Wool and Fiber Arts April Festival Program

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart A

Virtual

Event~Find

us

LIVE

on

Facebook

http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

APRIL

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS FESTIVAL

1202 LIRPA

FIBER

1

FA

Photo from Whirlwind Alpacas

Interview

with

Ellen

Y

VERS

Kara Kim, Moli, TIKA, Paulina, Caroline, Beautiful Dreamer, PaliLa and Dog (Lotte)

MEET THE ARTIST 12 An

r

AR

WA

yea

Zawada

49

Understanding Alpaca Fiber By: Liz Mitchko, Whirlwind Ranch

Tips for Washing Alpaca Fleece by Ingrid & Dwayne Snader Cloverleaf Farms West

29

So, You Want to Buy a Loom?

by Margery Erickson

46

Interview with Alexis Mantione Inventor of the adjustable knitting needles

58

Wool and Fiber Arts Show Program Editor in Chief Graphic Design ~Kat Bierkens Assistant Editor-Henri Pierre

MEET THE TEAM

Contents

Without our team, none of this would be possible!

Articles

Founder Ellen Zawada; Owner of Wool and Fiber Arts LLC Vendor Team - Heather Campbell, Jennefer Marker (Mentor Program), Ellen Sakornbut, Lisabeth Sawdon, Jean Story, Candice Smith, Danielle Lefor Wallace, and Christina Drennen Coghill Customer Team -(anything that happens publicly in WAFA) - Erika Lindgren, Heather Campbell, Anne Bamert, Molly Richter (craftalong), Candice Smith, Garrett Mikel Ramsay, Ashley Casteel, Jessica Holt Pack (problem customer list), Amy Olshewski Bowling

Page 29 So, You Want to Buy a Loom?

by Margery Erickson

Page 46 Understanding Alpaca Fiber By: Liz Mitchko, Whirlwind Ranch

Page 49

Marketing Team - Terra Mia Kat Bierkens (Vendor Program), Raven Reynolds (social Media), Anna Holden, Christin Santos, Maddy McLendon, Claudia Brefeld, Vidya Gopalakrishna Travis, Andrea Deck

Interview with Alexis Mantione Inventor of the adjustable knitting needles

Page 58

Activities Team - Crisfwelle-DeWitt Danny, Heather Campbell, Lisabeth Sawdon (Breed Study), Alanna Rothschild Wilcox, Christin Santos, Tiffany Deakin, Pam Amand, Melanie Smith, Amy Olshewski Bowling, Judi Bisson, Amy Brown SmithJohnson Inclusivity Team - Liza Q. Wirtz, Alaura Pittman, TeDi Jansen, Vidya Gopalakrishna Travis, Maddy McLendon

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

Tips for Washing Alpaca Fleece by Ingrid & Dwayne Snader Cloverleaf Farms West

-2-

Vendor Schedule Page 6-11 Year at a Glance Page 3 Vendor Index Page 4-5 Meet the Vendor Interview Page 12 APRIL 2021

WAFA

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS 2021 Schedule of Events

FIND US ON FACEBOOK AT HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/WAFALIVE WOOLANDFIBERARTS@GMAIL.COM

www.woolandfiberart.com

APRIL - THINK SPRING APRIL 23, 24, 25

MAY - MAY THE FIBER BE WITH YOU MAY 28, 29, 30

JUNE - FIBER ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK RAW WOOL SALE 12&13 JUNE 25, 26, 27

(TOUR DE FLEECE BEGINS) JULY - CHRISTMAS IN JULY JULY 23, 24, 25

AUGUST - WAFA BACKYARD BBQ AUGUST 27, 28, 29

SEPTEMBER - BACK TO FIBER SCHOOL RAW WOOL SALE 11&12 Staff and User Training

SEPTEMBER 24, 25, 26

Process Improvement

OCTOBER - SOCKTOBER OCTOBER 29, 30, 31

Join our Wool and Fiber AWARDS RECEIVED

Arts community for

Most Outstanding Employee of the Year, Pixelpoint Hive (2015)

NOVEMBER - HOLIDAY MARKET NOVEMBER 26, 27, 28

workshops, discussion Best Mobile App Design, HGFZ and monthly live sales Graduate Center (2014)

events

Design Awards, Cliffmoor College (2012)

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

-3-

APRIL 2021

44 52 37 54 13 55 14 28 15 32 39 42 39

20

3L&S Farms

https://www.facebook.com/3LS-FARMS-342334382532391

Farm

AB Farm and Gardens

X

https://www.facebook.com/AB-Farm-and-Gardens-108905947513293

Farm

Alpaca Pines Llc Farm and Fiber Mill

X

https://www.facebook.com/AlpacaPines/

Fiber Mill

AriBo Arts

X

https://www.facebook.com/AriBo-Arts-275100679765234

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Bent Limb Farm LLC

X

http://facebook.com/bentlimbfarm

Farm

Calico Farm Fiber Art

X

http://www.calicofarmfiberart.facebook.com

Tool Maker or Dealer -

Cedar View Farm

X

http://www.facebook.com/CedarViewFarmVA

Farm

Clear Sky Fiber Arts and Alpacas

X

https://www.facebook.com/clearskyfiberarts

Farm

Cloverleaf Farms West

X

https://www.facebook.com/CloverleafFarmsWest

Farm

Cold Comfort Farm Fiber and Arts

X

https://www.facebook.com/weavingteacher

Farm

Compass Moon Creations

X

http://www.facebook.com/CompassMoonCreations

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Cozy Color Works

X

https://www.facebook.com/cozycolorworks/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Crafted By Locals

