A great accomplishment and learning experience

I did it!I I finally accomplished the completion of my book of inspirational handspun yarns. It was an idea for a long time and then one day I finally  began the task of photographing the yarns that I wanted to share. I chose a variety of handspuns and  included the fiber used and the technique I used to spin them. This was such a learning experience. I finally learned all about my camera! The requirements for photographing for a book were tedious to say the least. The goal was to show beautifully spun yarns that would inspire the spinner to use their unconventional creative side. So here it is! Out Of The Box Handspun Yarns!

The book is hard cover with beautifully detailed photographs. It sells for 30.00 plus shipping. If interested please contact me at dctfyarns@aol.com

 

Out Of The Box Handspun Yarns

 

Class Fun at Mad Wool!

The first weekend in March I had the pleasure of teaching an into to art yarn spinning class at Madison Wool. Dayna went all out to let us use her back room in the shop. Where better to have a class then the back room at Mad Wool!?

the class was a blast the spinners all completed the task at hand and turned out some awesome art yarns. We first made our own art batts from a washed fleece that I brought and some fun add in's. Then spun a single, next coiled it onto a core. Each gal turned out a great yarn   Its so interesting to watch how we all start with the same material and in the end each skein was so different. A variety of wheels  were used which is also interesting to see how each wheel will spin. I love to see the satisfaction in one's face when they complete their very first art yarn. I remember the feeling. I hope all had as good a time as I did and that this was only the beginning of their creative spinning.

A big thank you to Dayna and all the ladies for providing me with an awesome Sunday afternoon.

 

                                     

The shop looked as awesome as always, Full of new things to touch and feel and of course purchase. You cant go into Mad Wool and not buy something. Its like putting a kid in a candy shop and saying, just look! No way!

I'm hoping to teach more classes at Mad Wool this year so keep an eye out here and Madison Wool's website or FB page.

PS clocks turned back this weekend!! Longer days of light. I love the feeling the first few weeks. Longer days means more time out with my animals, my favorite pass time besides spinning!

Until next time.. XO

Ashford Spinning Wheels, FREE shipping

Ashford Spinning wheels. A am offering FREE shipping to anywhere in the USA and a free one hour skype spinning lesson.

If intested in any of the Ashford products please feel free to contact me and be specific with your wheel specs and I will quote you a price. The best email for this is dctfyarns@aol.com

 

 

The Country Spinner ll 625.00

The Traveller starting at 520.00

 The kiwi starting at 380.00

The Elizabeth starting at 810.00

 I am an authorized Ashford spinning wheel dealer for 12 years.
Pay pal, credit card and money oders excepted

Etsy shop 15% off Everything SALE!

I recently have been updating my Etsy shop with some great art yarns and some awesome new custom batts  I'm offering a Spring fling sale. There is 15% off of everything in the shop and its full! Shearing season is just around the corner in April so there is a need to destash! The sale is for an undetermined amount of time. Visit my Etsy and see if your interested in anything. You'll use the coupon code springfling which is also on my etsy page. You will automatically receive the discount when making the payment.
Spring really is just around the corner. And here on the farm we cant wait! Spring thaw=mud=SPRING! we'll deal with the mud for now...

www.Pamsfiber.Etsy.com

 

Click the link to go directly to my Etsy shop. Tell your friends about our sale

YouTube updates, tutorials

I've added a couple of new free mini snipit tutorial videos.  Take a peek. This is the link to my YouTube page and all my videos. Enjoy, I hope they inspire you to create.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamsfiber/videos

Spinning with the Netherlands

 

We finally pulled off our international spinning day with the gals from the Netherlands! It was awesome. We met here and made the Skype call at 8 am our time, 2pm Netherlands time. We met some of the most talented women who shared with us information about the most common sheep breeds that are from their area, talked about all the different spinning wheels that each uses. We even had a mini knitting lesson on a beautiful  new st. We laughed a lot and became so inspired by these lovely women. I believe we are ALL friends now on FB so we can continue to share and inspire.

