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Sat Feb 11th, 1 p.m. - 4:30-ish? all are invited to join us for a gathering focused on exploring silk! I have been watching an old, but fantastic documentary on the Silk Road....the history, culture and fiber from beginning to end...these last few weeks and was reinspired thru the documentary video to share with you some interesting things to do with silk... so come explore various forms of silk, the curious life cycle of the silk worm (yes, I raised them here for 2 years), some Vermont history relating to silk and lots of hands on activities relating to the processing of this fiber from the unassuming little cocoon into your fabulous felt hat or silk scarf! So grab a friend and your fiber addiction of choice (bring your wheel or drop spindle if you want to try spinning right from the cocoon, your needles or hook if you want to knit or crochet right from the cocoon), and join us for an afternoon of creative indulgence. we'll show you how to knit/crochet/spin right from cocoons, I'll demonstrate how to reel silk right off the cocoon for weaving, work carrier rods and reeled silk into felt, and show you how to stretch silk mawattas (you can get your hands wet here if you chose!), and of course I'll show lots of samples of the various forms of silk we have here at the store and how they can be used in felting, spinning, weaving, and knitting etc. Plus, I just got an intriguing sample of a new form of silk from Madagascar to share with you all as well! I'll have everything out and ready for you to play with at 1. It's not a class tho', so if you can't stop by until 3 and still want to see, try, & feel, come on by then...I'm happy to walk you thru whatever aspect of it you want whenever you can stop by. I'll just want to start putting things away around 4:30ish or so.
and Magic Loop Tutorials These free tutorials are listed under "classes" even tho' there is no registration fee. See more details there. Exploring Fibers Tutorials- First Tuesdays of the Month Choosing Fibers for Felt & Spinning Projects-Tuesday Feb 7th 6-7 The shop is filled with luscious fibers that felt & spin beautifully. But each type of fiber (Merino, Blue Faced Leicester, Wenslydale, Gotland, Shetland and Alpaca…to name a few) works better for some purposes than others. The softness of Merino may be perfect for a scarf, but the durability of gotland may be preferable for felted boots or rugs. And maybe what your yarn or felt needs is just an added little touch of luster that a few wisps of mohair or silk could add. And, then there are the specialty fibers like cashmere, yak, angora and baby camel, for example, that can add wonderful qualities to your yarn or felt...really knock it out of the ballpark...but maybe you haven't tried it yet because you think it's too extravagant? We'll talk about all this....helping you choose what the best fibers are for your intended projects and talk about some of the pros and cons of each....as well as whether working from top, batt, or roving matters for your project and why. Felt for Your Pet- Tuesday Mar 7th 6-7 Join us for an evening of fun making a felt toy accessory for your beloved pooch or kitty. All felted items will be made from wool fiber. You can choose to make a puppy chew toy, felt balls, or go wild and make a catnip mouse or a doggie necklace. A small materials fee of $10 will be collected.
So often the first question a (new or experienced) feltmaker asks is "What colors should I use?" Choosing colors for wet felting can be a bit tricky because fibers intermingle and blend in unique ways. During this evening demonstration, we'll explore how to blend colors for the effects you desire. There will be abundant samples that illustrate color blending of wool with other fibers as well as with woven fabrics (as with nuno felting). We'll begin by reviewing a few color wheel basics and then demonstrate how to blend colors and make your own felt color samplers.
Past Events of Interest:
Saturday May 15th 10 - 4! Trunk Show....Specials....Door Prizes....Free Tutorials.... Plus, we'll be featuring new patterns for our crocheted espadrilles, inspiration for freeform crochet clogs, we'll have on display of some of the latest Knitted Felted Boots from our Felt Boot Kit, and some traditionally felted slippers that will knock your socks off!
Precious Metal Clay Buttons
I didn't get photos of everybody's buttons, but here are a few of the ones that were made last Saturday.... The 3rd Biennial Fiber Challenge This past fall, participants were challenged to create something from a particular set of colors and textures of yarns and fibers. Their creations were submitted online and were posted here for others to "cast kudos" for. All the creations were wonderful. The 5 creations with the most customer kudos won some terrific, Vermont-made prizes. The details of the challenge and the participants' entries can be viewed here. The entries from the 1st and 2nd Biennial Fiber Challenges can be seen here. |
Thrummed Mitten 
Ethnic Textiles Show & Tell & Demonstration
And we'll even be offering several demos (or hands on if you like) of several techniques...
Last Saturday, 
