The Spider Made Me Do It!

I know I haven't been blogging very often lately but there's stuff and things and stuff and I'm so busy but I'm going to rectify the non blogging I promise - for all 4 of you who read this bloggy thing on a regular basis.

So, Spinning Spider Jenny just left. She arrived on Wednesday afternoon and her plane left this afternoon. It was fantastic. The classes were top notch. Full of information. And also fun. Jenny was a great sport for many reasons. First of which she was willing to stay in my unorganized mess of a house. Sleep in my 3 year old's bed sight unseen. Can anyone say potty training? And second because she was up for any adventure short of camping outside.

Camping inside was another story though.

I have a Ravelry group called "wool shop sleepover". Currently there are only 3 members because when Galina was in town Erica, Kate and I slept in the shop and made this little group. Not a lot of action in the group but it is pretty tiny and we email each other usually. I think this is going to slowly change though. The group is open to those who have slept overnight in a wool shop. Now Jenny and Shannah are part of the group. We all slept on the floor. Lee (Baabins on Ravelry) stayed pretty late but she was afraid she would wake us all up with her horrific night noises.
This is a picture of Jenny's friend Noreen in the green sleeping bag, Jenny in the middle and Shannah on the right. Jenny's friend Jofran is over in the lace room sleeping away at this point. She was in the class and there's a photo of her coming up. Noreen is not a spinner. I have a feeling she may be one soon though. I was able to get her to do some woolhuffing.

Woolhuffing is my version of recreational drugs. You take a nice amount of grease fleece in your hands, put your face right into it and breath in deeply. There's nothing like that smell. Many breeds smell different from one another too. I expect to be able to - in the future - identify a sheep's breed by it's smell as well as I can identify it by it's look and feel.

So, Noreen was game and so I gave her a free sniff of several of my favorite fleeces. You know, like a drug dealer would to get you hooked:-) Here are Shannah and Jenny at the beginning of Thursday - New Wave Fibers. I think Shannah is giving Jenny her blog address. They hit it off immediately.
Here is just one picture of the samples Jenny brought. Amazingly spun skeins and beautifully knitted pieces. Under the table were notebooks and notebooks of samples and swatches and notes for us to look at. I didn't take full advantage of this opportunity and regret it already.
This is Shannah showing and telling about her first knitted item from her own handspun. I let her tell you the story but I love the scarf.
Here are some samples from the plying class - Saturday. In the front is Cindy, Shannah behind her, and behind Shannah is Kathy who you may not be able to see very well. Kathy is great fun. If you have a class get her to come. She'll certainly liven it up!

I just like this picture of the wall of fleece.

Jofran.

Lisa

This is Jenny telling us to not listen to anybody and be as disobedient as possible and question everyone. Hee, hee.
Actually, she told us to question things and if anyone ever says you MUST do something in one particular way then just smile and say thank you and continue with what works for you. I will definitely be questioning conventional wisdom from now on, and have pages and pages of notes on spinning experiments I want to do.
More plying. That's Lisa in the front, then Michelle, Roberta, Mary, Lee, Jofran, and Jenny (holding up nothing). And here we are this morning before Jenny headed off to the airport. I had a great time with her. She's like a spinning genius, funnyfunnyfunny, and a wonderful teacher where all of the students feel wonderful and welcome and talented. I'm hoping she'll be willing to come back to teach again.

ETA I can't forget that Maple was there on Friday and also Sylvia ( who I think has a blog but can't remember it and hopefully she'll come by and remind me what it is.)

Shop Move Update

So Thursday was quite exhausting. Carrying all of that stuff down the stairs. Up and down the stairs over and over. You would think I lost another 10 pounds - nope. My charming husband was there all day, as well and the two blogless Lisas. One blogless Lisa was there to almost the bitter end. I finally went home at 7PM. The next day (Friday) I was back at 8:30 AM and surprisingly the little elves did not come and do the jobs I assigned. You can't rely on those stinkin' elves.
So Erika and her son got there at about 11AM and stayed and stayed until we were presentable to open on Saturday. I think it was about 9:00 when we finally went home.
This is what the shop looked like about 2PM.
Amy and Jillian stopped by at about 3:30 and dug around a bit. Not necessarily the condition you want your shop to be in when Amy Singer drops in but...what could I do? I'm always happy to see her and Jillian just makes me laugh. (She's one of those girls who you just have to smile at when she walks in.)
Things are coming along here.
And here it is mostly together. There are still some little things I want to change and bits to see if they will work where we put them.
Isn't this cute. It's the lace room. The needles and little bits and books are all here. It's quite a cozy little space.
This is also in the lace room. The tea cart is in here so when you come please stop and have a cup of tea and some chocolate and whatever other little snack I happen to pick up.
This is the class room. All of the coned yarns are in here as well as the looms and some wheels. It's very nice in here too.
This is my favorite part. The Wall O Fleeces. All of these are in the grease fleeces of all different breeds. Here you will see 36 fleeces - I believe - and they are from 32 different breeds. The duplicate breeds are different colors. I love these. If you are looking for a little bit of a breed let me know because you can by just a couple of ounces and if you want I'll wash it up for you too. I love washing fleece.
Saturday after I closed the shop me and my sweetie and my Forester spindle went to the UofM Hockey game. We worked on some Michigan Blue silk while the kicked the pants of the team from Alaska.

