NOBO Handweavers

Yes, these three things have something in common- Groton, NY!

Recently, Margaret heard back from a UK guild about exchanging
bookmarks, woven from rare breed wool. I thought I had some gray Cotswold but it turned out to be gray Border Leicester.
So after doing my homework, I chose Clun Forest for numerous reasons.
The most important being there’s a Clun farm (Rocky Top) in Groton, NY and we happened to be going there.
My in laws live a mile and half from the farm.
So having made arrangements, we were Groton bound.

Groton is lovely rolling farmland. Mostly dairy but there’s now a thriving tomato crop compliments of the Amish. Within the past ten years there’s been a big influx of Amish families buying up the abandoned farmhouse and farmland in the area. It’s provided a rebirth to a dying town. The Amish farm stand down the road always has the “English” stopping to buy fresh eggs, home made bread and, of course, Amish variety tomatoes. Yum!

My goal of buying my bookmark fiber was finally realized when my daughter, Kelley and my sister in law, Pauline, and I visited Rocky Top on Sunday.
Mary was as kind as can be and took us on a tour of the farm.
There were chickens, roosters, goats, cows, Great Pyrenee guard dogs and beautiful Clun Forest sheep. I’d never seen this breed before and I was thrilled to be seeing my choice, up close and personal.

Then there was Angelina and her Mom:

We spent over an hour with Mary and her sheep.
When we were getting ready to leave, Pauline started asking about the goats. Turns out Mary was trying to give some away, so  they’re going to move in with the in laws!
Since they probably wouldn’t enjoy the 6 hour ride home in our car, it’s better that my sister in law’s taking them.
This is one of the two she’s adopting:

My quest to find rare US breed wool took me into the heart of Amish country, I met a lovely breeder of Clun Forest sheep and Pauline got two cute goats.
Who knew the first phase of the bookmark exchange would go there?
Now, I’m anxious to discover what other adventures lay ahead!

During our guild visit to Parker River Alpaca Farm, Byfield, some of us purchased newly shorn fleece and had very difficult decisions with all the color and texture choices.  Being a handweaver and not a spinner, I sent my 3 colors out to the small family-run New England mill I have worked with for about 4 years.  Always happy with the results of whatever fibers I send on, as they spin exactly to my specifications as a weaver, I am once again overjoyed with my cones.  Breathtaking – visually and texturally!

My first Fiber Revival was terrific!
Eileen, Margaret and I sat in the weaver’s tent which kept us shaded from the sun. We were next to the Loom With A View tent, so there was good company all around. Several NOBO folks stopped by for a visit and Michelle hung out with us for the afternoon.

People were very interested in how to weave and asked good questions. Eileen impressed me with her ability to weave a broken twill cottolin dish towel and talk to people without making mistakes.

Margaret did a great job with the World’s Longest Scarf, despite her injured leg, and raised a respectable amount of money.

I wove until I realized the tie on bar was too wide to go over the cloth beam. First time weaving on that loom and now I know what the kinks are.

Kathy James came by for a visit and gave Michelle and I a tour of the Spencer- Little weaving room. She teaches primary school children how to weave during the summer.  There were all sorts of interesting and one of a kind looms and Kathy couldn’t have been nicer. We’re fortunate that she’s going to be our guest speaker next week.

There were also fiber animals, vendors, food and lots of people spinning, knitting and crocheting. What a great place to spend a beautiful summer day. Now that I’ve gone to my first Fiber Revival at Spencer-Little farm, it’s going to become a tradition. My camera’s batteries weren’t working but Michelle and Margaret’s husband, Ted, took photos and I hope they can share them here.

The Wedding Alpaca is carding and spinning up beautifully! I decided to start spinning it up as I card in hopes of preventing a cat-astrophe. No fleece is safe from Stinker the Cat.

I’m really looking forward to weaving at Spencer-Little Farm this Saturday.

This being my first time weaving for the public, I’m wondering if a seasoned pro has any sage advice?
I had planned on weaving some dish towels that I need to get done for a bridal shower in a few weeks.
Will folks want to sit down and try weaving on our looms?

That would change my project more than likely.

Will we have table looms available for them to play with?

If so, I could bring mine if it would help.

Any and all advice is welcomed.

I need to start warping!

My swap partner is having computer trouble, so I doubt she’ll find this posted over here. Kathie and I are in the same swap, and I made a couple of bags.

Roxie sent me this fabric and some extra yarn to make the bag:

And I made this tote out of it, since she love to garden:

I also made her a small handbag with a canvas handle. These ought to make her smile while she’s out doing fun stuff. It was a little scary at first to cut into someone else’s handwoven fabric. But, after the initial cut, it was a lot of fun to design from scratch.