Adventures in Fiber... on AND off the hoof!

I had a great time at the two day felting workshop in Lexington taught by Nicola Brown, and as always there was lots of learning, laughing, and great camaraderie between the participants. I don't know how Nicola does it, she starts with a group of people of varying experience, different fibers to use, and a variety of projects they want to complete. It all seems a little bit chaotic in the very beginning but by the end of the second day everyone has happily finished at least one or two projects and we've all picked up tips, tricks and inspiration from Nicola and each other!

Nicola brought lots of sample items to show us, many from her new book which she has just co-published with Chrissie Day. I have the book and love it, but it was extra-nice to see her projects "in person." Based on some of the items she showed us, I wanted to make a scarf/shawl using some nuno collage techniques. Although it wasn't completely different from some things I've already been doing, I did learn some things and loved the result!

The other students created some stunning items as well, from bags to vessels to wraps. Lots of creativity in that room!

The day after the class was over, my friend Jan (who organized the workshop) brought Nicola out for a visit to our alpaca and llama farm so that she could see some of the local Kentucky bluegrass countryside. I planned a casual hike where we would lead some llamas carrying a little picnic of wine and cheese and fruit (we normally offer "commercial" llama treks, this was going to be an informal version).

One of the llamas, Bandit, is normally a tiny bit edgy but then calms down and can be one of our sweetest and most dependable, having been led by small children on prior hikes. I wasn't 100% sure that he'd carried the pack before, but as I put the pack saddle on him and tightened the girth he stood completely calmly which reassured me that he had in fact done it before. We each took a llama and I gave Jan and Nicola a short spiel about the differences between alpacas and llamas and how to handle them safely.

As we stepped out of the barn, Bandit suddenly turned into a whirling dervish as he felt the contents of his pack bags shifting!!!! He bucked and bucked, with Nicola (experienced wth thoroughbred horses years ago) holding onto his lead rope for dear life!!! As he bucked, the pack saddle and bags banged on his sides and shifted and his panic increased, and after giving her a bad friction burn on her hand Nicola couldn't hold onto the lead any longer. We watched, helpless, as poor Bandit bucked across the field with the pack saddle now practically around his waist and one pack bag flying off, and then he ran out of sight into the woods.....

Nicola ran after him while I put the other two llamas in stalls, and Jan retrieved the pack bag that had already fallen. I joined Nicola and we located the other bag and tracks in the mud leading back toward the field where he normally stays which was nearly 1/2 mile away. We also doctored Nicola's hand which had a bit of skin removed and a big blister- she was a great sport about it but I know it had to hurt. Long story short, Bandit wasn't back down there and I suggested that we search around our farm in the comfort of the air-conditioned Kubota RTV (which gave Jan and Nicola a tour of the farm nonetheless). Although I felt sure he'd go back to his buddies in the field, we were concerned about him getting caught on something since he still had the pack saddle and lead rope attached.

Finally I suggested that we just have our picnic in our breezy, high wildlife observation tower where we'd have a good view in case he appeared, and give him time to settle down and find his way back. Sure enough, about 30 minutes later my daughter came to tell us that he'd arrived back at the llama field and she'd caught him, removed the pack which was around his back legs by then, and put him back with his friends, unscathed. Phew....

We enjoyed our wine and cheese, miraculously the wine bottle hadn't broken although the bananas were mashed over everything and the crackers were mostly crumbs! After we knew Bandit was okay, we laughed over the incident and Nicola recounted some other now-hilarious times when she'd been injured! We returned to the barn for some photos with the llamas and said our farewells. Thanks, Nicola, for coming to Lexington and I hope we can persuade you to return in the fall. I'm sure you'll always remember your visit to Seldom Scene Farm!

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What to Make?

Nuno shawl with alpaca, merino, silk, angelina sparkle, and mohair on cotton

The past week was fun to say the least, with the highlight being a wonderful surprise birthday party my sweet husband gave me with our close friends and family at a favorite restaurant, Heirloom in nearby Midway. The AOBA National Auction was a big success for our farm and those of our our partners, too, you can read about that here. I also had a super time at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, and was very inspired by all of the great colors and project ideas I gleaned from the high-quality vendors.

Now I can concentrate on the upcoming felting class I'm taking later this week with Nicola Brown of Ireland (whose class I took last fall in Michigan). I had a rare long, quiet day yesterday in the studio, and contemplated what I most hope to learn from Nicola this time. What to make? What to make?

I completed these nuno scarves since the ones I made last week sold at the Festival, and I love making them but want to challenge myself with something completely new in Nicola's class. I think I want to tackle a large wearable project, like a cape or jacket. Either way, I'm glad that the auction, travel, and the fiber festival are behind me, home schooling is gearing down, and I can just concentrate on creating for a while!

