Pre Maryland Fiber Party is a GO with Funky Nunofelting!

This has really been quite an exciting week!!  I'm thrilled because the 'PreMaryland Sheep and Wool Party" is happening at Seminole Sampler which is a wonderful quilt shop right next door to CloverHill Yarn Shop (In Cantonsville MD- about 25 min away from the festival)  I can't wait to see the fabric and thrums that are available! I might have to bring my pocketbook so I can buy something special to embellish my felting with!

We'll be doing an extended Funky Nuno Felting workshop- giving ample time for everyone to card their own batts on the workshop carders (Louet Classic, Strauch Mad Batt'r, Louet Elite and Fancy Kitty)  I will bring a large bin of fibers, novelty yarns and other goodies for you to use, as well as the needed bubble wrap, silk fabric and squirt bottle. I ask that you bring 2 towels and a pair of nylons or kneesocks you aren't going to use anymore.  Also, if you have any handspun or novelty yarn scraps or textured fabric you'd like to use/bring, we'll have a large table available for 'sharing' as well.

The workshop will begin after lunch at 12:30pm and run until 4:30pm- giving us enough time to clean up before the shop closes at 5.  Registration button is on the workshops page.   The cost is $50 for the workshop and all included materials. (cost is slightly discounted from normal workshop price to celebrate coming together for Maryland- more money for you to spend with the vendors at the show!)

Please RSVP on the  Facebook Page if you belong to FB so we can see who's joining in the fun!
I can't wait to see everyone in Maryland!  I'm down for a reservation at Clyde's in Columbia for crabcakes after the workshop too, if anyone wants to join me!

Going to MARYLAND SHEEP and WOOL FESTIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it myself! I've been floating on a cloud since I found out!!  Jolene, from the wonderful Cloverhill Yarn Shop in Cantonsville, MD asked me yesterday if I would like to be one of the Independent Artists that her booth showcases at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! 
This is THE biggest sheep and wool festival in the country! I'm so excited that I have a chance to get a feel what it's like to work in a booth before I have to manage my own. Maryland is SAFF on steroids.. and so getting an idea of what I'm in for before I get my own booth is going to be a huge asset! By being featured in the CloverHill booth I'll get my foot into the door of the festival.. which is known for being one of the most difficult to acquire a booth!
I'm also excited to get to be a 'shopper' in a wool market this large!! I'm really hoping to score some yummy spring fleeces, while meeting people and just general fiber mahyem!  I did promise Lexi that I would help her out in her educational booth for a couple hours one day..  so I'm looking forward to quite a weekend!!
My husband also just reminded me that Columbia MD (where my hotel is) is where Merriweather Post Pavillion is- where we saw Phish on our second wedding anniversary.  We also ate that day at the MOST AMAZING restaurant- Clyde's in Columbia  So not only do I get to go to Sheep and Wool, I get to eat the BEST CRABCAKES in the same weekend!!
Happy Happy me!!

There also may be a 'pre festival fiber party" in the way of a couple workshops the Friday before the festival!! The word on the street is the Funky Nuno Felting workshop paired with the WildCarding...  I'll post more info as details solidify!!

YAY Maryland is going to get JAZZY this year!!

Launch Party for Knitscene Winter/Spring Issue

How LUCKY am I that Lisa Shroyer (editor of Knitscene) and Michelle Riggs (owner of Downtown Knits
in Apex, NC) wanted to host the launch party at the wonderful space Downtown Knits offers!! Walls of colorful yarn, inspiring knit sweaters and MY YARN and wearables!! I got to have a mini trunk show along with the issue release.  It was a wonderful time.. we had a full house of knitters sharing ideas and playing with yarn.  It was a great night by all!!

JazzTurtle Creations featured in KnitScene Magazine and Knitting Daily!!

I'm so excited!! This has been such a big deal for me and sharing it with you has been even more exhilarating! I've had 2 of my most amazing art yarns featured in KnitScene Magazine (Winter/Spring 2011)  I had a wonderful shop mention (and my mother is most excited that they also mentioned my name!!  Amy also gives mention to my spinning style (corespinning).  The photo is just beautiful, and I have to admit I'm a bit extra geeked mine are in the middle!!

