Return of the Blog!

Whew! It’s been a long time, eh?

Things keep rollin’ along here at the homestead, and I think I’m finally ready to start writing about them again.

I just returned from my yearly knitting retreat down on Whidbey Island with some friends, and it seemed like a good time to get this thing back on track. 🙂

So let me tell you about a cool little adventure we had while we were down there.
Shortly before the trip, I happened upon the website of a new fiber mill in Clinton, WA at the far south end of the island- Abundant Earth Fiber Mill

I was excited to find out about a new custom fiber processor in the area, and contacted the owner to ask if I (we) could come down to visit the mill. And she said yes!

So we drove down Tuesday morning and met Lydia, who welcomed us to her amazing operation and gave us a tour.

We followed the path of the fiber being processed from the skirting table

to the drying racks

and on to the picker

Carder

And then,,,,, wait for it,,,,,,wait for it,,,,, the Pin Drafter!

Look at those beautiful coils of wool. Mmmmmmm.

Everything is pin drafted many times to ensure uniformity of the roving before it goes to the spinning machine. Yes,  she’s got a spinning setup too! Here’s a little video I took-

And here are some of the yarns that she produces

Pretty, pretty neat.
Some beautiful dark chocolate alpaca followed me home. (because souvenir fiber does not count as stash!) It’s practically spinning itself.

I’ve also been getting ready to participate in the Little Bow Market Fiber Day next week. I’m going to take yarn, as well as some carded fiber and some small knitted items I’ve completed over the last few months. First time vending- wish me luck! I’m sure it will be a fun time, whether I make many sales or not.