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Great Lakes Fiber Festival

Thankfully I was worried for nothing and there is no water in the buildings or the parking areas around them. We setup this morning with no problems at all. Yay! There was some water still lower in the fairgrounds but the festival areas are just fine. Whew! Anyway we are in our usual spot in booths 31-33 in the white building across from the grassy area where there are always some animal vendors.

The booth is looking great with lots of beautiful new knit samples, so come on out and see for yourself.

Someone is all tuckered out from all that work. Smile

Oh, I am only about 30 pages away from finishing The Hunger Games. I expect to finish it tonight and start Catching Fire. Smile

Posted on May 27, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — 6 Comments

on to the woodshop…

Okay this is the final installment of a sneak peek at our workshops. Let’s just get right into it shall we?

We’ll start with the table saw.

This is the bigger lathe where all the bowls, darning eggs, and nostepinnes are turned.

These are the hand tools used with it, and no I don’t know what they all do, or even what they are called so don’t ask. Nyah-Nyah

Here is the smaller lathe used for the small, fine turning, such as the Shawl Pins.

Sanding and planing station

Chop saw and jointer

Stash, stash, and more stash. See knitter’s aren’t the only ones.

And just for fun, this is the walnut co-sleeper that Jerry built for the baby.

That’s it for now! We are in Wooster, OH tonight for the Great Lakes Fiber Festival so I’ll probably have some pictures from that later. We are a bit worried about the water we saw at the Fairgrounds when we were driving past this afternoon on the way to the hotel. Confused smile Hope it’s not a problem for the show this weekend. We haven’t heard anything to the contrary. Lightning No more rain okay? We had enough of that last night in Nashville. Our power was even out all night. Thankfully it came back on this morning after I left. Okay, bye for now.

Posted on May 26, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Dye studio pictures

Before I start on the part about the workshops a brief update on my reading; I am more than halfway through the Hunger Games and it really is as good as they say it is. The main character, Katniss is likeable and easy to get to know. I am enjoying it a lot, but I won’t comment too much more until I am further into the series. So, there will be more on this topic later.

Also, I ran across link on Facebook to the newest Journey album, Eclipse, just released today on Amazon as a MP3. I think you can also get the CD at Wal-Mart. If you like the heavier guitar driven stuff from their late 70’s material, then I recommend you give it a listen. I was listening to this tonight and I swear the hairs were standing up on my arms. I didn’t much like the last release (Revelation) since it was too like the era of material which I didn’t like as much even when Steve was still with the band. I also had a hard time with a Journey without him. They have found something again in this album which just moves me though. Red heart

Okay now for the promised workshops pictures. We’ll start with my dye studio which doubles as the finish and lamination area. These are my propane tanks which are pretty self explanatory.

These are my burners and dye pots. Jerry built those racks for steaming hand painted skeins.

Here is my dye stock containers and some left over dye previous sessions that will be used next time. We also use those 3 1/2 and 5 gallon buckets for mixing stock and custom colors.

Here is my lovely industrial sink and washing machine for spinning rinsed skeins. I am beginning to wonder now why I thought it was such a good idea to share the seamier side of production dyeing. It’s not exactly very photogenic is it?

My triple balance scale, respirator, notebook, and other miscellaneous stuff. This is where I mix and measure stock and colors.

The view out the studio door to where I set up the dye pots and burners.

Our yarn drying station, as known as good old fashioned clothes lines.

See, pretty cool, huh? I’m sure the neighbors think we are nuts though. Open-mouthed smile Okay it’s getting late so wood shop stuff later.

Posted on May 25, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival 2011

I’ll get back to the workshop pictures next post because I wanted to share my pictures with you from the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival in Lexington, KY. We are in the Big Top Tent in booth #38 and will be here tomorrow until 5:00pm. So if you missed us yesterday, please come on out and enjoy the show. There’s lots of things to see and do. Music, food, animals, yarn and fiber, even tractors.

The boy has an affinity for wool, but of course. We aren’t really too surprised are we?

That’s my new Cluaranach in the Berry Merino Superwash Sock. Pretty no?