Photo by Joe Coca. Copyright Knitscene Magazine. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted

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This article also had a mention in the 1/31 Knitting Daily newsletter! Knitting Daily included a mention of the shop and a link.. which brought over 400 new views to the shop that day!!

Amy posted a follow up article on the KnittingDaily blog last week-
Knitting Daily- Art Yarn Spinning
Not only did I get a shop mention, but Amy posted one of my YouTube video demo's!!

It's the beginning of March, and I've already had a great year of press!! Thanks to all of you who keep asking for new demo's. I'll be posting some soon!!

JazzTurtle Creations Batts featured in Fall issue of Spin Off Magazine!

 I'm so excited because my batts are used in the current (Fall) issue of Spin Off Magazine!! Jacey Boggs  wrote a great article on corespinning and she used my batts for the piece! There's some amazing photos.. AND 2 shop mentions!  I'm just giddy.. and my neighbors must think I'm crazy since I started dancing around and squealing when I opened the mailbox and saw the batts in the magazine staring back at me!  This is my first major press and I can't be more thrilled!! Off to card batts for the bigger than I'd originally planned shop update this weekend!!

I'm only showing a few of the photos with my fiber.. you have to go buy the magazine to see the entire article!

(With my shop mentions!!)

I will have more of the "Magestic Peacock" batt that's featured on the front page of the article, along with more of the "No Worries" batts that Jacey is using to spin in my update on Monday. If you put "FALLSPINOFF2010" in the message to seller I'll refund your shipping!!

xoxo

Once Again I FAIL at blogging!!

I promise it's going to be different this time.. I know I know.. I say it every time.. and  yet the entire summer has gone by without ONE post!! NOTHING!!
Ok.. I'm still here.. LOTS has been going on in my life and in my studio/fiber life!!

The Carolina fiber fest went well.. full post about that coming! It was an amazing first festival which only wet my appetite for more!  Next year I'll be back.. I'm also planning on vending SAFF and maybe even YarnCon. I'm also applying  for the Raleigh Handmade Market if I  can get enough FO's done!

PluckyFluff Asheville.. another full post  coming soon.. but briefly it was  amazing, of course. Lexi is just a blast to hang out with and a great teacher! I'm hoping we get to throw back some wine and chocolate again soon!!

Teaching at SAFF- YEP!! I'm teaching my corespinning class this year at SAFF 2010! I'm so excited because this is the biggest venue I've taught at and my class was the THIRD of all the classes to fill up! I only got on the waiting list to vend since I didn't really think I would even try vending this year.. since I've never even ATTENDED *gasp* I know!!  But I did so well at the at CFF that I figured I would go for it- As I'm still on the waiting list, I think I'm just going to plan on teaching this year (and I'll have batts for sale in the class) and then next year I'll be vending!

I'm having a TRUNK SHOW!! You heard right.. Friday night, Oct 15th, from 6:30-9:30 join me at DownTown Knits in Apex NC for wine, snacks and and evening of FiberyFUN! More details to follow..

LOTS  of new stuff is happening over in the shop!- which is it's own blogpost as well!!
The fall season is upon is and the first batch of Halloween batts are listing  today! More will come over the next month including yarns, out of the bag fiber kits and indulgence tops!

OK..so back to the shop update which is happening ALL DAY.. individual blogposts about important events are coming. I promise to be  a better blogger and newsletter writer!

Teaching and Vending at the Carolina Fiber Fest, May 21-23!!

YEP!! I told you folks that the announcement was coming soon!! JazzTurtle Creations will have a vending booth ALL weekend at the Carolina Fiber Fest, May 21-23 at the Raleigh State Fairgrounds.
Not only THAT.. but I'll be TEACHING my 3 hr "Creative Corespinning" workshop- Friday morning (either 9-12 or 10-1, not sure yet) I'll post a link when registration is open. Class is $65 and includes a spinning kit.