Where have I been, you ask? Well, it's a loooong story with a lot of pictures. And I didn't even include them all. This first picture is of my mom and Ryan playing hockey together. Ryan looks so handsome in his Michigan colors. Ok. I'm getting off track already.
I taught beginning spinning at the Fiber Expo which took place two weeks ago in Ann Arbor. I had 8 students in the morning and 9 in the afternoon. It was very busy. The majority of them didn't even have a wheel. I was able to fit 8 wheels into my Honda Accord. Of course 5 of them were folding wheels. The picture above includes Cathy from Ravelry and.... I didn't write anything down and I am lame at names. Now, ask me what kind of wheel a person had and I probably can tell you in an instant.
And this is Anna from Ravelry and.....help me out here. The fabulous lady in the front is the proud owner of a new spinning wheel. Wish I could tell you her name. The classes were wonderful and fun and everyone was very patient as I went from one student to the next. It was hard work but I do love teaching. Anna's husband was in the class too. He's a hoot. Of course I was pretty focused so these are the only two pictures I took all day.
After the Expo I got back to work at the shop and on Halloween night we left for a very short visit to the families back east. Lou went to his mother's and I went to my parents. We got to stay for two days before we started the stupid long drive back to Michigan. My mom was decorating for Christmas. I think she was going to put the Jack-O-Lantern away though.
Here's the Christmas Village all set up. I took all of those houses out of the boxes. She has to have like 40 of them. (and I'm not exaggerating).
Here she is yelling at me. Happens a lot. Don't feel sorry for me though because I'm used to it. I have a thick skin. I still love her.
Maggie got her hair cut while we were in Pennsylvania.
Isn't her new hair style cute?
She is donating her hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths where they will use the hair to make wigs for cancer patients. Two years ago she donated her hair to Locks of Love. She started wanting to do this because her friend, Tabitha, had Leukemia and lost all of her hair. Tabitha is recovered now but Maggie is still wanting to do the donations. She says she'll grow it again for donation.
We went to Red Robin and the wait staff sang Happy Birthday to my mom and Ryan. Ryan's birthday is on the 17th of this month and my mom's was this past Tuesday. Ryan was a little shy about the whole thing.
And...what's been going on with me you ask? Well, I'm moving. I've moved all of my stuff from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor of the shop. Phil, the architect, and owner of the building, went upstairs. I've taken a few pictures of what it looks like tonight. This is my desk /check out area.
This is another room which is the book / pattern / lace knitting room. It will also have the tea cart with herb teas and hot chocolate and snacks.

This is the color wall.

This is the natural colored wool wall. It will have raw fleeces as well as undyed rovings.

This will be the classroom and will have all of the weaving yarns as well as any in stock looms.

This area will be for luxury fibers. That big cardboard box is filled with mostly silk in all of it's glorious forms!

The box of wool wash selections waiting for its assigned area.

And piles of fiber everywhere.

I have to say, I had no idea how much fiber I had until I started moving it. You know, I've rearranged things but never all at the same time. It's crazy. Man I have a big stash! Will you help me make it smaller please? I promise I'll buy more. I can't help it.

Spinning Spider Jenny is coming in less than a week for 3 days of classes. I am so excited to meet her. Her blog is full of fantastic information and I get to be near her for a while and ask all the questions I can think of until she gets back on the plane on Sunday the 18th. You could come too if you wanted. Call me and tell me you want to. I still have room for a couple more.

Fancy Dancer

I have plenty to talk about but can't seem to find the focus to put it into a manageable or understandable format so here's something semi-entertaining instead.

My sister made this video for me by stealing my head from a photo on my blog. I think it's quite hilarious.




Plus my stomach is somewhat flat and check out that hip action wouldja!

mememememememememe

It's my very lucky day! I have been struggling the last few days with what I should write on this here bloggy. I have a few things percolating but am undecided about which direction I should go.