More shawls; Bee Fields, Lacewing, Fiore d’Melanzana, and Rosebuddie (which is actually a square and meant to be a baby blanket/shawl.

Here’s our tools display; Nostepinnes, Darning Eggs, Sock keepers, Shawl Pins, and Yarn Bowls

Yarn swifts a plenty.

Lots of Little Nothing scarves, socks and yarn of course. Smile

a better view of the Lacewing shawl in Classic Merino Lace.

That’s me and the boy.

My favorite sheep picture from the show. I just love that color. Red heart

See I told you there were tractors. This one appealed to the boy above all the others. I have no clue why he singled this one out except that he appeared to like the little poky rubber bits on the tires. Confused smile

Bye for now and workshop pictures next time. I promise. Smile

Posted on May 21, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Inside View

Or really more outside than in. I was playing around with the camera today after most of my packing was done for the Kentucky Sheep & Fiber Festival, and a blog post or maybe more started formulating in my mind. Why not share a little about our workshops and how gorgeous Tennessee is, especially at this time of year.

Let’s start with some pictures of property. It’s about an acre just 6 miles north of downtown Nashville. It’s an older subdivision built on farmland in the late fifties. Most of the homes are still resided in by the original owners I believe. We bought it in 1998 and we were only the third owners.

Here’s a view down the drive, with a bonus shot of my pretty truck. Open-mouthed smile I washed it yesterday.

The children have been studying birds so we washed and setup a bird bath for observation. It’s already had a few visitors.

Next is a view of the backyard from the side yard looking towards the back of the property. That’s Mountain Laurel shrub on the right. I wish I had thought to get a shot of it last month when it was flowering. Maybe next year.

These are our peach trees. It’s mostly squirrel food, Sarcastic smile but they sure look pretty while they last. We have gotten a few of them, but you have to be on your toes to catch them ripe but not nibbled.

Moving on to the backyard, here’s a cool playhouse that Jerry built about 7 years ago which was designed by an architect friend of ours, Matt Smith, during a brief business venture with them. It was dubbed Oberon’s Tower for the King of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Here’s our storage shed where we keep un-dyed yarn, extra shipping boxes, work tables, and temporarily our oldest daughter’s worldly possessions while she is living with us for a spell. Smile

Here’s the view from near the storage shed looking back towards the house. That little white framed door with the windows, in the left side of the picture, goes under the house to our finish/glue area and dye studio space. More on that later.

Here’s the view from outside the dye and finish studio looking back towards the Tower through the peach trees.

I’ll leave you with my two youngest girls having a water battle. Open-mouthed smile Stay tuned for more of the workshops in the next post.

Posted on May 20, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

YouTube – Foo Fighters. Wasting Light Live from 606.

YouTube – Foo Fighters. Wasting Light Live from 606..

One of my new favorite bands, playing their newest album Wasting Light in it’s entirety. Very Cool. Hope you enjoy it!

Posted on May 18, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Sweater weather? Again?

What’s a guaranteed way to ensure a cold snap in late spring? Yep, you guessed it. Unpack and buy the appropriately seasonable clothing. It never fails that when we finally get everyone suitably attired for the season change, it changes back. Sarcastic smile So all you middle Tennessee folks who were cursing the chilly wet weather that began this weekend, you can blame us.

Speaking of cool weather, I did almost finish the Bel Air. I have the collar knit and the first sleeve sewn in. Yay! I took a couple self portraits that aren’t that great, but here ya go.

Here’s one with my head not chopped off, LOL, and a “laying on the porch” shot.

I will be casting on the second sleeve tonight. It would be awesome if I could get it finished for the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival.

On the reading side; I did finish Dragonfly in Amber and all I will say is it is hard to not pick immediately on the third book to see what will happen next. Will Claire go back to find Jaime? Will she take Roger and Brianna? What further role will Gillian/Geillis play? But I have also been waiting to start the Hunger Games for the last month and simply must read them now. They are so much shorter that I am sure the brief interlude will be a welcome change to these long novels. Don’t get me wrong. I adore long stories. It’s just that they take me so much longer to read than they used to. I like to dip into shorter stories in between longer ones. It’s kind of like with knitting; having a plain vanilla sock, a sweater and a lacy shawl going for the different complexities and time investments.

