Learning Spinning from the Guru!

The week before last was filled with all things fibery chez stripey! Berry Spinners & Weavers hosted our Biennial two day Fibre Muster. It was a two day event with filled with workshops, competitions, stalls selling fibre & related equipment, yarn, fleece and even sheep!!

Over the last six months in the spare time I don't have, I joined the organizing committee and volunteered to run a kids corner for visitors and coordinate activities by the local preschool. I cursed my big mouth for weeks beforehand as I tried to squeeze in time to come up with some fibrey activities for children. Of course it all came together in the end and all the visiting kids and my own kids had a great time making pompoms and spiderwebs and collages of Alpacas and Sheep with real fleece!

Here is a gang of kids, mums and my fabulous off-sider Hennie (far left) in her own handspun alpaca poncho. See the alpaca and sheep collage in the background hanging off the stage? And see loads of spinning wheels inn the foreground and background.

I also signed up for a two day advanced spinning workshop with our headline guest, world reknown NZ weaver and spinner Anne Field. She wrote the Ashford book of Spinning and others. I was very excited to meet her I even had my copy of her book autographed!

So I'm totally converted about spinning alpaca after spinning some really really decent fleece. I spin up some totally fabulous mulberry silk (can't wait to do more of that!) and I had fun learning to woollen spin mohair! If you're a spinner and you've ever done it you'll know what I mean when I say it's like riding a bike with no hands! What fun! I'm all inspired afresh with fibery ideas as it should be when you go to an event like this!