So

then Abby tagged me with this “8 Very Random Things” thing so I'm doin' it and then 8 of you will be assigned to take my place.

Here’s the deal: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

So here goes.

1. I always wanted to be a Genetic Engineer. I was sure I would find the cure for cancer. For several years I worked in a laboratory doing experiments to optimize the growth of human cells which produced antibodies for certain drugs used for autoimmune disorders

2. I'm very claustrophobic. Hate my head under the covers, never could figure out how people read under there. Can't snorkel because it's little inside that mask with my breathing cut off - I know this from my honeymoon.

3. I've driven across the US 2 times from Pennsylvania to California and back. Once when I moved there the July after I graduated high school and back when I left my first husband. First time I was just 18 and the next time I was 23 and had 2 kids under 3. It was more fun the first time.

4. I love Disney World. O.K. this is not news to people who live near me but I don't talk about it much on the bloggy. If Lou would do it - and we had the money - I would go there every year.Only 68 days, 7 Hours, 37 minutes and 45, 44, 43, 42....seconds until I get to go back!

5. I'm worried that I'm going to make a huge mess out of this little shop that I love.

6. I'm worried that I may get successful at running this little shop that I love.

7. I home school my Maggie (Ryan is only 3) and the best thing about it is watching her read and do math problems and know that I helped her learn that.

8. I have owned 7 cars since I started driving at age 16. Four of these cars have had to have their engines replaced or they were junked because I either didn't change/add oil or the coolant level was left to evaporate to nothing. No Coolant, low oil means cracked head. You'd think I'd catch on. (On a side note: I now take my car on a regular basis to the dealer for service.)

Now for the tags....Kate, Erika, Brittney, Shannah, Carla, Jessie, Tammy, and Jillian. I've chosen these people because I can't wait to hear what they have to tell...I think Jillian will say something about moisture:-)

O.K. girls you're it.

Conversations with Maggie - and a review

Listen in on a conversation from last night with Maggie.

Maggie: So, how was your trip?

Me: Very fun.

Maggie: What did you do?

Me: Well, I did a lot of spinning and met a lot of people.

Maggie: What did you do on the first day?

Me: On the first day we drove a long way and then I met Phreadde.

Maggie: Who's Fred?

Me: She's a really good spinner who was using a spindle she made herself.

Maggie: Fred is a girl?

Me: Yes.

Maggie: That's a boy's name.

Me: Well, she spells it different.

Maggie: That's funny.

Me: She spells it P-H-R-E-A-D-D-E I think.

Maggie: No, you spell it F-R-E-D

Me: Well, she doesn't.

It went on a little longer than that. So you can see I never made it to talking about even day 2 because even Maggie only wants to talk about Phreadde:-+

Today I wanted to include my little review of the Schacht Ladybug which will begin to be shipped to shops by the end of this month.

It is pretty small - hits me around knee height. It weighs 12 pounds and has 3 different handles. I was prepared to not be in love with this wheel because the actual wheel part is plastic - of course Schacht doesn't call it plastic, they say composite. I just have never thought that spinning wheels should be plastic. Then again I don't own very much Tupperware due to my dislike of plastic anything.

It does fit the Schacht Matchless flyer and bobbins as well as most of the whorls so if you already have a matchless and are looking for a more portable wheel this is a positive thing for you. Those bobbins can be pretty expensive - about $30 each. I also call it a more portable wheel because this is not a folding wheel.

I got to spin on it several times over three days and it is quite smooth and lovely. You can make a wide range of yarns on it. There is a nice little tensioning device for the stretchy drive band for when you change whorls. They were showing it in Scotch tension but after some heart to heart talks with Cindy from Schacht, who did a large part of the designing, I found out that double drive is definitely and option as well as running it with a cotton drive band. As far as the double treadle is concerned, the movement is smooth and lovely and can also be used with only one foot.

Currently the on board lazy kate is not included which I don't love. Those parts have to be purchased separately but if you have a kate that fits the Schacht bobbins already then it's a non-issue. Also, plying always seems to go better for me if the bobbins are behind.

Over all I am very positive about this wheel. I think it has the capability to take a beginner a very long way before they would look for another wheel. It can be easily taken to guild meetings and the footprint is pretty small so it will take up very little space in your home. The interchangeable parts are a huge plus if the owner has or decides to stay with a Schacht product.
Cost wise it is very competitive at $525. An Ashford Traveller is $495, Joy with bag is around $650, Kromski Sonata with bag is $520 (if I'm remembering correctly), Majacraft Little Gem with the bag is around $600. So they are right in there in the right neighborhood to make Schacht a more viable option for people who want the quality of a Schacht product but couldn't spend $899 on a wheel.