Creative Corespinning:
Why corespin? If you want to learn a technique get the most out of precious fiber (like cashmere) or learn how to get the most texture and create funky art yarns, then corespinning is for you!
First we’ll learn how to corespin, with proper attention to achieving a balanced yarn. Then focus will shift to experimenting with different corespinning techniques- corespinning with locks, coreless corespinning and adding “fun stuff” into your yarns like felted nubbies, sequins, fabric, cocoons and other things you may bring. Translucent corespinning and carding textured art batts will also be demonstrated. Class fee includes kit with core yarn, 3oz textured batt, 1oz loose locks and fun add-in’s. Additional supply details will be sent with registration confirmation. Participants must bring a wheel and be able to spin a single. Class limited to first 16 registered students.

I will ALSO be doing free art batt carding and art yarn spinning demo's on Sunday afternoon!! If you're in the area please stop by and say hello.. and do some shopping while you're visiting!

A tour of my studio-where the carding magic happens!

Welcome!! This is what you see when you pass my studio. I've had a couple requests for a virtual "tour" so I thought I'd invite you inside and show you around. I did a bit of spring cleaning and organizing this weekend, so I thought it'd be a perfect time! You see my bin of treasure fiber is open and ready to collect leftover carding fiber. I also have a basket out with add in's I'm currently putting in batts and yarns.

When you walk in you are greeted with my shelving unit of add in's and sparkle. Installing this above the desk and carding table is what really turned this room into a "studio" Previously it was all in "bins" that I would dump on the floor when I was working. There were 2 main problems with that.. first I couldn't see everything I had.. and if I don't see it, I forget it's there and don't use it! Most importantly is that I had to bend over and stand up again and again and again when reaching for goodies like sparkle and sari silk.. and I gave myself some vertigo by continued bending over and standing up.. I couldn't work for over a week. So installing this unit was a lifesaver. Everything I need is within reach and in sight!

Top shelf is a bin of hand dyed merino top odds and ends, a bin of treasure fiber leftover from projects and a small bin of add in's like silk flowers, pom poms, crocheted flowers, buttons..
The middle shelf holds a small bin of novelty yarn snippets, another small bin of my sari silk stash (yarn, thrums, recycled tangles, ribbon and pulled waste) The middle big bin is full of fabric strips and silk for spinning and adding into batts. The bottom shelves hold my bins of lurex and silk thread, 3 colors of holosparkle lurex, and sequins (behind the holosparkle), my basket of hemp noil in rainbow colors, my bowl of felted nubbies and pebbles and my NEW set of 3 drawer units for my smaller add in's like shredded money, neps, silk cocoons, worry dolls, buttons, fabric flowers. These were previously in a basket and just getting lost! I feel SO much more organized now that I can easily (and quickly) get what I need!
To the left of the desk you see my bookshelf with my smoothie carder on top (next to the drum I got in Cairo), my craft books and magazines, old textbooks and reference books from college and massage school, and on the top shelf baskets and bins with scrapbooking stickers, beads, sequins and crystals.

In the drawers above the carding station are:
angelina and lurex drawer.. every girl LOVES her sparkle drawer!!

Then above that it's my noils and banana silk drawer. A rainbow of silk, bamboo and cotton noils, along with tangled strands of brightly colored banana silk fill this drawer. Above that is another sparkle drawer.. this one is filled with firestar and icicle nylon sparkle. Again, a rainbow of fibers! The top drawer has vintage trim and lace, some silk snippets and other things for carding into batts and spinning into yarn. In between the drawers I have bags of brightly dyed curly kid mohair locks for adding into batts.

Next to the carding station I have my wire rack of farm wools and fleece. These are mostly solid or semi solid fibers from animal friendly farms. I mostly card this fiber, but I also spin some without carding..
The bottom shelf is filled with bins of fiber, and the top shelf is my sewing machine, serger and other quilting supplies.

I use over the door shoeracks for holding my rainbow of kid mohair locks and some wrapping/plying yarns. No space is unused.. including on the wall and behind the doors!

In the closet is my scrapbooking supplies.

My fiber wall.. my home LYS.. my pride and joy. I often sit on the floor and plan yarns by staring up at all the colors and textures.. I often hang yarns I've finished to inspire me.
This wall is made up of wire cubbies. The bottom cubbies are filled with top I use for carding. The top cubbies are shop inventory (except the last 2 are combed top spinning stash) The left side cubbies are all uncarded locks and fleece I plan to spin uncarded. This is also the cubbies I have my bamboo rayon designated for spinning not carding. The rest is all spinning stash. Mostly batts, some combed top and clouds. Some is created by me.. LOTS is from other independent artists like myself. I admit, as much as I love spinning my own fiber, I love to spin other people's as well. We all have a different carding style, so it's fun to play with other techniques. It is crazy though, I've collected this stash over my 3 years spinning.. I don't buy as much as I used to.. but there are still weeks when the mail comes heavy to my house!!

