I just returned from a two day color spinning workshop with Lynne Vogel. The workshop took place at Lowe Mill in Huntsville, AL http://www.lowemill.net/ . Lowe Mill is a three story artist colony and on Saturday the artists come and try to sell their wares. Our meeting area was on the second floor. It was a long way up with the spinning wheel! Lynne was very good and very helpful. She advocated knitting energized singles to bypass the mud that sometimes results from plying. If you knit the singles straight off the wheel she says they will retain their energy and not go all whopper jawed when you get them wet. She also said you could steam the singles and that would make them easier to use and keep them from going boing once they became wet... Singles produce a lovely fluffy material. I learned how to Navajo ply. The Navajo plying does reduce the colors co-mingling when you ply and makes a nice yarn but it sure uses up a lot of yarn since it is 3 ply instead of 2 ply. I also learned how to Andean ply. But that does not reduce the co-mingling of colors you can get when you ply. We made little itty motifs with our energized singles.
I threw some roving into my motif and she absolutely loved it. She and most of the other women were very impressed with my laceweight spinning. Of course that is all I know how to do. She tried to get me to spin thicker but we weren't that successful...
You have to use more fiber and who wants to do that?? It was interesting anyway. Saturday we ate lunch at the Happy Tummy http://www.mmmhappytummy.com/ , an eatery attached to the Lowe Mill. It was very good and reasonably priced. Saturday’s dinner was at Macaroni Grill. I was very nervous about finding my way around in the dark but I managed to get back to my hotel. I stayed at the Radisson and was practically the only one there. My room had a microwave, a kitchen type sink and a small refrigerator along with a separate sitting area and a sleep number bed! There was a free breakfast every morning. I ate dinner at the restaurant Friday night and I was the only person there! It was a very nice hotel and the staff was very friendly.
Monday I drove to Pensacola, FL to stay with my son, Dean, and his family. I got to Pensacola around 2:00 PM. Ede wanted to go out to lunch at Tu-Do. I hadn’t eaten yet so that’s what we did. Tu-Do’s is always great. I had steamed rice with various meats. I gave the kids their presents – an etching and origami book for James and a wooden whale and a rug hooking kit for Eden. Nana always comes baring gifts! Monday was also Eden’s Tai Kwondo lesson. Tuesday was James’ soccer game and he even got to play!
Here's a picture of a soccer mom in action!
I threw some roving into my motif and she absolutely loved it. She and most of the other women were very impressed with my laceweight spinning. Of course that is all I know how to do. She tried to get me to spin thicker but we weren't that successful...
You have to use more fiber and who wants to do that?? It was interesting anyway. Saturday we ate lunch at the Happy Tummy http://www.mmmhappytummy.com/ , an eatery attached to the Lowe Mill. It was very good and reasonably priced. Saturday’s dinner was at Macaroni Grill. I was very nervous about finding my way around in the dark but I managed to get back to my hotel. I stayed at the Radisson and was practically the only one there. My room had a microwave, a kitchen type sink and a small refrigerator along with a separate sitting area and a sleep number bed! There was a free breakfast every morning. I ate dinner at the restaurant Friday night and I was the only person there! It was a very nice hotel and the staff was very friendly.Monday I drove to Pensacola, FL to stay with my son, Dean, and his family. I got to Pensacola around 2:00 PM. Ede wanted to go out to lunch at Tu-Do. I hadn’t eaten yet so that’s what we did. Tu-Do’s is always great. I had steamed rice with various meats. I gave the kids their presents – an etching and origami book for James and a wooden whale and a rug hooking kit for Eden. Nana always comes baring gifts! Monday was also Eden’s Tai Kwondo lesson. Tuesday was James’ soccer game and he even got to play!
Here's a picture of a soccer mom in action!Wednesday we celebrated my birthday a day early since Dean had work to do Thursday. We went to Veterans Memorial Park and saw all of the monuments to the soldiers in our wars. There was even a copy of the Vietnam Wall called the Wall South. 
Then we went to dinner at Crabs http://www.crabswegotem.com/. Crabs is a wonderful place and their crabs are fantastic! We had a wonderful time. Eden made me a beautiful birthday card and James made me an origami picture frame with his picture. Dean gave me Bamboo Fun which is a digital scrapbooking program. I’ll have fun with that! 
I finished the Ginger Smith block of the GAAA. It was really a lot of fun to do. Now I’m working on the Barbara Selesnick block. The more of these you knit the more fun they are and the easier they become. I’ve finished 9 blocks so far.
The black and white large herringbone scarf is off the loom. Pictures to follow once I have washed, dried, ironed and twisted the fringes. WOW! Sounds like the weaving was the easy part!
Next month I am taking a class on weaving rag rugs with Tom Knisely from the Mannings School in PA. I am really excited about the class. I’ve purchased my cotton fabric which will be torn into strips. I also bought a ski shuttle, rug warp and a 12 dent reed. I can no longer afford to feed myself but I’ll be a weaver extraordinaire!!
Then we went to dinner at Crabs http://www.crabswegotem.com/. Crabs is a wonderful place and their crabs are fantastic! We had a wonderful time. Eden made me a beautiful birthday card and James made me an origami picture frame with his picture. Dean gave me Bamboo Fun which is a digital scrapbooking program. I’ll have fun with that! 
I finished the Ginger Smith block of the GAAA. It was really a lot of fun to do. Now I’m working on the Barbara Selesnick block. The more of these you knit the more fun they are and the easier they become. I’ve finished 9 blocks so far.
The black and white large herringbone scarf is off the loom. Pictures to follow once I have washed, dried, ironed and twisted the fringes. WOW! Sounds like the weaving was the easy part!
Next month I am taking a class on weaving rag rugs with Tom Knisely from the Mannings School in PA. I am really excited about the class. I’ve purchased my cotton fabric which will be torn into strips. I also bought a ski shuttle, rug warp and a 12 dent reed. I can no longer afford to feed myself but I’ll be a weaver extraordinaire!!