I am so very blessed and most challenges in my life are fairly trivial, and my heart and prayers go out to those that are suffering through the tornadoes and subsequent losses...

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Kentucky Sheep and Fiber and MORE!

Hand-dyed and felted alpaca lattice shawl

Life has been REALLY hectic lately, and these next several days will be a real peak for me! In this past and next week, there's end-of-school year stuff, the Buckeye Alpaca Show, a birthday (ahem....), the AOBA National Auction in Denver (with our elite herdire, El Nino's Accoyo Michelangelo and a beautiful female selling), and the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival. I'm excited for it all, bring it on!

Nuno-felted scarf of silk and wool, hand-dyed

I haven't had as much time as I'd like to dye fiber and yarn and make finished products for the festival, but I'm pleased with what I have done so it's just going to have to be enough for this time! My friend MB with Alpacas at Booker's Corner and I are sharing a booth at the festival, and she'll be there on Saturday and I'll be there on Sunday. I've decided to keep things at least a little more simple and won't be taking animals this year.

I do love spending quiet time in my studio making things (and haven't had enough of that lately), and I'm looking forward to both taking AND teaching some classes this summer. We'll be continuing home school over the summer, but on a less structured basis. Watch for news about upcoming classes!

Hand-felted Lamb Shade!

In the mean time, I hope to see many of you at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival or AOBA Nationals!

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Always Learning... felting class with Nicola Brown

Nicola modeling an amazing felted duster she made

I don't know why it's taken me so long to write about it, but last month I had a great opportunity to attend a felting class in Michigan with Nicola Brown whose blog, Clasheen, I have followed for a while. Those that read blogs regularly have the feel for how small the world becomes... Nicola is from Ireland, but she was coming to the states to teach and I couldn't pass on the chance to learn from her. She seemed like an incredibly creative, generous, and fun teacher and I was certainly not disappointed!I decided to really treat myself, and stayed at a lovely B & B, The Kalamazoo House, that was immediately next door to the Kalamazoo Institute of Art. The entire experience was inspiring, and I loved the museum and it's surroundings. Although I took along lots of knitting and reading, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed socializing with the other guests more than holing up in my room! The hosts were great as well.The first two days of class were specifically about making a complex felt bag. Although I'm a semi-experienced felter, I enjoyed learning about using a "resist" to make a 3D object with the strap cut from the original layout of fiber, and I also had fun incorporating other fabrics and embellishments into the felt.
It was fascinating to see the variety of approaches the other attendees took to choosing the style and colors of their purses (one of the benefits of attending a class, watching and learning from other attendees). One lady put together some colors that I thought were pretty horrendous, and I was sure that her uptight pace would lead to disaster- how wrong I was when she was the first to finish what was definitely a spectacular purse! I was pleased with how mine came out, although it's a bit more "flashy" than what I'd normally carry.
The final day was a Felted Accessories class- we had a choice of techniques to learn about, and although I'd been doing a lot of nuno work where you felt various fibers to a base of silk or other fabric, I wanted to learn new techniques since I'd admired Nicola's nuno feltwork so much. I used some silk that I had already dyed, and felted it with short-fibered merino. Although it wasn't my best finished project, I enjoyed the process and especially love working with that type of merino now in addition to alpaca as it felts so fast and evenly.
I've found a fair amount of time to do some other felting projects since then (though not as much as I'd like!) I made this purse with hand-dyed alpaca, merino, and C1 wool (and embedded glass beads), as I wanted to make another bag while I could remember the techniques.
I've also made quite a few nuno scarves and shawls with silk and both alpaca and wool. Now I need to buckle down and make some of the smaller items (like soaps and jewelry) that are the staple of my holiday gift sales. If only I had more time in the day!!! Pin It Now!

Mad Hatters

I started Sunday's hat class by saying that we'd LEARN how to make a felted hat from alpaca fiber, but that SOME may turn out not be wearable for their first attempt.... the seven women that attended proved me wrong, and 100% came away with a really nice looking hat!
Each participant had pre-chosen the hat form they wanted to use, and each got to pick from several natural colors of alpaca fiber. Everyone left with their hats mostly-dry and wearable enough for a group photo, but I'm sure that each person will add their own touch in terms of embellishment.
Everyone worked, played, talked and laughed really hard, and the class ran way over... sorry about that!
This was a fun and crazy group of students, but do you know how the name "Mad Hatters" came about? It's because hat-makers used to use a mercury-based product for stiffening hats, and it led to brain damage... thus the name "mad" hatters! (Sad, but true).Here's the whole group with their mostly-finished hats. I was so proud of them! I've scheduled two more felting classes... one will be a general/beginning class on March 21st to include both wet felting and needle felting and the other will be a hat class on April 25th. Details will be forthcoming, but in the meantime let me know if you're interested! (alpacalindy@gmail.com).
Thanks to everyone who participated!
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