spinning from the fleece

I also wanted to post some pics of the yarn produced from spinning directly from a raw fleece. I don't pull locks, and tease them, or anything. It's just drafted directly from the fresh fleece. This has been navajo plied, which you can see in the close-up of the lovely loop-d-loop produced by this method. Yes, this loose, furry, textured yarn is what I was looking for, and I rejoice in every moment I spend producing it.

What's in your World?

FINALLY, a few pics. Here are pics of the current work on the Lillstina. It's a twill derivation from Ann Dixon's book. The warp is a brown alpaca/silk sett at 24 epi. The piece is about 15" wide, and the warp is a hand-spun yarn from a hand-painted corriedale roving. I'm not sure it's the right yarn for this warp, so watch for changes. Other pics are my roses.....yes, I love flowers from private gardens, but you can KEEP almost anything out of a shop.
Then there is this wonderful collaborative piece that Sue Seif is weaving. It's an alpaca/silk warp, with a chiengora weft. I spun the weft. It's Sue's dog's fur. I was able to spin a fairly fine yarn from him. He has LOTSA personality! Hope you enjoy the pics.
Sorry not to post more often, but Mom is no longer fighting cancer. She died peacefully at home on Tues. having spent time with each of her children, and Dad. My prayer was that God would be merciful in granting her a gentle 'passing', and I believe he did.
Now, I'm weaving on 3 looms, and spinning finn lamb, shetland lamb, wolf, and lincoln directly from the whole fleece(no carding, cleaning, breaking into locks, just pull the fleece into my lap, and spin from it. Ain't life Grand?
See ya soon.
Cherri

Residential Arts Centers and Spinning

This is just a plug for my out of state classes. I have a fun week coming up in Farmington, PA at Touchstone Center for Crafts. Here is a link to the website:
http://www.touchstonecrafts.com
If you think spinning looks peaceful, and want to jump in and find out for yourself, please join us in this class. We will explore wool, learn to draft it, spin it and ply it. Oh, did I mention that we will also dye some of it! Spinning wheels are provided and no experience is necessary! Just come with a desire to learn and an openess to enjoy one another in this class.

It's time for you to finally get away, and send yourself to Summer Camp;0)
We will thoroughly enjoy the solitude of this wonderful, creative retreat.
If you have questions, please e-mail me at tallitweaver@gmail.com
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Cherri

Learn to weave in a weekend class

Some of you have been looking for a quick opportunity to try weaving. The Visual Art Center of Richmond is offering that opportunity. On January 25, I will be teaching a weaving intensive at the Visual Art Center of Richmond. You have the opportunity to completely immerse yourself in 3 days of weaving. Friday night, we will work from 6:30 - 9:00 pm measuring out our yarn to put on the loom. On Saturday morning, from 10-12:30, we will wind the yarn onto the loom, and pull the threads through the heddles. In the afternoon, we will finish pulling through heddles, and sley the reed, tie onto the loom and begin weaving these beautiful mohair shawls which we will finish on Sunday afternoon.
I have openings in this class, if you would like to join us. It's a wonderful refresher course for you if you just haven't woven in a while. If you are new to weaving, and want yet another opportunity to set up and weave under the instruction of a teacher before working on your own at home, or you just want to know if weaving is something you might want to pursue deeper, this is a good opportunity for you.
The class is designed for mohair shawls because they weave up quickly. I hope to see you there.
If you are not local, there are many lodging opportunities in the area. We are very close to VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University), and the thriving heart of Richmond, Virginia. Come join the fun and be a part of a vital weaving community.
Cherri

Spinning and weaving in Richmond,va

I have been advertising my spinning and weaving classes on several online venues, trying to boost enrollment at the Visual Art Center of Richmond. We have pretty good response to the "learn to weave in a weekend", but are still waiting for enrollment to increase for the regular and ongoing weaving class. It meets on Thursday nights, right here in Richmond, VA. We meet from 6:30 - 9:00. I have room for 8 students. I think I'm offering 4 or 5 sessions of it this spring, so you could actually learn a great deal just this spring alone. You don't have to have your own loom. Floor looms are provided by the art center. There is also plenty of open studio time, so you can come in outside of class and do various steps outside of class, so you can maximize your instructional time. No previous experience is necessary. If you can't make it, you can e-mail me, as I frequently have openings at one of my own studios for private lessons, or in one of my studio classes (Wed. nights, or Sunday afternoons).
I sell looms, spinning wheels, fiber for spinning, and yarn for your projects in class. If you are looking for someone to do loom repair, or spinning wheel repair, I do that and sell parts.
The looms I carry are Louet, Leclerc, and whatever used Looms I might have for sale at any given time. Currently, I have a 12 harness mechanical dobby loom by AVL that is for sale. You can e-mail me about that if you are interested. I also have a horizontal warping mill/reel for sale. It's a floor model, but folded up, it fits behind a door.

