Fiber Sale dates: 5/10 – 5/14
International orders ship: 5/17
US orders ship: 5/20

SAL winner randomly chosen from shared images on: 6/28

And for those of you who may have missed all the details of the SAL  – everything can be found on the ITW Ravelry group

Really? One year since ITW was launched?!

falkland batts in their morning glory

Over the past year I have learned more then I can even begin to describe. I have been blessed with many things since the launch of ITW, but none of them rival the friendships formed. To describe the past year is virtually impossible. Instead I will just say that it was spectacular and thank each and every person I had the privilege of working with, talking to, chatting with and in some rare yet delightful instances; actually meeting!

close up of the center display

I think one of the best parts of ITW’s birthday is that it coincides with the Chancellor’s Sheep & Wool Festival which pretty much guarantees lots of colourful pictures in this post…

ITW - booth # 20 on april 24th 2010

In celebration of ITW’s birthday there will be a shop update on Saturday May 1st at 8:00pm EST. And, as an expression of my sincere appreciation; shipping fees will be disabled from 12:00am Saturday morning until 11:59pm Saturday night.

Thank you again and see you Saturday!

See you at 10:00am EST!!

Three friends; three artists; three shop owners; all working with the same material in three unique ways. The idea was simple – follow four ounces of fiber on its path from one artist to another and share the details of its transformation along the way.

You all know me, so let me introduce you to the others:

The spinner: Jill Draper Makes Stuff

The crocheter: Hodge Podge Farm

As The dyer I am simply the creator of the spinner’s palette. I am pretty easy to spot in a crowd; just look for the the blue fingernails and dye stained shirt. I work with a small collection of powdered dye pigments to create an ever-growing collection of  dye recipes. Once mixed the concentrated dye-stock is cataloged and stored for future use.

Sold by the pound, I often  purchase large bales also called “bumps” of commercially combed top. When considering which fiber to choose for the Follow the fiber project; the choice was simple – Merino! It is perhaps one of the most popular fibers; soft and delightfully squishy it is perfectly suited for the intended spinner and final project.

There are countless dyeing techniques and each is as unique as the product it yields. Thoughtful of the type of wool as well as the spinning techniques that could  be used I choose to use a crock-pot to introduce the heat necessary to set the dye.

The tools for dye application can be as complex or simple as you wish, here, dye is applied with a recycled water bottle:

Once the fiber is dyed and cooled it is rinsed to remove any residual dye and neutralize the acidic solution used in the dyeing process. Careful attention to the handling of the wool is required to prevent any undesirable felting at this stage.

Thoroughly rinsed the fiber is set to dry for a few days…

After days on the drying racks the fiber is weighted and bundled into “chains” using a finger crochet technique. The chaining creates a braid that enables The spinner to visualize how the colours pair with one another. Once chained the fiber is photographed using both natural lighting and daylight bulbs to ensure that the image accurately represents the colours used.

And with a little assistance from Photoshop – the final result:

Once bagged and tagged the fiber has reached the end of it’s journey in the ITW studio.  The palette is complete and ready to be delivered to the talented hands of  The spinner.

To Follow the fiber – head over to Jill Draper Blogs

So let’s talk about a fiber club.

I have been wracking my brain, asking people for their opinions, researching what is out there and I am still undecided on what is the “best” practice to run a club. When I commit to the club I want to be absolutely certain I am prepared for the responsibility that accompanies it.

So I had an idea, an idea that will help me to truly comprehend what is involved in releasing a large quantity of a single colourway on a single day to a large group of recipients…

Let’s have a spin along!!

The idea is simple, over the next two weeks I ask that each of you post an inspiration image on the ITW Ravelry Forum. And during that time, I ask that each of you vote (with a click of a (LOVE) button) for your favorite image – feel free to invite friends over to the board to cast their votes as well. At the end of two weeks I will review the votes and use the image with the most votes as an inspiration image for a colourway to be made available for sale the week of January 18^th-22^nd. The fiber will then ship the week of January 25^th-28^th.  Exact dates will be posted in the forum as things progress.

Like most fiber clubs and spin alongs, the final colourway will remain a surprise.  The fiber type will be decided and announced prior to the sale date.

Oh, and I failed to mention – the individual who posted the winning image will receive a 4oz braid of the spin along fiber as their prize free of charge!!

Let’s see, what other details are important. Oh, yes, the actual spin-along! Once the fiber has been shipped and received you will each have two months to spin up your fiber and share your results in the ITW Ravelry Forum. On March 22^nd I will randomly choose a winner to receive a yet to be decided prize!

Questions? Feel free to ask HERE, I am almost certain I missed some details…

This is going to be short as I need to start and finish the recovery effort after the non-stop preparation for the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival. So, just a couple things…

The shop will reopen on Tuesday.

Wednesday I will be in the studio carding and dyeing.

And there is more. But those are topics for another day. Most importantly I needed to write this post to express my gratitude and appreciation for each and every person who supported me this weekend. You folks are just awesome.

Thank You – I love you guys.

Show/Festival: NYS Sheep & Wool Festival

Dates: 10/17 & 10/18

Directions: HERE

Booth Location: 39 A, B with the Ulster County Handspinners

Oh, hint of what I have been up to this past week…