on Ravelry and Twitter about trying to find a ride and one found me :) I was a girl on a mission though, because it is already June and I was almost out of raw fleece to wash and play in! (Next shows for Bay Area that are under my skin? Lambtown in Dixon - July, California Wool Festival in Booneville - September... no more farm fresh local fleece after that til Spring!)
And Cormo Sheep and Wool Farm was going to be there...
...and yes, she would bring her very last two colored Cormo fleeces and hold them for me til I got there. (Thank goodness, later I had a laugh with a woman who wanted them and was hoping I wouldn't show up ;)) They are spectacular though, and they were the last ones! Can't imagine the firsts.
Hester, half fleece. 3.5#, 3.75" staple length. Variegated silver to taupe to steel grey
I have washed up a mesh bag of Hester and had to start carding right away... more on that later (you know me, so many pics so little space!)
Carla, 4.5# and 2.75" staple length
The color on Carla is fantastic, but her staple length was a little short. (I have been toying with the idea of washing fleece and spinning it over the fold from locks, so that wouldn't work.) I had heard SO many good things about Morro Fleece Works and their pindrafted roving, and many of the vendors at the Retzlaff spin-in had some of their own Morro-processed fleeces for sale and were beautiful, so I walked Carla over to Morro across the way...
...she'll come back to me as a sweater+ worth of pindrafted roving around July. (Morro's on colors now, if you were looking for a processor. I know Tikabelle sent some Lincoln-Corrie crosses out to Morro and I can't wait to compare.)
Sue from Cormo was really nice, even though I've bugged her no less than four times since Retzlaff asking for more colored Cormo knowing she has no more for 2008 :) (She does have whites though... one less cos SOME PEOPLE split the cottonballiest fleece I've ever touched!) Her 2008 white page is here, though she told me it wasn't up to the minute updated and to email/call about particular fleece availability. They really are fantastic, covered year round with no VM and wash up beautifully. (Word of caution-- felts easily!) She also does something new to me-- lays the cut side down on butcher paper when bagging. Makes finding where the fleece starts and ends SO much easier.
Nebo Rock Textiles was there with some showstopping merino fleeces as well-- if I hadn't lightened my wallet at Cormo one of those "old ewe, no tag" charcoal fleeces would have been mine.
RenCon Ranch had awesome shetland roving, and had spinning stories to tell that had Helen and me laughing for a good five minutes :)
Oh and Carolina Homespun... lord. I visited this booth no less than four times (being good, buying only a strauch flicker) but save me. I fell HARD for a pair of beautiful combs they had tucked away-- I'm making myself wait til at least Lambtown though. Don't want my carder to get jealous :)
Even with all this, and the reason for me going to buy a fleece (or two)... the best part of the day? So.Many.Spinners.
(kinneared!)
I remember telling Kristine* that (as much as I go onandonandon here on my blog about it) spinning for me is a thing done on my own-- I love it, don't get me wrong, but there is something just absolutely right about SO many spinners just sitting outside in the sun, spinning. Like nothing.
And not like evil chickens.
(the one on the left growled at me. no joke.)
* Speaking of Kristine, she and her better half are hosting an open studio for A Verb for Keeping Warm this weekend! My kid and I will be making it down there; look for the little blur with a curly head-- I'll be the one chasing him :)
