Fair Warning: This post is going to be random. And lacking in proper sentence structure. A flight of ideas.
My friend Maureen has been working very hard. She is one of the founders of food tourism in Richmond: Real Richmond. If you have lived in Richmond VA all of your life or if you just happen to be here for a little while you need to check it out. Here is an article about a recent tour of the Shockoe Slip neighborhood! If you think Richmond is just Monument Avenue, Civil War sites and somewhere to have toll money and not to have a flat tire on I-95 in between Washington and the beach then you could have something to learn. And it would be fun. Plus, most of the toll booths are gone. Phantom Toll Booths as it were.
There has been a newfound interest here at Chez Lady in my old friends the spinning wheels. Last Sunday, I attended a meeting of the local spinning and weaving guild Clothos Handspinners for part of the annual spinning retreat weekend. I have known about Clothos for a long time and actually had my first spinning lesson from a member, after I saw her demonstrating spinning on a great wheel at a Maymont Park Farm Days 20+ years ago. But not being much of a joiner of groups (a prissy girl bit me in kindergarten) I have not been a member. That is not to say that I would not have enjoyed being a member of Clothos Handspinners for all these years. I think I have been missing out all along.
So, I sat and spun with Mary and Barbara and Nicky and had a fibery time! We were all spinning different fibers. In the large room there were all sorts of wheels and fibers, a couple of weavers, some knitters and crocheters, a show and tell table, a make your own needle felted name tag table, a wheel for sale, fibers to fondle, a freebie table with a sewing machine on it, a contest of sorts with prizes for the UFO with the most potential and (I think) the least potential. There is a fiber challenge (I selected CVM fiber) to create a yarn inspired by a person, place or thing in VA history. There was planning for the upcoming Meadow Farm Museum Sheep to Shawl in April. The shawl will be handwoven of handspun Gulf Coast Native fleece from the sheep who live at the farm!
70 yards of 2 ply alpaca
I have a skein of 70 yards of 2 ply alpaca to show for my day and a renewed interest in spinning which is an end in itself for all of us sitting together at the meeting. Who knows what we will make from our handspun. None of us wants to be asked that question.
Finn roving, hand dyed on Suzie Alpaca wheel
More merino on the Ashford traditional.
Trindle spindle, Qiviut/Merino/Silk fiber
In my spare time I have started a simple cardigan sweater. Plain and simple with mock cables. Knit in pieces because I want the structure seams will give it. Mindless, meditative stockinette.
Patons Classic Wool, cardigan sweater
And lastly:
Yesterday there was a fabric design in the ice outside my back door. That must be a sign of something.
Slate and Ice Fabric
Guard! The prisoner has escaped!
The Trespasser.
This month it was some Lincoln fiber from an adult ewe named Chocolate who really likes to snuffle in snow to get a bite to eat. Lincoln is new to me and I have been spinning wool for over 20 years. When I first joined the club I received the binder along with the first sample. Each generous sample comes with a fact sheet printed on cardstock with raw and washed fibers attached to it. This is the 14th installment! Mailings have included different wool fibers, flax, silk, and llama. Sampling the fibers has taught what no book can. I really love down wools like Dorset but would have never known that. I dislike spinning camelids like llama. I would love to have more experience with flax. Every month I take out my reference materials and read all I can about the fiber of the month. Mr. Lady can even recite Bradford counts and suitability of spinning styles and uses of some of the fibers. Apparently he has been paying attention after all and seems to look forward to each month’s delivery as much as I do.