Well, thanks so much for stopping by! If you're ever in the Raleigh/Durham/Triad area and would like to schedule a private lesson and come by for real, drop me a line and we'll figure it out!!

Teaching in South Carlolina- The Carolina Fiber Frolic!

Where have I been the last month?

Well.. Getting ready to vend my first spinning retreat and teach a couple workshops!! It was really overwhelming getting it all together. I learned a lot about what to do for my NEXT vending!! (maybe at the Carolina Fiber Fest at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh at the end of May.. but more about that later!) I had to build inventory for vending (Whew.. carding over 40 new batts!!)



Bryan and I loaded up the car with fiber, yarn and my wheel..



He was amazed I fit it all in.. but I learned how to pack from my Mother.. she's the best there is.

Off we went to the Middleton Place Inn and Plantation, just outside Charleston SC. I was really excited because I've never been there.
We arrived in time to unload and then had the evening to play. Wow.. what a place!! The plantation is from the mid 1700's and has the oldest landscaped gardens in America. We stayed in the inn.. that had beautiful rooms! The wall facing the river was all windows..
And it had a wood burning fireplace!!

And even MORE fun.. it had a 150 GALLON garden tub!! It was like a mini pool!!

It was really beautiful!! We were on the second floor so our view was like we were in a treehouse..


In the evenings the Lodge hosted some appetizers, wine and beer.. so we stopped by there before going into Charleston for dinner-
The walk from our room to the lodge was breathtaking!!




We ate both free nights at Hyman's Seafood House in Charleston. (they are open until 11pm.. and we didn't get out of the Inn until past 10 each night.. and the food was STILL amazing!!) OMG.. the shecrab soup.. and the crispy fresh flounder.. and the mussels.. oh the mussels!!

The next morning we set up my booth.. It looked great.. except I forgot my sign! Can you believe it! LOL!!
I loved having the laptop there!! There was wifi so people could pay with paypal, and I had a looping slideshow running of photos of previous batts and yarns!
The garmet rack was SO useful for hanging shawls, cloudspun yarn and specialty art yarn sets!
BATTS galore! These cubbies are a PITA to put together and take apart.. but they were really useful and made the booth look great!! I'd like to have one more set for more batts for future shows.

Ta Da!! Everything looked great!!

I taught my workshops on Friday!! My first was a 3 hour workshop called "Creative Corespinning" where I taught the basic corespinning technique, with focus on spinning a balanced yarn. I taught how to add in objects while spinning.. flowers, sequins, cocoons, beehives.. all sorts of goodies!! The second was an hour and a half workshop "Unwinding with Coils" teaching supercoiling and other art yarn plying tricks!! It was SUPER fun and everyone picked up the skills really quickly!! I felt like a proud parent!




Bryan and I also took some time to walk around the gardens. It really is an amazing place..The Middleton house after the main house was destroyed in the Civil War, and the original springhouse.
Spanish Moss swaying from all the trees so peacefully. I'm totally inspired to spin a yarn!
Amazing Camila blooms in the landscaped gardens.
H U G E trees.. from the 1700's!! So different than the Huge redwoods of Cali.

These were MONSTERS! The trunk was over twice Bryan's arm span.


We FOUND the hidden Dharma Initiative Gardens!! LOL!! You know how into LOST! we are.. so when we saw there was an octagonal garden.. we knew it was a sign!! LOL!!

All in all it was amazing weekend!! I made new friends, got a couple invitations to teach more workshops, scheduled some private lessons sold some fiber and MOST importantly made some alpaca and mohair locks connections with some local farms!! HURRAH!! AND even more importantly my hubby and I got to get away for the weekend and have some relaxing fun!!

SO if anyone wants some private lessons, or for me to teach my corespinning or superpcoiling workshops at their LYS or a guild meeting just drop me a line and we'll set something up. I have a couple workshops in the plan, so as they are finalized I'll post info about them here!!

