Fiber Arts Fair Recap

This year's Scotts Bluff Valley Fiber Arts Fair was a fun-filled success for the many families, friends, and animals that participated. As always, we had a great selection of interesting vendors at the marketplace and a  wide variety of fiber arts classes.

Participants, as well as vendors, came from our region and all over the country. Shoppers at the marketplace were able to revel in a delightful selection of colorful roving, yarns, and goods--everything from goat's milk soap to fish leather wallets.

One of the new highlights was the Sheep-to-Scarf competition. Three teams raced to prepare a fleece, spin yarn, and weave a finished scarf within the morning.  The teams were very interactive with the crowd, explaining the process as they worked. This demonstration helps children and people in the community bridge the gap between agriculture and textile production.

The hands-on demonstration booths were busy throughout the day giving people an opportunity to dip their toes into a new art.

A special performance was given by the Scottsbluff Sprouts, a group of five- and six-year old violinists. The crowd seemed to enjoy these adorable young musicians.

The fiber animals are my personal favorite part of the fair--the animal breeders must work with them for weeks beforehand to train the animals to walk calmly on a lead through the marketplace. Adults and children alike are delighted to pet and interact with the alpacas, yaks, sheep, goats, and rabbits.

This day is so filled to the brim with activities, it's impossible to capture all the excitement in just a few photos. To see the full album from the day, be sure to like our Facebook page, Scotts Bluff Valley Fiber Arts Fair.

Thanks to all who came to the fair as a vendor or participant--we hope you had a great time!

 

 

Midwestern Knits

As we transition into a new season, there's suddenly an abundance of new patterns, colors, and trends. . . And with the weather getting cooler, knitters are gearing up for new projects.

We wanted to highlight a new book, Midwestern Knits, featuring a pattern in our Nature Spun Sport. I especially love the name of this garment: the Storm Cloud Tee. One of the best parts of living in Western Nebraska is being able to see the entire sky, all the time. I no longer need to check my weather app when I can scan the horizon to the west and see, from miles away, what kind of weather is approaching.


Earth and Sky by Nebraska photographer Michael Forsberg

All of the patterns in Midwestern Knits are sourced with yarn from the Midwest. When you live in a place where the weather could be 80 degrees and sunny one day, then snowing the next, wool is a necessity. This pattern is a versatile top that could be layered on a cool day or even worn on a warm summer day. There is just enough color work to keep the knitting interesting, without being too daunting.  I am loving the current trend toward knitting with lighter yarns-- Nature Spun Sport is the ideal weight to wear comfortably. If you're looking to start a new project--check out Midwestern Knits! Be sure to look up the Ravelry group-- and if you're an Instagram person, post your project pictures with #StormCloud.

Happy Fall Knitting!

Wool, Warp, and Wheel

As we continue to highlight local yarn shops across the country, I can't help but wish to hop in the car and road trip to Richmond, Illinois. The folks at Wool, Warp, and Wheel have such a way with words--I'll let them tell you about their shop.

Tucked behind the old hotel on Mill Street in the little Village of Richmond, Illinois is one of the most unique shops in the town.  Bright yellow, with a white sheep hanging over the door, customers enter into a world of color, texture, and tactile delight.

Started in 2003, this little shop offers a different fiber experience.  First, our hours are not what you would typically expect.   We are open evening and weekends only-catering to the working fiber artists.  Hours are Tuesday thru Friday 7PM – 9PM, and Saturday and Sunday 10AM – 5 PM September thru April and 11AM-4PM May thru August.  (If you haven’t guessed, we also work day jobs.)

Every Sunday is “Open Workshop”, where the coffee is hot and the help is always free.  Our focus is on building a community of fiber artists, bringing together people who would otherwise never meet.  Their passion for fiber is the common thread that joins them.  We simply provide a place to meet and a supply of tools, fibers, and yarns.

We also offer classes-about 38 different classes each year.  Classes are taught in the evenings, and cover spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, tatting, rug braiding and toothbrush rug construction, needle and wet felting, as well as project specific classes.

When a community is built, it’s remarkable how far it can extend.  Our former students have moved outward from Richmond, and now teach in places like Sweden and Antarctica.  Several have started small fiber related businesses of their own, from fiber farms to mills - some have even gone on to design schools and have worked for major textile manufacturers.

