Dakota Designs

This last summer while spending a few relaxing days in Oregon, I met Sharon Allen, a retired shearer and fiber 'farmer'. She had a treasure trove of wonderful -- ready to spin fiber. I just finished spinning her blend of white alpaca and fine white wool. It is creamy, and silky soft. I'll have enough for 2 small sweaters (if I'm lucky). Here's a picture of the whole sheebang. I decided to drape the washed skeins over the wheel and place the twisted hanks on the floor. The picture really doesn't do handspun justice, you just have to see it to want to stroke it, smell it, and KNIT it! Yes -- I am a little obsessive about fiber -- but really what normal person wouldn't be???? As I was re-skeining, even Molly (the dog) became bewitched -- she laid her face in the folds of the skeins, sighed and fell fast asleep. Sushi (or "catzilla" as we like to call her) was eye-balling the twisted hanks, and trying to calculate if she had the jawpower and bo...

No picture for this -- we were having too much fun to take pictures! Maybe Shelly will shoot a pic of her lovely skein and send it to me. Yesterday (3/20) I took the Rose (Majacraft) and the Traditional (Ashford) wheels up to Knitting on the Square in Chardon. Shelly wanted to learn spinning too! So there we sat, next to the very fine Debbie Bliss yarns and in front of the Kathmandu yarn (my last sweater), side by side, spinnin' fools extraordinaire. Customers came in and watched, asked lots of questions, and of course did a little shopping -- Shelly had to stop spinning (poor thing) -- but it was good for her to have a little break (no pun intended, there Shel). Shelly did a fabulous job -- she was spinning pretty thin -- and had a few breaks here and there, and a few spots of "EXICTED" yarn -- but all in all a fabulous job -- picture coming soon! Robin Swoboda & crew came by to interview Kate -- the shop looked fabulous, and Shelly and I were added ambiance (if I do...

Well -- last Thursday the new Ashford Traditional wheel arrived to grace our home and keep my little Majacraft Rose company. One does need more than one spinning wheel -- especially if there are students to teach spinning to! There's hubby, helping to put together the "mother of all" (no I'm not swearing!). I put on 3 coats of Watco Danish oil on Saturday, got up at the CRACK of dawn Sunday and applied 1 coat of paste wax, and 1 coat of Howards feed and Wax. It looks LOVELY in its natural color. Once together it was time to try it out. I had a sample of Pygora fiber from a friend in Oregon. This is a goat breed with VERY soft fleece. I pulled a tad out of the bag and let it lay on the floor while I fired up the 'ole treadle on the Ashford. Everything was going well, no rubs, no clangs, the peddling was easy. This is great. Then Sushi (remember her??) made an appearance, with stealth and agility, she grabbed a wad of pygora between her teeth, I started scr...