Monday, May 09, 2011

Learning New Things & Relaxing




I went on a retreat over the weekend and had a wonderful time. I feel I learned so much, the ladies were so very generous with their knowledge and willing to show me how they use tools and different techniques to get the job done.

I learned how to "dry color blend fiber" with a drum carder. Wendy was a great teacher and seemed to be full of tips and tricks and fiber knowledge. Thank you Wendy.

I learned how to make "rolags" from Suzanne.

How to "space dye" with beautiful colors, love the results. I'll be knitting a small shawl because I only have 270 yds.

How to double knit? Iffy for our climate here in Southern California but kind of fascinating. Ok I already knew how to do this but still it was fun.

How to make spiral beaded necklace, now that was really fun. I've been wanting to learn beading for a while now. Another black hole to jump down.

How to core spin, I'll have to figure out what that could be used for but endless possibilities.
And a ton more information about natural dying and most of all made some new friends.



I purchased a pair of Schacht combs
The vender was Weaver's Cupboard,
Gail M. Marlow-Kickey (one of the organizers)
8287 Calle del Prado
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730


I found this video on how to use these. There are two different kinds that I saw, one set was narrower and wider with finer "teeth". The other the one is for wool and is shorter and the teeth courser.

When one of the ladies showed me how to make "rollags" the key was to pet like you would a kitten as opposed to a vigorous dog petting style that I'm more inclined to do. Practice will be needed to learn this skill.