Credo ↔ Oratio

I went to the Michigan Fiber Festival today! Yay! If you’re at all interested in animals and fiber work, it’s worth a trip to one, some day. The Michigan one is the only fiber festival I’ve ever gone to, but it’s a good time and the price is right – only $5 to get in ($8 for the whole weekend) – and parking is free!

Last year I went home with very little (two lucets – one for myself and one for a friend). This year I had loftier goals; I wanted fiber.

As you may know, my dear wife got me a spinning wheel and, although I have some fiber, I’ve been waiting for the festival to pick up something a bit new and different. I did!

Upper Left: “Blue Heart” – 4.5 oz Corriedale from Barbara Lambrecht in Wayland, MI. (no website… yet.)

Upper Right: (Black) – 1/2 pound Columbia/Romney Roving from Centennial Farm Wools in Charlotte, MI.

Lower Left: (Dark Grey) – 1/2 pound Jacob Sheep Roving from Sweet Grass Farm in St. Johns, MI.

The most exciting purchase of the day, though, is that lower right-hand corner: 2 oz. of Buffalo! It isn’t Quivet, but it’s beautiful. Mixed with just a hint of wool. It’s soft, unbelievably warm, and Bonnie (from Catalynje Fuffalo Fiber Co. in White Pigeon, MI) is a hoot. I stopped at their booth last year and fell in love with the stuff but really didn’t have anything to do with it; this year, though, I have a wheel — I’m going to make it into a 2-ply with some Corriedale (that I already have)… eventually, anyhow!

On top of that, I had the chance to meet (in person… not just online) with a bunch of Ravelry-ers:

And from the podcast The High Fiber Diet:

(that’s Bethanyg, CoggieT, and yes, me)

I also finally got to put a face to CJ Kopec, who lives just down the road, but I’ve never actually met in person:

(dontcha just love those “hold up the camera yourself” shots?

Of course, alongside all of the people, the barns were full of alpacas, sheep, goats, and bunnies – I was a good boy, though, and didn’t whip out the Discover card and bring one home! (I’d rather stay married!)

All in all, a good day; next year maybe you can came to! It’s great to be around an entire group of people who are pleasant and friendly – that seems so rare.

Grace and peace,
`tim

“Inconsistent” is the best word to describe my spinning at this stage of the game, but just to prove I could use it, I took my second bobbin, set it, and put it to some needles. The hat turned out a bit big and I haven’t blocked it yet but all-in-all I’m happy with it!

Yeah!

For those who care about such things:

Needles: Bamboo DPNs (US8)
Fiber: Corriedale
(from www.coppermoose.com)
Pattern: Top Down Hat
(from the Knitting (Man)ual by Kirstin Spurlkand)

Grace and Peace,
`tim

Some of you may have heard that my lovely wife (JJ) promised me a spinning wheel for Christmas & my Birthday. That present, however, wasn’t allowed to materialize until after I finished my D.Min. thesis. (For the record, that was my rule, not hers – I knew that a toy like that would be FAR to distracting!) Well, the thesis is complete, and the wheel arrived – unfortunately it arrived the day before Synod started so I didn’t have a chance to play with it. Fortunately, I’ve had a bit of time to try it out since Synod was finished.

I can’t honestly call myself a spinner yet (obviously!), but I think I’m improving. Here’s a picture of my first bobbin:

It’s ugly, I know, but here’s a pic of the second:

I think the second bobbin might actually be knitable!

All I can say is: fun!

Grace and Peace,
`tim