Midwest Felting Symposium This Week

Don't forget July 23-27, 2008 at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center Madison, Wisconsin. One of the International Teachers is Annemie Koenen from Sittard, Netherlands.

She says that: When I was a little girl my mother taught me several craft techniques. I thank her for that. Later on I got a craft teacher degree at a Rudolf Steiner School and since 1999 I lead my own wool studio and shop in the south of the Netherlands. Here I give workshops for beginners and advanced, for children and adults. In 2006 and 2007 I was coördinator and teacher at the International Felt Academy in Holland, which was initiated by István Vidák . International students visit my workshops and I invite also international feltmaker teachers to give workshops.

This is going to be such a fun week for friends of Susan's Fiber Shop! I can't wait to see you all at the Felting Symposium!

Here are some friends enjoying knitting at Susan's Sunday afternoon:

Mary and Donna chatting.

Donna working on her County Fair Entry:

See you all this week in Madison!

Tampa Aquarium

Susan, Holly and Coleen of Conjoined Creations took a side trip after Convergence. They went to the aquarium to see the fishes. Susan said it was a really nice aquarium and they enjoyed touring it a lot. It looks really tropical, doesn't it?

Susan is heading home now and should be back in the shop by Thursday this week. I am looking forward to hearing more about the trip. Susan always has amazing road trip stories to tell.

Convergence 2008 Tampa Bay Part 2

Got this cute picture of Susan, Holly and the grandsons from Susan's phone yesterday. They look great! She is enjoying Convergence and not finding Florida too hot for this time of year. Not like us here at home-I am so cold that I have a sweater on today!

Susan is finding the big city fun but looking forward to being home on Wednesday. Patrick is at the shop until then-EVERY DAY until 5 o'clock so go on out to see the sheep and check out the sales.

Sale at Susan's This Weekend!

Patrick asked me to let everyone know that Susan is running a sale this weekend on yarn. All single balls of yarn "odd balls" are 30% off. And buy out a color and the last ball or skein is 40% off!

He also promised me some good pictures when he brings my camera home tonight so maybe I can get pictures of the new fiber and some needles on the blog. Susan has those really nice Addi Lace Needles in sizes #1 to #5. I really like Addi Needles anyway but these lace points are VERY nice!

Knitter's Review did a review of these needles and they liked them a lot too.

We are supposed to get rained on this afternoon and into tomorrow so in between raindrops why not make the really very short drive out to Susan's and take advantage of her Odd Ball Sale? Patrick would love to have the company and will talk your arm off so be prepared!

Convergence 2008 Tampa Bay

Susan is on her way to Convergence 2008 being held in Tampa Bay, Florida this next June 22-28th. Convergence is an outstanding conference for everyone who loves and works in fiber. It is the biennial, international conference sponsored and organized by the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. (HGA), and hosted by a committee of dedicated fiber enthusiasts. Convergence features special lectures, workshops and seminars, exhibits, tours, special events, and a commercial vendors hall full of fibers, fiber-related equipment and an artist market.




While I am unwilling and unable to drive to Florida for this conference at least one of the teachers will be teaching at The Midwest Felting Symposium later in July here in Wisconsin.





Patricia Spark is a practicing artist who has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Author of Watercolor Felt and Making Faces, she is the editor of the North American Felters' Network, a publication for felters. At the Midwest Felting Symposium she will be teaching

• Scandinavian Boots with a Central European Flair



• Friday & Saturday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM (two-day course)
  
  The Scandinavians have a traditional method of making felt boots. Pat has tweaked this a bit to create a pattern for felt boots with and interesting top edge that is wonderful for decoration. On the second day of the workshop we will use traditional Central European folk designs to decorate our boots with needle felting. These designs will be wet felted after needling so that the boots are durable.
  
• Making Faces



• Sunday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM



• Based on my book, Making Faces, we will use both wet and dry (needle) felting techniques to make felted faces on a felt base in this one-day workshop. We will use wet felting techniques to make the "skin" of a shape, stuff it and then build the face on the shape using felting needles. The face is designed to help the student learn the four basic strokes of needle felting.

Mark your calendars! The 2008 Midwest Felting Symposium features an international ensemble of instructors to take your felting to new heights. Come join us!
July 23-27, 2008 at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center Madison, Wisconsin

Patrick is going to be at the shop all week. They just got in some mill ends fiber called Stormy Waters (which I heard later is the name of a porn star, but we will just leave that aside). The colors are mostly blues with some white blended. I hear it is very pretty and will try to get a picture up tomorrow. It goes for $13 a pound-VERY good price.



They also got in some super wash mill ends in many colors-too many to mention and Patrick says it is great for over dyeing! This is also $13 a pound!

Stop out and see Patrick and register for the Midwest Felting Symposium at the same time!

How Is Susan's Shop?

We have had some people express concern about the shop during all the rain and flooding. Let me tell you, the city of Columbus has had a mess as well as the other small towns around here. Patrick has been at the shop every day-Susan is at Estes Park Wool Show in Colorado. He has had to mop a couple of times and the sheep are standing in water at times too. BUT, and this is a very big but, it could have been a lot worse. A lot of people are out of their homes or have flooded roads and bridges out near them. We are very lucky! IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE!

Susan is concerned with how she will get home from Colorado as there is so much flooding in Iowa. She has planned to be home by Tuesday sometime so we will have to see how the traveling goes.

Highway 151 is open both ways so stop in and say Hi to Patrick and tell him his mom said to come see him! He would just love that!

Here is some of Susan's fiber. Makes you want to sit down a spin for a while. I may just do that as there is some golf game on today and my husband thinks that should be his Father's Day gift to watch the game all day!

Works for me...

Quellon and Noro Sock Yarn

Eisaku Noro’s artistry in blending colors and fibers remains unsurpassed. Wearing a garment created with Noro yarn is like wearing a work of art. The colors are just amazing!

Fiber: 70% Wool, 30% Nylon

Yardage: 462 Stitches: 7.5

Needle size: 2

Quellon is by Araucania. Araucania Yarns are inspired by ancient Chilean crafts made from hand painted natural yarns. Michele told us: "My mother and I joined our talents and experience to create a company with the goal of introducing this traditional style to the world outside Chile. We are developing a wide range of exclusive variegated colors based entirely on the hand craft process. Each hank is different; its individual beauty emerges as the artisan blends color in the kettle to create several unique shades."

Quellon's Fiber: 82% Viscose 18% Cotton

Yardage: 161

Stitches: 4.5

Needle size: 7

Quellon is located at the south end of the great island of Chiloe. You can find the cultural expression of the ethnic group Huilliche, which with their artistic expressions, like weaves and crafts, is one of the great tourist attractions. In some of its localities the traditional techniques of spinning, weaving, dyeing, and basketwork can be appreciated still today. The natural scene is one of the most beautiful, where it is possible to find animals near extinction, like the Pudu.

Sorry this picture is so dark! This is really a lovely yarn and good yardage per skein!