I am itching to cast on for Vonica with that blue Cascade 220. Remember that? Must finish the Bel Air and the Sprossling. Well at least the Bel Air. Then maybe a sleeve swatch. Who me?

Posted on May 17, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — 2 Comments

Better Late than Never

Sorry for the blog silence. I always think I will have more down time when I am at shows than I ever actually end up having. You would think that I would have learned that after doing this for, what, five years now? I started attending festivals in late 2006, so yeah, it will be 5 years in October. But I digress. I did want to share a few more pictures of our trip.

Elijah was having the best time with the luggage carts. It was so hilarious!

We got home on Tuesday afternoon and I spent the next two days getting caught up on things. I’ll spare you the details on that because trust me it’s not very interesting. It may surprise you to know that the life of a business owner/professional dyer is not ALL fun and glamour. Eye rolling smile

On the knitting front, I have got the stitches picked on the collar of the Bel Air and knit a couple of inches of it over the past week, but that’s the totality of my knitting since my last post about it. No updated picture on that either. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow.

Oh, I never did let you know what I thought of that movie I was watching last week, All Things Good. I liked the first two thirds of it but the last part left me kind of meh. I am watching through the first 6 seasons of Criminal Minds right now when I knit. I am really enjoying that. I have always had an affinity for crime dramas, especially ones like this where there is a lot of psychological drama. I think it is well cast with interesting characters. I am like that with shows and books too. I have to like and believe in the characters to really get into a series or a book.

While we are on the topic of books I will share what I am reading right now. I have a Nook, which it the best thing EVER, and was introduced to the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series because the first book, The Outlander was offered as a “Free Friday” download. I then bought the whole series and am up to the second book at this point. I am almost finished with it. It’s not like anything I have ever read before and I might have totally missed out on a good read if it weren’t for the enticement to try the first one for free. So, kudos to Barnes & Noble for the incentives which worked pretty good on me. They gave me one book, but I then bought 6 more. Some of the dialogue can be a tiny bit cheesy, but overall I recommend them.

I do plan to take a short break between book 2 and book 3 to read The Hunger Games series. I resisted this for quite awhile because EVERYONE was reading them. That will turn me off in a heartbeat. But the reviews from everyone was so positive and when people I knew were saying the same thing, people whose opinions I respect, I caved and bought them. I started the first chapter or two of the first book, but held off since I had just started Dragonfly in Amber and didn’t want to drop that one in the middle. So anyway, I am excited about starting The Hunger Games very soon since I am 60 pages away from finishing Dragonfly in Amber.

Okay, that’s about all I have for now. It has taken me all afternoon to write this post as it is because I have too many people parked in the room with me, and it is making it difficult for me to concentrate. Story of my life. Eye rolling smile

Posted on May 14, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

It’s been a long day

The booth is all ready and we are excited to meet lots of new people this weekend. It’s been long and tiring day today and I expect that will be true for the next couple as well, so I promise that while the blog may be a bit sparse until we return home, I will hopefully be more chatty when I am back. Here’s a couple pictures from the booth setup to hold you over. Smile

Posted on May 7, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — 4 Comments

Quickie phone post

Well this will have to be a quickie post due to the internet being down at the hotel and posting from my phone is annoying. I am not as fast at typing on a virtual keypad.

So we made it to MN fine. Gas prices are higher than in the south that’s for sure.

Here is a some what crappy phone picture of us crossing the MN stateline. Hopefully the internet will be fixed soon. Good thing I have plentyto read and knit. :-)

Posted on May 6, 2011July 11, 2011 by yarnmama — Leave a comment

Great Lakes Fiber Festival

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on to the woodshop…

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Dye studio pictures

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Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival 2011

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Inside View

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YouTube – Foo Fighters. Wasting Light Live from 606.

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Sweater weather? Again?

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Better Late than Never

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It’s been a long day

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Quickie phone post

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