Our emphasis on building community creates and atmosphere of welcome, warmth, and relaxation.  Winters are spent in front of the shop woodstove working on projects.  The tea kettle is on, the coffee pot brewing, and there is usually a pot of soup on Sunday free for the taking. 

All of this would not be possible without a varied supply of tools and fibers.  We carry several lines of Brown Sheep yarn, and fibers from all over the world.  We even carry some locally grown and processed fibers for spinning.  Needles, crochet hooks, spinning wheels, and a full line of notions, are also available, as well as a limited supply of patterns and books.

 

 

 

Although we are a small shop in a small town, you can keep up with what’s going on by checking out our web site www.woolwarpandwheel.com and subscribing to our newsletter, published on the web site.  Classes, events, and my thoughts are listed there each month.  It’s as close as you can come to experiencing the shop without stepping through the door. 

You can also visit us at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in Jefferson, Wisconsin and at the spring Fiber Fling in Woodstock, Illinois.  More information about these events can be found on our web site.  And, if you happen to be in the area, stop in.  We’ll have a rocking chair and a cup of coffee ready for you.

Rumpelstiltskin: Spotlight on a LYS

We at Brown Sheep feel that local yarn shops are the heart and soul of the fiber arts. We cannot begin to express how important local yarn shops are for delivering our yarn to customers, and for providing instruction, support, advice, and a sense of community to go along with it. Local yarn shops make sure the arts of knitting, crochet, weaving, spinning, tatting (there are so many more!) will continue to grow and flourish rather than die out.

The front window--I love the yarn flowers

Although the internet is certainly changing the way customers purchase things, I think it's doing some really great things for the world of fiber arts such as giving people access to hundreds of new ideas, and the ability to connect with like-minded crafters across the world.
Today we would like to feature Rumpelstiltskin in beautiful Sacramento, California. This store is located on historic R street in downtown Sacramento--and has been in business at this location for 44 years!

The storefront--actually all of these businesses look wonderful!

Rumpelstiltskin is owned by Linda Urquhart, who studied design at UC Davis and opened the shop after graduating. Rumpelstiltskin offers a wide variety of classes including knitting (3 days a week), crochet, weaving, spinning, and felting. There are 6 knowledgeable staff members.

Linda says they've been a customer of Brown Sheep forever, and love our yarns! Oh, how I would love to visit this delightful shop in Sacramento someday.

Wall of hats

Once a year, Rumpelstiltskin has a sale day where the customers come in wearing something made with yarn from the shop.  They love seeing what amazing projects their customers have made.

Throughout their 44 years, I'm certain Rumpelstiltskin has made a valuable contribution to the surrounding community. Thanks for being ambassadors of warmth, color, and joy!



LYS owners, employees, or fans: help us use this wonderful tool called the internet to share photos, stories, and info about your LYS! Feel free to contact me at Brittany@brownsheep.com

Prairie Hand Knits: Trunk Show Time

Prairie Hand Knits in North Platte, Nebraska has a special place in my heart. This is one of the first yarn shops I ever got to enjoy, in my very own hometown. Prairie Hand Knits has recently moved to a new location in North Platte and Vicki, the owner, has done an amazing job remodeling the building.  As yarn shops are few and far between in Western and Central Nebraska, Prairie Hand Knits draws in knitters and crocheters from all around the region.

This month, Prairie Hand Knits is displaying the trunk show for Green Gables Knits. This is basically a collection of finished projects from Joanna Johnson's wonderful book--all patterns inspired by Anne of Green Gables.  This collection of patterns speaks to the hearts of many knitters (kindred spirits) who have fallen in love with Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, and Diana Barry. I myself have knit Anne's Sweater from this book and I LOVE it; it's become a staple in my fall and winter wardrobe.


Anne's Sweater knit with Lanaloft Sport--If you're not a sweater veteran, this pattern is a great first sweater to knit.

