I have, in the last year and a half, become something I had never dreamed of becoming:
A Fiber Fanatic. I have always been fascinated by spinning and weaving. I remember watching a demonstration at the library by the local Spinners & Weavers Guild when I was very young. The thing I remember the most vividly is that one of the women had a spinning wheel that looked nothing like those I had seen in pictures--it was small and I think it was homemade, and the wheel was solid (it did not have spokes like a wagon wheel or the spinning wheel in Sleeping Beauty)and she had tole-painted ivy around it. It captured my imagination. I also remember a display the guild had of wool felt that they had helped elementary children dye with Kool-Aid and make into felt.
I always planned on learning to spin and weave as my "empty nest" pursuits. However, over the course of the last several years, I have realized that SmallDaughter will probably never leave the nest, so I needed to adjust my plan!
After a display by our local Spinners and Weavers Guild at an (awesome!) Heritage Days event, where not only I, but all of my children were fascinated by the looms and wheels, I thought about learning again. I was talking to someone at church, who casually mentioned, "Well, have you talked to W about it? She's into all that stuff." I went and talked to the aforementioned W, and she was
thrilled to have someone who was interested. She very graciously (and excitedly!) helped me get set up with a wheel of my own, wool, instructions, and a guild membership!
WARNING!
Working with fibers is
HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!We now have our own little "Fiber Arts Nuts" group. We get together every other week to work on spinning, knitting, crochet, felting or whatever other creative thing we are working on, then we eat yummy food. It is nourishment for the soul--body and mind! I have learned so much, and the kids LOVE it, too!
Dear W loves to get things to share, and when she saw a needle-felting hat making set on sale for half price she got it for me. Wow! Needle Felting is AWESOME!
Super easy, good for working out your stress and aggravation!
http://hookedonfelt.com/
I have 2 adorable hats completed, and 2 that I am in progress on.
Yesterday, when the F.A.N.s got together, W had a bag of the most luscious, bright candy apple red, super soft merino wool roving--just for me!!! It was so soft and silky I had to start spinning some RIGHT THEN, but most of it will be turned into hats.
I will report on our gorgeous easter egg dye experiment later (yes, it dyes wool, yes, it is super easy, yes, it is addictive!)
