From Farm to Yarn-Youth Fiber Arts Class

We are volunteer teaching a fiber arts class each week to youth at a local school. The students have learned about the various fiber animals, learned to identify their fibers by touch, have learned to "leg spin" and are now using KoolAid to dye fiber for them to drop spindle next week.

Who is the ceramic alpaca supervising the completed project? That's Phidippides (named after one of Adrianna's alpacas), whom Adrianna made in pottery class as a bobblehead. He's our new blog mascot.

Why the gloves and masks? Even KoolAid has non-natural particles in it and we want to protect these young people's lungs! :)

EnJOY!

A Link to an AWEsome website!

Resweater is a great blog and one which I read faithfully. She now has 500 friends on her FB page, so she is doing a sweater giveaway. Not only does she post AWEsome tutorials and other tips for using recycled wool, she also sells sweaters to felt!Check out her blog (and sign up for her giveaway!) at http://resweater.blogspot.com/2011/01/resweater-giveaway-i-have-500-likers-on.html

Tomorrow morning I'm teaching my first adult class: Wool Rosettes using recycled fibers and hand dyed yarns...and of course...vintage buttons! I'll post pics after the class. Today, in between class preparation tasks, I spent some time on the spinning wheel, and working with the dye pot. I haven't spun in quite some time (due to my autoimmune arthritis) but it went well today! I usually prefer to spin very fine yarns, but people are always asking for bulky, novelty yarns, so that's what I created today. Whatcha think? The fiber I dyed/spun is a lovely-licious combination of Ramboullet, angora and silk. Super soft!