It's a Mad, Mad Mission

It's a Mad, Mad Mission - Sign Me Up

The anticipation is over. I have spun.

I had a lovely ride up to southern PA, listening to Dar Williams and Patty Griffin. I started early. The weather was clear and gorgeous.

Arrived at The Mannings in plenty of time, and had an opportunity to wander around and look at some of the pretty landscape features.

I was immediately greeted by the Mannings kitty.

She came out for attention as soon as I arrived

She was a very friendly little gal.

...Until I stopped skritching her under her chin and started to withdraw my hand (kittyslashed hand not photographed here - she's clearly serious about her skritchies). It was a lovely day and a lovely site:

Since I had some time, after photographing, I sat here and knit for a bit:

The shop opened, I was given a bit of a tour of the highlights of the premises (including the fact that they provide coffee. No joke when it's 8:30 in the morning and Yours Truly has been up since 5:00), checked into my class, and shown the classroom. Tom, our teacher, demonstrated fleece washing, dyeing, and other preparation techniques. Then he took us into the sample wheel room, where I was lost to Schacht Lust:

(Yes, I did try other wheels while I was there - I brought an open mind and the fervent hope I would be satisfied with a less-expensive wheel. Not so much). He set us to treadling while we fluffed fiber, to get the Zen of "feet do one thing, fingers do another." He suggested a waltz tempo, but also noted that whatever worked was fair game. My suggestion of a 5/4 Brubeck-type tempo was met with laughter and the idea that perhaps this would make for some really interesting yarn. Then, after lunch, we actually got to spin stuff:

I spun some too (no photos of photographer spinning). It is pretty much the whole "first yarn, ergo it sucks," variety. But that doesn't matter. I am in love. Next stop: Schacht wheel ordering.

...It's a mad mission
Under difficult conditions
not everybody makes it
To the loving cup
It's a mad mission
But I got the ambition
Mad, mad mission
sign me up...

Posted: Saturday - July 29, 2006 at 09:16 PM | |