FIBER FIBER everywhere

The Fiber Christmas in July Festival was held at the Creek County Fairgrounds in Kelleyville, Oklahoma this weekend. I sure hope it was a success for the vendors because it sure was for me.
I arranged to leave work early on Friday so I could go scout out the offerings before committing my $$ to something I might not need. That turned out to be a really good plan.
I arrived with this ball:
which I had dyed and spun and was looking for something suitable to ply with it since I am certain I couldn't get even close to the color I need again. Luckily I found a lovely batt dyed by the also lovely Gwen, who just happened to have taught a dying workshop to the Tulsa Handspinners just last Saturday, where I dyed this:


Anyway, the new and old married well and created this



I spent a embarrassingly long (and probably creepy) amount of time patting the fiber displayed by Ozark Carding Mill, especially the gorgeous suri alpaca. I didn't get any of that, however, opting instead for a big bunch o' "little bits," which are left over bits that come off of the machine, are re-washed and run through again. (I don't know what kind of machine I'm talking about here--just parroting what I was told). Anyway it has a bunch of different fibers and quite a bit of alpaca too--55 oz of it is mine. The grayish stuff below is an alpaca silk blend from Ozark too.

But wait . . . that's not all--

I found a pound of colonial top which is EXACTLY the same color as a pound I have spun up at home. So now this little fiber family is living all together
Then, these little 4 oz Easter Egg bags were $3 each, how could I leave them behind, even if I do slightly hate the colors?




I got to visit for a long while with Donna who owns the Weavery at Indian Meridian in Guthrie. I spend some time watching regular cotton thread become amazing fabric at the hands of a practiced weaver. AND, I picked up a flier for the weavers guild which just happens to meet this Saturday at the library which is just over a block (ETA mile, just over a MILE--sheesh) from my house--I could walk, even.

Do you feel that? You know, the planets seem to be aligning for some yet-to-be-disclosed purpose which I'm just guessing could possibly maybe might have a little something to do with a loom?

Could a loom be looming in my future??

4811 (four thousand eight hundred and eleven)

MILES!!

13 days, 2 National Parks, 1 battlefield, at least one national monument, big horn sheep, mountain goats, moose, elk, deer, buffalo, antelope . . . but, alas, no grizzlies, aside from my cousins who are rabid University of Montana fans GO GRIZ!! And, except for the ones that stretched forever across eastern Colorado and western Kansas, I want to remember every single one of them--the miles, and the rest too.

AND, I got my shot(s) to submit for the knitty.com calendar. The girls really got into the fun of being models .

AND, had a few ideas of their own

The trip was epic in terms of miles, scenery, experience and emotion. I cannot express strongly enough how I HATED it when we moved away from Montana when I was a kid. That has been a life long feeling. In the long spells between trips back, I convince myself that life is better for me here. However, I'm not entirely sure that is true.


Anyway, I am wallowing in a post-vacation-to-Montana-funk while I scheme about how I might manage to find myself living there. So far the best idea I've come up with is to fake my own death, obtain the insurance proceeds, and go live in the mountains. I do see a few problems with that plan and I am willing to consider that it is probably not the best idea I've ever come up with. I'm not finished pondering the matter so I might think of a better plan, maybe even one that does not involve a prison term.

In the meantime, I'll share a few shots from the trip.

Everyone who visits gets a decent photo of Mt. Rushmore--how 'bout this one, taken just outside of the ladies' room.

We saw encouraging signs along the way

and encountered road work

We did not pick up these unsavory hitchikers they were cute but looked too horny (arghhh sorry)

We had a family reunion featuring smokin' cousins, uncles and a potato gun

Oh YES!!! There was beer

and SNOW and cold water and huckleberry pie

But too soon the fun was over and we were left with our memories and photos.

And, that's the end of the trail