 It all started when Suzy Brown aka Wool Wench and I became friends on FB    I admired her work for a long time and one night I decided to write her and ask if she would be interested in a Skype spinning day with our group of spinners and hers? She immediately agreed and we set a date. Well, the first date was cancelled do to unusual snow amounts in the Netherlands. I believe the same happened with the second date except it was us in the US that had the snow. Then it happened this past Tuesday, International Spinning Day! The Netherlands spinners joined the US spinners right here in my living room. It really was spectacular to meet with women of like minds and who were so willing to share from so far away. We agreed to do a skein swap which is going to be a lot of fun. Our girls all have their own fiber animals and farms and are spinning skeins to swap from their own animals. I really hope this can be the beginning of a yearly if not more often meeting between two groups of women who have so much in common and so love the fiber arts.  Thank you so much to Suzy Brown, ( Wool Wench ) and to all of the ladies from the Netherlands. Ill see you all again soon..

XO

 Some of the Netherlands spinners!

 

 Thank you Suzy for helping host this awesome day of sharing!

 

 

 Sharing a new knitting technique from across the world!

 

This was truly a wonderful experience that left me smiling all day long on Tuesday. Now I'm smiling again remembering the excitement we all shared in my living room while meeting our new spinning buddies! technology can be awesome!

Beginning Art Yarn Spinning "Tween" Spinning!

"Tween" spinning class

Spinning 2: Beginning Art Yarn Spinning-with Pam Blasko of Dream Come True Farm, Oxford, CT.  Sunday, March 3, 2013, 2-5 PM.  $80.00 (includes all instruction and fiber).  Max=5 students.  $20.00 deposit holds your space at Madison Wool Yarn Shop in Madison CT 

This class is meant to fill the gap between Beginning Spinning and Camp Pluckyfluff! Many students want to learn how to make ‘ art yarn’ ( textured, funky style yarns) right out of the gate. A solid foundation in learning how to spin a basic single and two ply yarn is important. As Pluckyfluff ( Lexi Boeger) says ” you have to learn the rules before you can break them”. These funky yarns are not “bad spinning” as some traditional spinners might think and tell you.  They require a technical skill that can be learned and takes practice to execute.

Pam Blasko of Dream Come True Farm in Oxford , CT is here to help! Known for her fun and funky yarns sold here and at her farm and Etsy shops, she is here to teach you some tips and tricks to help you make the yarns of your dreams! In this 3 hour intensive, you will learn:

How to spin a thick and thin yarn

Plying techniques.

How to spin from a batt ( and how to card a textured art batt)

Add ins

Coils

And more!

All fiber provided; bring anything you would like of your own fiber / add ins.  Wheels available for use or bring your own. You will come away from this class with new techniques to try at home and some fun yarns!

Contact Dayna at Madison Wool in Madison CT. To join us. 

My goal for this class is to take the beginner or more traditional spinner to the next level. This will enable you to take a class without fear with any of the accomplished spinners you may have the opportunity to spin with. This is a no pressure class, fun and relaxing. 

And where better then in the "back room" at Madison Wool.  

Any questions feel free to call the shop or contact me. 

What Fun We Had! "The Snowball"

This is an overdue post, but better late then never. I want to share it because I have found out that his is going to be a yearly event offered by Dayna Mankowski from Madison Wool, Arlene Ciroula from Spin Artiste and Laura Lyons. So if you interested next winter when its cold and dreary and your looking for some fun and a bit of a yarn challenge, keep an eye out for this event..

The Snowball a blast of a spinning event! Can you guess the year we were celebrating? Yup, the 70's. Lots of fun adding the theme to the event. A little craziness, spinning, great women and some fun fiber challenges, all in a days fun.  I think the pictures speak for themselves. The event was at Laura Lyons farm studio which is also in Madison CT right around the corner from the Mad Wool yarn shop.  Some of Laura's felted work which hangs in her studio are pictured. She is an unbelievable weaver and felter, such talent. You can find the pieces and her teaching at Madison Wool. I learned a few new spinning techniques, did some awesome creative carding using Icelandic wool (courtesy of Dayna) as the main ingredient, adding a little of this, a little of that then spinning it into yarn from challenges that Arlene gave us. A day full of fun and inspiration!

 

 

 Arlene, Love the beret!
Arlene was the creator of the event

 Dayna, our Queen of disco!
Also our host and organizer

 Laura Lyons our host and
owner of this awesome studio
you see us in!

 Some of the wool and batts
made that day.

 A new technique
I learned. Look at
those curley Q's!

 Laura's feling work!
WOW!