Shane and I are presently resting up from another wonderful week on Orcas Island. We think seriously about moving there every time we visit. It is so beautiful and filled with liberals. Everywhere you look there is another craftsman's or artist's studio. How could anyone not like living there? It has the fatal flaw of not enough great restaurants, however.
Regular readers will already know that we went to Orcas to attend a spinning retreat with Judith MacKenzie McCuin. Every class we take from her is fabulous and this one was no different. Her skill and knowledge impress the shit out of me. She has been spinning for around 50 years so I will be very lucky if I can even get close to that amount of experience.
This retreat was focused on calculating yardage for a given project and making the right fiber choice. We got to sample several different fleeces everyday and learned to spin them to maximize their inherent qualities. We started with primitive breeds and luster longs wools and from there tried out medium, fine and down wools. So much fun!
I, 0f course, had lots of dye questions related to opening up the shop and Judith kindly made time for me to show me a few tricks. She showed me a few techniques I was unfamiliar with and explained some points on dye color theory and light. Additonally, we got to do some more lichen dyeing (always fascinating!) and got a review of several methods of hand preparation. At the week's end, I was nearly bursting with ideas! What more could you ask of a teacher?
Another nice thing Judith did was to check out my rolags and our orifice hooks. I asked her to be honest and she gave me a rave review. I was pretty chuffed, to say the least. It was hard not to squeal when she said my work was beautiful. Isn't she great?
The last bit of good news is that she asked me to teach a class with her! I nearly fainted. So, in the next few weeks she and I are going to plan a little retreat that we will co-teach together. When she said she always thought I would make a great teacher I actually cried a little. She is such an inspiration to me and to teach with her would be such an honor. I was floating for hours. Additonally, she said she was going to call retreat and fiber festival organizers on my behalf. Would it be too proud of me to say she gave me her endorsement? Probably, but I am happy anyway!
Nihon Vogue is next week. We are going to learn more about puffy sleeves and dolmans. These are not items I would make on my own but the theory behind their construction is very unique so I am looking forward to making them anyway. In order to save time, I have decided to knit the sweaters to fit not myself but the daughter of one of my classmates. That way, I will still be able to test the fit and then be able to use the sweaters as samples for the shop. I was a little resistant to the idea at first but then I realized that her back and front measurement would serve as sleeves for me. Imagine the time I will save!
Shane and I saw "Zack and Miri make a porno" recently. It is the best film Kevin Smith has made in some time. Funny and sweet. We recommend you see it if you can handle the requisite bawdy humor.
That's all for now!
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