Prairie Hand Knits has done a beautiful job of displaying the projects. Vicki has used antique trunks to show off the yarn and books. If you will be in North Platte this Saturday, stop in for an open house between 1:00 and 5:30. . . rumor is, there will be cookies. :)

A gorgeous display of Lanaloft, Shepherd's Shades, and Cotton Fine



Marilla's Apron and Miss Stacy's Shawl

 

This trunk show is available to any local yarn shop who would like to put the garments on display for one month. If you are a LYS owner interested in getting the trunk show, feel free to give us a call.

A Taste of Weaving at Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins

If you haven't been to Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins in Boulder, Colorado, then you need to experience it. This is probably the most extensive yarn shop I've ever been in.  I'm pretty much getting used to being around a huge amount of yarn without spazzing out--but this store has so many looms, spinning wheels, and books! A person could move in there and not get bored for months.
This weekend, my mom and I were immersed in a weekend weaving class taught by Judy at Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins.  Even though we had already learned the basics of how to warp a loom, there was still a large amount of information to absorb from Judy. We wanted to know how to do the calculations correctly, how to read the pattern charts, how to set up our looms for more complex weaves, and how to fix mistakes! Judy planned this course to maximize our learning within a short period of time--we even had a homework assignment on Saturday night.

Judy, our fearless leader

The first day of class was a step-by-step on how to warp the loom, then weave a small sampler piece. Judy broke down the process into a bunch of small, manageable steps which she would first demonstrate, then let the students loose to complete on our own looms. Time went by very quickly during the class because we were constantly progressing to new and different things. We learned a few different methods of finishing a woven piece.

A few of our samplers from Day 1

Our mission for the second day of the class was to plan and finish an entire weaving project. We Nebraskans needed to bring our projects home at the end of the day so I made a sampler of "mug rugs", or coasters. This was a great way to practice reading simple charts, weaving several different patterns, and hemstitching multiple edges.

Twill in progress. . . I think 'twill be a nice project.

I couldn't help but marvel at Judy's teaching ability. I was actually reminded of watching my brother teach kayaking on a swift-current river. It really takes a lot of patience to cater to each person's needs and skill level, and remain upbeat and encouraging when things get messy or frustrating. Some students in the class chose more complex projects that they could come back and finish throughout the week.

Julia's cotton placemat piece

Marian working on her piece

Roger weaving away



This class was a wonderful experience--it was a great mother-daughter weekend, plus we now have the foundation needed to take off with weaving. There's nothing more invigorating than learning.

My mug rugs before and after felting

Mom's mug rugs and bookmark--made with Pearl Cotton

Weaving Frenzy

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of being really, frantically excited about weaving. It all started when my husband, who truly never fails to surprise me, walked into the house with a colorful little coaster he had just made on the Zoom Loom. Although I know that he can knit and make things, he tends to be more focused on other activities like hunting, so I was delighted to see this colorful little yarn creation. Within the evening he had made a set of these fulled (lightly felted) coasters.

The yarn is a unique handpaint in Nature Spun Fingering

The coaster after fulling by hand with a dish scrubber

Then, my 25th birthday happened--I now possess a beautiful Wolf Pup LT, the 4-shaft, 18" wide, foldable floor loom from Schacht. Andrew and I took a quick road trip up to Boulder and saw the impressive facility where Schacht looms and spinning wheels are made.

Andrew quickly warped up a Cricket loom that we had in the mill, then helped me figure out how to warp my Wolf Pup along with help from Peggy Jo. I decided to try a simple plaid in some of my favorite Nature Spun colors.

I can already tell that weaving will be very satisfying for a math nerd such as myself

Andrew's and my finished pieces

My first woven piece. Although the edges have room for improvement, I am happy with how it turned out.

This weekend, my mom came up to visit and pick up her birthday gift, also a Wolf Pup LT. It's clear that weaving is an addiction we will both share. We were basically entranced by the process of warping her loom in a Log Cabin pattern using Cotton Fleece.

Can you believe this is her first ever weaving project?! I should give some credit to Elizabeth Wagner's YouTube videos for helping us out.
 



Log Cabin close-up. The idea comes from Simple Woven Scarves by Jane Patrick and Stephanie Flynn Sokolov.

It's true that the only thing weaving and knitting have in common is the use of yarn. I think weaving appeals to my husband, and guys in general, more than knitting because of its mechanical nature. There is certainly a learning curve to weaving but I'm feeling plenty of enthusiasm to hurdle it.