I am once again on the move, this time strictly for fun. I'm hanging out in Vancouver, disrupting the lives of my two older children this week before journeying to Quadra Island to take a workshop with the incomparable Jacey Boggs of Insubordiknit fame.
I arrived on Tuesday, and was promptly roped into helping two male actors find budget-friendly dresses for a drag improv show. Words cannot describe the experience, except maybe the word "bizarre". And/or "hilarious". These guys had no idea what women go through to look so good, and it turned out that they were pickier than any girl I've ever shopped with. I came home with sore feet from all the walking, and sore sides from laughing so hard.
Wednesday got off to a bad start...
Yep, that's my Trindle. I pulled it out of my bag to stuff more fibre around it. Apparently that was a bad idea. (After close examination, I have deemed the shaft repairable, but it was a bad idea anyway.)
So I consoled myself with a trip to Maiwa Supply on Granville Island. Things improved quickly...
Yes, The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook.
I shall digress into a mini-review:
This is an epic work that took authors Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius years to produce, and it shows. The attention to detail is remarkable, and the photos are stunning. There is a ton of information packed into this book, valid information, with references and everything. And not just about sheep--the authors have included other fur-bearing critters, including cats and dogs. Each species and breed is given a full history, a description of its physical attributes, a description of its fleece or fibre, and photos of its fibre unwashed, washed, and spun. This book will prove to be a priceless resource for spinners for years to come, and should be required reading for EVERYONE in the Master Spinner Program.
One small caveat to the Master Spinner types out there, some of the samples are less than perfectly spun, but Deb Robson herself told me that the book is not about perfect spinning, it is about fleece and fibre.
(By the way, I did say that this book contains a ton of information...that is also how much the book weighs! It is wonderful, in this day of ebooks and Kindles to see a publisher commit to a big, solid reference that, frankly, will only appeal to a niche market. But this book should take that niche by storm. It is awesome. BUY IT.)
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog:
I also scored some dyes and some bits and bobs for the Fibre Week Kids Camp.
Then I mosied on down to the Silk Weaving Studio, where I found these...
SQUEEEEEEEEE!
I can hardly wait to see what today will bring!`
No comments:
Post a Comment