Monday, October 16, 2006

Okiefiber Slumber Party 2006

I spent my weekend in El Reno, Oklahoma. Okiefiber is a yahoo group that I belong to. Once a year we get together to hang out, eat a bunch of junk food, and spin/knit/dye/weave/whatever. This year was all kinds of fun. I took classes on making a felted soap thing, silk spinning and dyeing, and one called More Than One Way to Spin A Batt where I learned to spin one-handed.
I left home around 8:30AM Friday and drove to my friend Jessica's house in Henyretta, OK to help her get her wares to the retreat. She sells Kromski and Majacraft wheels plus lots of nice fibers and fleeces from her cute sheep. We got loaded up and made it to El Reno (just west of OKC) at around noonish.
Jessica was teaching a dye class at 1:30, so once we got the booth unloaded she got ready for that. Here is a pic of the building early in the day. I love how they have the glass brick in the wall to let in some natural light.
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Here are some of Jessica's students and their work. This is Susan. She's really cool and funny. She has more pics of the event up on her blog if you want to go over there to take a look.
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This is Marlene. You can't see it, but her apron says "Screw The Golden Years" in glittery gold paint. haha
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Here are some of the results of the dye class. I loved the idea of using the chip and dip trays to dye in. They worked great.
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I don't have any photos from the felted soap class because I was up to my elbows in soapy water. :) I did take a few pics of some of the other classes and cool things people brought like an antique sock knitting machine and a fold up rocking chair that I MUST HAVE. They're over here if you'd like to see them.
Now, I want to show you what followed me home:
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That's a crappy pic colorwise because it is raining like crazy today so I had to use the flash. From top left in case you can't read the lables that is a bag of dyed mohair locks which I plan on using to learn to make tailspun yarn, a little bag of more lincoln/mohair/sparkle stuff from Kate so that I can make more yarn for the sparkle shawl (Thanks Kate!), my dyed silk hankies from the silk class, some washed teeswater x fleece I bought to use with the new drum carder I'm expecting any day now, a sack of glitz to card into stuff, leftovers from the spin a batt class, a pound of super soft pencil roving (I think it's corriedale, but I can't really remember), and my pretty reward for helping Jessica haul stuff.
I think I made out pretty good :)
I left El Reno on Saturday around 5-ish. When I got to Jessica's house to drop off her stuff she was already there and out feeding the animals. (She drives fast!) I didn't think to get out the camera till I was already out there at the fence watching them eat, so no pics this time, but I plan on going back over there for a dye day in her garage studio one day soon. I'll get some pics of her sheep and the Llama and the goats and the bunnies then.
My Strauch Petite drum carder has finally shipped. I got a call from Otto on Friday morning telling me he was emailing my tracking number. It's due to arrive on Wednesday. I have a copy of Spinning Designer Yarns waiting for me at the post office, and I have a WooLee Winder for the Kromski wheel on it's way sometime this week as well. No more spending allowed for a while. I'm outta cash.

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