There are 2 main drawbacks that I noticed. If you are looking for a wheel to take on airplanes, this is not the wheel for you because it does not fold. And it doesn't come with the on board kate, which I'm not too sure is a terrible thing since it wasn't pretty. Of course once all of the bobbins are on the kate you would just see the bobbins so I guess I could go either way.

I'll have two of these coming soon so you can try it out for yourself. (Really, that was just a ploy to get you to come and visit me at the shop)

I'm Back!

I had huge plans for blogging but this is how I felt all week. This is actually Carla and I love this picture. This post is just going to be pictures of people from the week. Some are old friends - like Carla, some are new and some I have a girl crush on due to fabulousness. Of course Carla is in that category too.

From Left to right. Jillian, Carla, Amy, and Amy. Hilarious is all I can say. There were beautiful movies turned into something just naughty and chocolate and ice cream and the "Box of Love" was quite amazing and fibery like.
Richard Ashford who I got to spend some time with and give my opinions to and I brought this Elizabeth wheel back to the shop. He signed it for me. I'm not sure I can sell it. I seem to have that problem a lot lately - though Shannah did sell my Traveller with the jumbo flyer while I was gone. I'm glad it happened while I was gone.
This is me and Margaret Stove. She's my new Best Friend but I haven't told her yet=)
Here's Jenny spinning her spider web thin yarn. You can't see it in this picture but she does it on her Ashford Joy. Seriously, I saw her scarf that is Navajo Plied and the yarn is the same diameter as sewing thread.
Here she is in this fab shawl that she designed and spun and knitted.
Joan Sheridan Hoover of Heritage Spinning and Weaving. She's darling. I am so glad I finally met her and hope to be in touch with her more during the next few years. She taught at SOAR and the amount of work put out by her class was incredible. This picture was taken on the 7th night and you can see I'm fading.
Maggie Casey teaching us the difference between American and English Long Draw. The English version is very fun but I need a little practice.
This fine lady had never spun or knitted before coming to SOAR. She used a borrowed wheel and learned to spin in Maggie Casey's Spinning 101 class. Then she took a knitting lesson from Denny and finished a scarf WITH her handspun before the end of the week.
This is Kandy with her room mate who's name I can't currently recall. I bumped into Kandy many times through the week and she is very darling. Luckily she only lives in Indiana so we can hopefully spin together.
This is Bonnie. She was my breakfast partner for most of the week. She is in charge of setting up the competition displays at Rhinebeck. She certainly remembered my Lily shawl and had to have pictures for bragging when she got home. I did let her borrow it for a minute or two-
Kat - with her yarn samples from our class.
And finally, my favorite person of the whole week, Abby. I was a lot intimidated when I saw her on the first day. I've been reading her blog for a long time and the spinning knowledge was very helpful but to watch the speed of the spindling... She's giving me a lesson in this picture and I refused to embarrass myself in front of her. There is a spindle in this picture but the speed of it was amazing. I did a bit of practicing today and I am catching on.

So here's my take on the whole SOAR thing. I learned some great things in my classes but the social part of the week can't be taken lightly. I met Fibergal and she was a wealth of information - just by watching her spin on her spindle. There was Jenni who I asked about how she gets her yarn so thin. "Oh", she said, "just change your brake band to cotton." It was like magic. Something I had been trying for for the last two years was so simple.

I was busy from 7AM to midnight most days and I felt like my head was going to explode by the end of Friday. You know, like when you are trying to put too much wool in a plastic bag and it just keeps popping out. Now it's back to the shop and school. It was a great week and I'm definitely going next year. I have some more pictures and can share some of my new spinning insights in my next post.

Here's the thing. I'm leaving for SOAR in only 3 days and I'm a crazy excited nervous wreck. I plan on doing a couple of remote blog posts from Shanty Creek which consist mostly of "Here I am with Margaret Stove!!!!!!!!" And "Here I am with Judith McKenzie McCuin!!!!" Mostly me gushing.

When I get back I will do some serious posts of "look at this new thing I learned" or "I never thought of doing this like this before."

Also, Knit Michigan is on Saturday, February 2nd in Bloomfield Hills. I'm thinking I'll be a vendor.

And in conclusion, Spinning Spider Jenny is coming to my shop to teach in mid November. I have some openings still and would love to have any of you who can make it. There will be a very informal sleepover at my house so, you know, it could be fun. I'm fun, really.

O.K. Gotta go make my list of the stuff I want to pack and then cross things off cause I can;t fit everything in the car.