Etsy shop update! I have a new look and new items!

www.pamsiber.etsy.com

 I have been working hard over the summer to offer new and different items in my Etsy shop. My passion and Zen is to spin art yarns. Non traditional full of fun, unique in fiber and full of interest and texture. Not everyone knits or crochets so I decided to start to design textile art wear. So I now have more to offer in the way of wearable fiber arts. So check out my Etsy. I have lots more to add, and will each week.  Its a matter of photographing it all.....Thank you ahead of time for taking a peek.  Feedback is welcome.

 Textile fiber arts neckwear

 Boot toppers or leg warmers

Mohair spun on to elastic
for a unique fiber arts
neckwear

Please click on the link above to visit my Etsy and see more of these unique textile fiber art designs

xo

Reflections

It has been an extremely busy summer. Both Fiber arts wise and farm activity wise. I had the opportunity to do some traveling with friends that brought me to new fiber friends and ideas. As I sit and contemplate on my journeys I relish in the friendships that were made or in some cased renewed. Fiber arts is a funny thing that has a way of bringing folks together. New ideas are created, ideas are shared and new thoughts and creations emerge. I return home, busy my mind with ideas, remembering the beauty in each person I spent time with and joy floods my soul. I then begin to create with a feeling of abundance and gratitude through my fiber arts. As I reflect on my journeys my heart feels full, my eyes open and unexpected creativity flows through me.
I'm busying myself with plans for a show this weekend and a spinning workshop idea is dancing in my mind. I have also decided to give my Etsy shop a face lift and offer more finished wearable fiber art accessories. I look at my yarns and happiness over comes me so I thought, why are you not creating more with these beautiful yarns? So that has brought me to the new ideas that are unfolding for my Etsy shop. I have also worked hard over the summer on some spinning techniques that I now feel I have all the kinks and bugs out of.  A workshop is in order to share these ideas and bring us all together once again to work on what we love to do. So keep it in mind and check back for a date and the class description.
So for today these are my thoughts.......I hope you all have enjoyed your summer and are ready for the fall months. After all its when we get to fashion our hand knits!
My ideas are in the works and I cannot wait for you to all here about them as they unfold.

                                       Some of my summer spinning!

XO

Something new! Fiber Arts Day on the farm

I have just scheduled my 3rd private all day fiber arts class here on the farm. I'm finding that folks have an interest for these type of class days. So I'm adding Fiber Art Days On The Farm to my class description.

I teach spinning to beginners or to folks that are ready to go on to the next spinning experience:

art yarn techniques

 drop spindle spinning,

art batt carding

fiber board techniques

washing fleeces

carding and picking fleeces

dyeing fiber

I can supply the drum carder, picker, wheels, drop spindles, fiber and pretty much everything needed if you're a newbie.

My fee is 35.00 an hour or 30.00 and hour for a full day of class on the farm which includes lunch. .

I welcome and encourage you to bring your own fiber but I can supply fiber for an extra fee as well. I also have lots of fun add in's for purchase if needed. 

 So if you have an interest in a fiber arts technique or a particular art yarn technique that you need some help with, lets talk.

 

 

 

 Carding art batts

 2 ply traditional yarn

 drop spindle spinning

 small batch dyeing

 What I call ruffled yarn

 coil and beehive yarn

fabric yarn spinning



traditional and art yarn spinning

 

If you're interested in taking an hourly class, a day on the farm class or a group class give me a ring or drop me an email dctfyarns@aol.com or 202-218-0508 and we can discuss your interests. I also travel to teach group lessons, we can discuss those fees if you're interested.

Happy Fiber Days!
xo

Over due farm and fiber update!

Well, well, well. Where to start? I am so behind in my blogging that I don't know where to start. I'm going to try not to make this to long with a bunch of boring details so I think I'll download some photos with a brief description of what has been going on with fiber and farm activities.

Weaving has become a passion of mine .I'm using The Ashford rigid heddle looms. I have the 8" 12" and 32" looms. I'm using all my handspun yarns and enjoying every minute of featuring them in my weavings. I'm exploring traditional and saori weaving. These are just a few of what has come off of my looms.

 

Im also  in the Tour de Fleece spinning which is through FB. Threeravens yarn and fiber studio is hosting seventy something spinners! I'm sharing a couple of my favorite yarns that I've spun during the "tour" Its been a lot of fun seeing everyone's yarns. And such inspiration. Thank you Christiane Knight from Threeravens!

