FROG POND FIBER FROLIC!

It was a success! We had sooo much fun! We started at 10A and went to 3P. I couldn't believe how fast the time went. There is Elizabeth S., Vicki M., Chris, and Michelle) Behind them there on the counter is food, and lots of it! We had door prizes, and a swap table, trading fiber, and selling fiber, and books, and whatever else. I was so caught up in the fun, that I only took 2 pictures! So you'll have to go over and visit Jessica's blog at Clicketyclackewe.com to see the rest. We had (and I hope I don't leave anyone out) Michelle, (who is leaving us in about a month to go to Connecticut, boohoo), and Elizabeth S., Elizabeth L, Elizabeth M, Rebecca M., Vicki M., Janet King, Charlotte W., Chris C., Nancy P., Mary S., Stephanie D., and Jessica L.! We are all eagerly looking forward to the next one, which will be held at Elizabeth S.'s! Anyone out there living locally or close to us, come and join us! 

The Fiber Frolic was a "huge" success! That's my sister, who's first timer at one of these get togethers, and there is Janet King and Nancy. This is my front room/studio for my knitting and spinning. We got about 10 wheels in there, and about 12 of us all together. It was great. Wonderful day, wonderful food, and lots of fun! 

This is tussah silk that I'm spinning right now. I got a bit from Charlotte (she didn't want to let it go, but I convinced her) and I'm going to dye some merino or something to ply with... It's so neat to spin, and I love these colors! Makes me ready for summer! 

I'm also crocheting right now. I love to do lace doilies, so I pulled out one of my favorite Pineapple patterns and got started on this the other night. It's fun, and sometimes it helps to break the knitting frenzy for me... 

I'm knitting lace still, and I love this book, so I decided to cast on with some leftover handspun corriedale (I used this for the Sheep Shawl) and I think I'll have just enough for this gorgeous scarf.  

RETREAT!

Yes! It's been a week already, and we've been and back from the spinning retreat! It was soooo fun! I met so many new people, and saw all kinds of different wheels. There was so much fiber, I thought I was in heaven, and there were so many different spinners. It's so nice to meet other people of the same caliber as yourself, ya know? And, we all had a lot of similiar things in common with one another besides just our love of spinning and all things fiber! Kids, and husbands, and cats and dogs, and many of them had farms that they run, and Charlotte was able to make some connections with people she hadn't met with different animals (sheep). And it was just very nice. There was no set schedule, except for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Which was too good! I ended up with a single room, which I was happy about, and didn't mind at all, and the weather was stormy and windy and yucky! But we were cozy inside with wool and wheels. I'm definitely going next year, and hopefully, some of our other friends will get to join! I'd love it if it was like a week long! Wouldn't that be fab? 

I had to get a closeup of Janet Kings wheel. It's hand-painted, Ashford Traditional, isn't is just beautiful? 

And here's Jessica (co-founder of Frog Pond Fiber Artists) and she is wearing her handspun merino Swallowtail shawl from Evelyn Clark that she spun from my hand-dyed fiber! She is a terrific spinner and an even better lace knitter! Talking about patience... she has it when it comes to the fine delicate lacey, lace! 

Here is Benita Story(left) and Sandy F. (right) spinning away. Sandy is also a beginner spinner, and she was spinning like she's been spinning forever! And Benita is the editor of our local Swift, which is published every three months. Great to put faces with the names. 

Patricia from Goshen spinning on a Bosworth! It's soooo neat! And she is a fabulous spinner. See that big basket behind her? That was full of fiber! And I think she just about got it all done too! That's Manda sitting beside her, from Southern Indiana, she's spinning on an Ashford Traditional, and a new spinner, but very good none-the-less.... 

And of course I had to post a close-up shot! So you can get all the full enjoyment like me.... :) 

Here is a big shot of it all spun up and the twist set! Look at those colors!! I spun it on my Ashford Traditional because it has a large bobbin flyer, and because I didn't want to try to seperate the color repeats and then ply them together in sinc.... so I decided to spin this stuff into singles..... I think it's great! I'm working on the second bobbin now. 

This is Polworth that I purchased at the retreat from The Trading Post (Susan Markle). It's from Canada and feels delicious. .. 2 glorious pounds.... :) And I don't have to dye it! 

"Cloud" ready for sale. The twist has been set and all I have to do is put the label on.  

The Gray shetland from Gayle that I've since spun up and ready for some socks....