Virtual Expo Planning

Looks like this year’s WSU Country Living Expo is going to be web-based again. Last year I sat it out because I wasn’t up to trying to convert what are usually very hands-on classes into zoom offerings. But it sounds like there is strong interest in the subject matter, so this year I’m going to give it a try, at least for the Wool Processing one.

To make the whole thing more manageable and hopefully make up for the lack of actual hands on experience people would otherwise get with carders and combs and such, I’m thought I’d record a series of demo videos of start-to-finish processing of a fleece that I can pull up during the class. And I’m also going to make up fiber sample packs of that same fleece in different stages of prep for the folks who register.

But, as it turns out, I’d already washed up all my fleeces from this year! So I had to acquire one for this purpose. This fleece is from Persia, a Jacob who lives a few miles down the road from us. I don’t think I’ve ever processed Jacob wool before, so it seemed like a cool opportunity.

Was out in the hoophouse recording the first of the series- fleece intro and skirting, but Boo kitten kept trying to get in on the action

I’m in the middle of my little video and out of nowhere she pops up and starts nesting in my wool. Silly girl. It was only after I took this photo that I realized how well she matches the fleece with all it’s smoky gray shades- So maybe it was meant to be. I was eventually able to get a few kitten-free minutes of footage that should work.

And I’m making good progress on my Griff Twisted Stitches vest- Front is complete, and I’m about 3 inches into the back. Really enjoying this knit so far, and I think it will end up being something I wear a lot too.

That’s about it here- hope you all have a a good halloween. We’ll just be laying low here- critters will get treats, and we’ll hope for no tricks!