 

 

 This red yarn was a fun project that was thrown in the Tour de Fleece on Sunday night. We were asked to spin a Dexter yarn or a True Blood Yarn, from the shows. Mine was from the show Dexter. Creepy????   YES CREEPY!

 

 Fabric spun yarn.  From vintage fabric. My plan is to knit a market bag.

 

 I hosted a weaving project at a celebration of life for my dear friend Scarlett's son who was killed in the Sandy Hook Newtown school shooting. We all came together on Jesse Lewis's 7th birthday to celebrate his wonderful but short life and wove this saori style weaving throughout the day. It was then given to his Mom as a community of sharing and weaving love for little Jesse and his Mom and brother JT. It was a huge success. Thanks to EVERYONE who wove that day. Especially Ashly, Suzy, Annie and Leslie.

 

 

 

 The goat kids got a new bench built for them in their stall area. They love to climb and jump so they are in their glory..Thanks to Mike!

 

 BIG farm news! These two kids (pygora) will be arriving here on the farm to join the other kids in October. They were born in April/May and will make the trip from Oregon when the summer months end. To hot to make the cross country trip this summer. Are they the cutest? I'm in love.  Thank you Lisa from Hawks Mountain Ranch in Oregon who keeps me up to date on the kids personalities and updated photos.

 

In June Esther Rogers from Jazzturtle made the trip from NC to come and teach on our farm her mad creative batt techniques. It was a great success. Twenty women in all, lots of fiber and food and so many laughs! Thank you Esther for a wonderful inspirational weekend. We had a blast.

 

This is a quick update for now. This is not all the news I have to share so I'll be back in a few days with the rest of what has been happening! Its been a busy few months! Not to mention the heat we have had! I won't even go there!

Stay cool and enjoy life!

xo

My method of washing a fleece

 

Washing a fleece

 

 

Shearing season is here and there are lots of wonderful fleeces to be had out there! My critters are all shorn and the preparation process for spinning them has begun.

My method for washing a fleece:

I'm asked all the time, "how do you wash a fleece?"  I have a few methods, but the easiest one that I like to use most of the time is the one when I use a salad spinner.

The following pictures will show you the steps in order.

I fill the sink with the hottest water from my tap as possible.

Add the dish detergent (Dawn) it cuts the lanolin. I add about a tsp.

Fill the basket from the salad spinner with fiber. Not packed solid but full with a little push and then add a little more.

Put the spinner in the water in the sink. The water should cover the spinner and fiber well

In a few minutes I lift the salad spinner up out of the water about 3-4 times letting the dirty water drain from the spinner each time.

Let the spinner with wool sit for 20-30 minutes, not letting the water cool down to much or the lanolin will redeposit itself onto the fleece leaving it sticky.

Next drain the sink and fill with the hottest water for your first rinse . Let sit 15-20 minutes. Lift in and out once again a couple of times-drain and repeat 2-3 times, rinse  #2 I add about 1/4 cup vinegar, this helps rinse  out the soap and leaves  the fleece shiny. Rinse # 3 I add about 7-10 drops of lavender essential oil, this treats the wool and helps repel moths while waiting to be used, not to mention the slight smell of the lavender . But of course this is optional.

Next you will place the basket back into the salad spinner and spin!! Empty spun water and repeat until there is no water spinning out from the wool

Notice I have not agitated the wool in any way at all. My hands never touch it until the final spin.

Spread onto a wire screen for faster drying or onto a towel and turn every 4 hours or so, so the wool will dry evenly.

This is my favorite method of washing wool for a few reasons. It does not allow any wool to accidentally go down my drain, I don't have to handle the wool once I begin the washing process and finally the spinning of the wool in the spinner, taking out excess water allows it to dry much quicker.

 

I hope this will help those of you that wonder how in the world you'll clean that fleece!

 

I do an entire fleece in this method. I can do a little each day of spend a few hours doing an entire fleece.

 

 Salad spinner

 Soaking in soapy water

 Lifting up and down

 

  Rince until water is clear

 Essential oil

 

 Spinning the water out

 

 Fiber drying on wire rack

  Needed items

 Dried fiber

 I hope this all makes sence to you. E-mail me with any questions or comments dctfyarns@aol.com Ill be glad to try and answer any questions.

Extra, Extra Read All About It. International Spinning Day

http://www.spinartiste.com/

Read all about our International Spinning Day with the Netherlands by visiting Spin Artiste on line fiber arts blog/magazine. Article  written by Suzy Brown aka WoolWench.  A big thank you to Arlene editor of Spin Artiste!

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