Continuing On

Since last I was heard from in this forum, lo these many months, I busted all out of my comfort zone and entered handspun in the Estes Park Wool Market and the local county fair.  Yes, I set myself up for the judgey-ness of others.

It was worth it.  I received reinforcement and accolades for my mad spinning skilz.  I also received valuable comments, insight, and...well...confidence.  Not to mention some of the big ribbons!  Yeah, that part was pretty sweet. There were some nice awards/prizes that came with some of those big ribbons, too, but really, the former 4-H-er in me was all about the ribbons!

In addition, a fellow knitter, who also spins, bought some of my handspun, even after seeing it up close, offering to pay the going rate.

Add to that, a fellow weaver's/spinner's guild member asked me to be part of the Sheep to Shawl team at Estes Park next year. Now while I am not sure about being able to spin as fast as that requires, I said yes anyway because I think it sounds like a whole lot of fun to be in the mountains among like minded people, and furry creatures, spinning the day away.

My point is, and I do have one, I have the confidence that I spin a decent yarn than can be knit into decent garments. (Some of my entries were items knitted from my handspun.) I am considering offering some skeins for sale again.

(I installed the app so I might blog from my smarty pants phone. Who knows where it might lead? Bear with me while I figure out the formatting issues and auto-correct eccentricities. And the photo thing...there is, of course, photo capabilities with the phone but gah! Not the fancy smancy camera kind.)

The Wool Market

(Which seems like ancient history)

On my own, I drove up early.  I will say that on most June mornings, a drive up the mountain is a glorious thing.  And so it was the Saturday of the Estes Park Wool Market.

I got there a shade before opening, which of course meant the vendor barn was OPEN! For business! Also not nearly as crowded that time of day as later. I win!

I think the EPWM is of a good size.  One vendor barn, lots of variety, and not terrible overwhelming.  Just right!  I managed to support the economy without breaking the personal bank.

And I added to the stash, and paid no attention to my goal of not adding to the stash (unless it is a killer bargain or souvenir yarn) (unless I consider the Wool Market a vacation, and ALL of it souvenir yarn) (but that is Extreme Rationalizing…even for me):

Prepared roving: 50/50 camel/silk; 50/50 bamboo/merino (dyed) (I had a gift cert!); some blue-faced Leicester; and some suri (a thank you gift) (see below)

Raw fleece: 2.6 lbs of Australian Bond, and 2.3 lbs of Romeldale

Yarn: 1 oz of 15% qiviut.  Oh yes I did!  And just for about a minute?  I thought seriously of the 100% qiviut….at $90/oz.

(Yeah….no.)  But as I write this…I am doing the math.  15% for $30….or 100% for $90.  I think the 100% is a better deal!  More qiviut for the buck!!! D-oh!

Accessories: Hand-turned Wraps Per Inch gauge

Wonderful Guy rode the Bandit up and met me for a lunch, picking me up at the fairgrounds. After lunch, I found the alpaca tent, and within the alpaca tent, the suri association booth.  I had seen a message in the EPWM forum on Ravelry that they were looking for some spinners to demo mad spinning skilz, and well, it worked out that I could do that.

And I did.  Now it is important to understand that this is scary stuff for me...people I don’t know, out in the public, doing stuff where others might be all judgey judgey.  Three strikes and I could bow out very easily. (Oh…I couldn’t find the door to the tent… I was going to be 5 minutes late so I figured you wouldn’t want me to come… the wind was blowing…any excuse will do!)

But I went, and I spun for strangers, on a wheel that wasn’t Molly the Marvelous Matchless, and it was fun and awesome, and people were friendly and there were two neighborly alpacas that kept looking over their pen at me wondering what I was doing.  AND! they gave me free suri roving to boot.  Win again!

After two hours, someone else came to spin, and I was done. I gathered my swag, and headed down the mountain.

Blue skies, snow capped mountains, a bit of a breeze, yarny goodness, wool bearing critters, good spinning, and a bit of a ride on the Bandit.

Life is good indeed.

Estes Park in June

(Meant to schedule this to post later, but seem to have messed it up some how, so two posts in one day.  Such is what happens when the weather allows for some couch time, I suppose....2 posts in....5 minutes....)

After a week's worth of near record setting temperatures, in the high eighties, Trail Ridge Road, the one that takes you over Rocky Mountain National Park was closed yesterday with 4 inches of snow.

I insisted Wonderful Guy take me up as far as we could, to Rainbow Curve.

What the snow up there meant was rain at the Wool Market.  It was a messy, and muddy day there.  We went, though, and spent time in the goat's and sheep's tent, but bagged any outside activities.

Four generations! Just like photos we would take at family reunions....

It was beyond just raining.  Temps hovered in the high 40's, low 50's all day.

a week old, and I got to pet these guys!

So yeah.  For us, disappointing, but we will have other weekends this summer to come to Estes, to hike in Rocky.  We, and by we, I mean I, will have other Wool Markets to take in the sheep dog demos.  I feel badly for those who plan an entire year's vacation to come out to see our neck of the woods...and get this sort of weekend.

Sometime just the way life works, I guess.

However, a quick stop was made at the vendors barn.  Just a real quick one.  I decided I didn't need to buy a drum carder just yet.  Since I joined the Weaver's/Spinner's Guild, I have access to renting carders from that source, and that will be a good way to learn the technique.

However, I did buy a CVM/Corriedale cross fleece from a young woman who raises sheep with her sister down by Gunnison. I will have to tell all about it later.