Spinning yarns from the spinning wheel

This class started tonight at the Visual Art Center of Richmond. It is a small group - 3 students. Two people came in with their own wheels, and the third's is coming from Louet in a week or so. One student is a returning student. She is doing well with her spinning, but not finding time enough, as she is in a masters program right now. The other two are very new, but both have tried drop spindling.
As usual, the new spinners didn't feel adept at what they were doing, but both were doing quite well by the end of the class. The one with her own wheel spent some portion of class working on the center's wheel. When I got a chance, I checked out her wheel, got it going, and she switched to her own wheel, and had great success with is. I suspect both students will return with a
voracious desire to spin more.
It is fun teaching the fiber arts and my life is very fulfilled at the moment. Take care, and I'll be back.
Cherri

Current Happenings

Hi, Have you been looking for a new post? Things have been really busy lately. The classes at Bay Schol have been great. I taught one on rug felting, and another felting class on Purses, pouches, and pocketbooks. We have also had several classes at the new studio. It's going well.
I'll try to post pictures, once I get my new camera figured out. I'm having some problems getting my new HP camera to interface with my computer.
I have a dye workshop coming up the first Saturday in May.
We will be dyeing wool and protein yarns from 10 am - noon. At noon, we will be dyeing cotton and other cellulose yarns and at 2 pm, we will be dyeing wool/protein rovings. If you are interested in vat dyeing (all one color), contact me in advance.

Each 2 hour session is $20.00, and you will need to bring your own yarn, or purchase yarn here. You are more likely to get what you want, if you reserve your yarn when you book your space in the workshop.

Also available, are private lessons in spinning yarn with the drop spindle, or spinning wheel, weaving, and felting. You can also book a group lesson for yourself and friends or family. I have great workshops in felting rugs; felting purses, pouches and pocketbooks; and hat felting; Can't wait to hear from you!
Cherri

First class at the new studio in Glen Allen

Well, Sunday was fun. We had a small start for the new class at Glen Allen. One person is weaving double weave. Another is just beginning a rag runner for her bay window, and the third is warping a tapestry loom. We had several folks drop in, and are looking forward to a couple more people joining us in a week or two.
Please let me know if you are interested.
Cherri

Mental Meanderings and much catching up

Gosh, there is so much to mention since last I wrote.
First, let me fill you in on my son. He finished boot camp on time. He is now a marine. Right now, he is doing more training where they prepare him for peace keeping missions. After that, he may go somewhere else for training, and he might go to off to do the job he has trained for. May God protect him.

Next, I am moving entirely off the old mediablog, which is now ilaugh.com. The comics were just too crude for me, and the tone of the site just doesn't reflect my own philosophy, or sense of humor. You can find me here now. I hat to leave the old entries unarchived, but don't know how to bring them over. It's like throwing away mementos of our past.

And....I have now opened another teaching studio. I wasn't able to obtain another studio at Roseneath, but have struck a bargain with someone for space in Glen Allen, Virginia. As a result, weaving and spinning classes are offered through that studio now, as well as through the Roseneath studio. It became necessary because my Roseneath students all bought their own looms, and wanted to continue our affiliation as student/teacher, but on their own loom. So their looms are in my studio and I have my looms at Glen Allen for new students. It is my hope to get a more permanent location in Glen Allen within the next year, and I will be able to take-on students wishing to bring looms with them in that area also.

The weaving and spinning classes in Glen Allen are currently being held on Sunday afternoons from 1:30 - 4:00. Weaving and spinning are taught at the same time, but Weaving classes start one week before Spinning. This gives my weaving/spinning students the opportunity to get to know each other, and potentially find someone that they would like to pair up with for handspun/handwoven projects, or sheep-to-shawls. I currently have several looms which are not committed, and can register you for a weaving class beginning in March. If you are interested, please call the cultural arts center at Glen Allen, or visit them on the web at http://www.artsglenallen.com

We have a lot of fun and are very oriented toward building a sense of community around our interest in the fiber arts. Additionally, I will be teaching felting and dyeing workshops. Please e-mail me for more information.