AND watch for an announcement about JazzTurtle Creations vending at a local fiber fest near you!!

6x03- What Kate Does- Weekly LOST blogtakeover!

It was a good episode last night. Not in my top 10, but I enjoyed it. I think more questions were raised than answers received.. but that's LOST right? all the way to the end!!

It's pretty HUGE that the date on Claire's ultrasound is one month later.

This really brings up some interesting ideas... First of all, Claire goes into labor around the same time on island as she does in the sideways flash... so the timeline is accurate. ETHAN is off island here.. yet still a doctor. Here he tells her that he doesn't want to stick her with needles (just like he DID on the island) What about Ethan!! He's the son of Horace and Amy.. and Amy had been married to another man on the island, who was killed (paul, I think) before Sawyer (as LaFleur) made the truce. SO does this mean that Horace and Amy STILL get together somehow in the sideways reality? This opens up HUGE possibilities for our Losties to cross paths with the Others off Island in the sideways reality.. reinforcing that fate is just that.. and if you are meant to meet someone you will.. regardless of the situations..
Also.. what happened in the month between the original flight on 9-22 and the sideways reality flight on 10-22? Shannon reconciles with her boyfriend, John goes on the walkabout, Hurley is being lucky I guess? Who knows how much has "changed"

Huge thing.. The woman who was going to adopt Aaron is named Lindsey Baskum. Anagram: Used by Malkin
MALKIN was the PSYCHIC...
In the original timeline, Malkin sent Claire on the plane, knowing it would crash on the island and she would have to raise Aaron. In this alt. universe, Malkin put Claire on the plane knowing the couple in LA would split up and again, she would have to raise Aaron.
Looks like even in the sideways reality Claire raising Aaron is important.

Lots of the "deja vu" moments last night.. Claire calls the baby Aaron!! Kate has one when she sees Jack waiting for the taxi, she has one when she pulls out the same whale stuffed animal, she has one when she hears Claire call the baby Aaron.

Interesting facts (based on wiki) on the real life Dogen
Wiki Dogen
Notably, Dogen wrote Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma or Shōbōgenzō, a collection of ninety-five fascicles concerning Buddhist practice and enlightenment. He also was a believer in endless prayer- that life and prayer should be one.
An excerpt from the book states, "In death, he lives." See link for more text.
text

CLAIRE!!! whoo hoo Claire!! OK.. so how does Dogen KNOW that Claire is Jack's sister? Does Christian tell him somehow? Claire seems to be the "new" Roussau! She's setting traps and using that rifle! It seemed the Others (Aldo and what's his name) knew they weren't Roussau's traps.. were they not "looking" for Claire because they know she's "infected" Will Sawyer and Kate get "infected" if they aren't in the temple (is that what the ash protects against?) We saw Roussau's team get "infected" when they went into the tunnel beneath the temple and we saw Smokey.. so we assume that Smokey causes the sickness..
SO MAYBE.. when a person dies-Smokey can manifest as that person entirely-
BUT when a person is NEAR death... like Claire was when the house exploded and fell on her, and like Sayid was when he was shot and bleeding.. then Smokey "infects" the person.. rather than manifesting as them. Not sure why Smokey wouldn't just wait until they'd totally died and just manifest completely.. so there has to be some difference to what happened to John Lock v fLocke and the infections of Sayid and Claire

In the same vein as the "infections" It seems as though Miles was looking at Sayid strangely.. almost like he knew something was different. Same when Sawyer pulled Claire out of the explosion. She says something like "I'm just woozy, I'll be ok" and Miles responds with something like "that's what you think" .. I think miles knows more than he realizes.

Will the REAL John Locke appear to Hurley or talk to Miles at all?

Interesting that there was an episode in season 2 called "What Kate Did", and this episode was called "What Kate Does". I think it's playing on the two different timelines going on... as well as reinforcing that the sideways reality is happening at the same time as the island reality.

I've got to start dinner, but I'm still chewing on it all a bit..
I think next week is going to be a big one!!

Some fiber Porn to end the post- my FAVE batt in the shop right now- amazing coopworth and kid mohair locks with tons of sparkle!(get it on etsy before I spin it myself!)..