X

Indie Dyer https://www.facebook.com/Crafted-By-Locals-Hand-dyed-Yarns-and-Fibers-100282151941227

Creations by Christina

X

https://www.facebook.com/creationsbychristina

Accessories

Creative Ripples by Lisa

X

https://facebook.com/creativeripplesbylisa

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

D n D Fibers

X

https://facebook.com/dndfibers

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Dunn Spunn

X

http://www.facebook.com/dunnspunn

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

East o' the Sun West o' the Moon

X

http://www.facebook.com/Eosunwomoon

Accessories

Ewe2me2u

X

https://www.facebook.com/Ewe2me2u

Finished Goods

Fiber Ops Ranch, LLC

X

http://www.facebook.com/fiberopsranch

Farm

Forever Growing

X

https://www.facebook.com/forevergrowingllp

Tool Maker or Dealer -

Forget me Knot Fibers

X

https://www.facebook.com/forgetmeknotfiberarts

Farm

http://www.facebook.com/fourheartsfarmmainelyfiber

Farm

x

Or Fiber Artist

Four Hearts Farm Mainely Fiber

X

Frivolous Ewe

X

x

http://facebook.com/frivolousewe

Farm

Goodie Supply Company

X

x

https://www.facebook.com/goodiesupplyco/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Greenwood Fiberworks

X

http://facebook.com/greenwoodfiberworks

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Happy Goat Lucky Ewe Fiber & MichiganXMerinos https://www.facebook.com/HappyGoatLuckyEwe/

Farm

Harvest Hill Acres

http://www.facebook.com/harvesthillacres

Farm

https://www.facebook.com/Heavenly-Oaks-Alpacas-LLC-111838810608920/

Farm

X

Heavenly Oaks Alpacas, LLC

23

Ca te go ry

a kL in k

Ca n se Sh 2s ip e to Fa Ca ce na bo d o

Bu sin es sN am e

Pa ge

19 35 36 43

x

Hidden Pastures Luxury Fiber Farm

X

https://www.facebook.com/hiddenpasturesllc/

Farm

Jehovah Jireh Farm and Woolmill

X

http://facebook.com/jehovahjirehfarmandwoolmill

Fiber Mill

X

http://www.facebook.com/jemsluxefibers

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

X

https://www.facebook.com/Knitspin-177570812270324

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

X

http://www.facebook.com/knottedgypsydesigns

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

X

https://www.facebook.com/kostelazcreations

Accessories

X

https://www.facebook.com/lambshopkits

Finished Goods

X

http://www.facebook.com/MABElements

Accessories

28 40 Knitspin 41 Knotted Gypsy Designs 33 Kostelaz Creations 43 Lamb Shop Kits Jems Luxe Fiberz

MAB Elements

24 16

Macedo's Mini Acre

Farm

X

https://www.facebook.com/MaeBeFarm

Farm

Marcy Bell Jewelry

X

https://m.facebook.com/MarcyBellJewelry/

Accessories

Marge Sundholm Designs

X

http://www.margesundholmdesigns.facebook.com

Finished Goods

https://www.facebook.com/mcknitty-109654510474338/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

http://facebook.com/mittenstatesheepandwool

Farm

https://www.facebook.com/BevofMulchandMoreCrafts

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

https://www.facebook.com/NistockFarms

Farm

http://www.facebook.com/nomadyarns

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Mitten State Sheep & Wool

x

Mulch and More Crafts Nistock Farms

X

x

Nomad Yarns

18

https://www.facebook.com/macedosminiacre

Mae Be Farm

McKnitty Yarns

33 37 37

Ca te go ry

a kL in k

Ca n se Sh 2s ip e to Fa Ca ce na bo d o

Bu sin es sN am e

Pa ge

34

Opalessence Fiber Studio

X

https://www.facebook.com/Opalessence.Studio

Finished Goods

Pandora’s Yarn

X

https://m.facebook.com/PandorasYarn

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Purly Shell Fiber Arts LLC

X

http://www.facebook.com/purlyshellilwaco

Farm

Ranching Tradition Fiber

X

https://www.facebook.com/RanchingTraditionFiber

Farm

Rusty Spur Ranch and Creations

X

https://www.facebook.com/rustyspurcreations

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Shaggy Bear Farms

X

http://facebook.com/ShaggyBearFarms

Farm

Sheepishly Made?

X

https://www.facebook.com/mcslivestock

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

http://www.facebook.com/shepherdswoodworking

Tool Maker or Dealer -

x

x

Shepherd's Woodworking Sherwood Fiber Arts

X

https://www.facebook.com/sherwoodfiberarts

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Small Beginnings Sheep Farm

X

http://Www.Facebook.com/SmallBeginningsSheepFarm

Farm

Spinaway Farm

X

https://www.facebook.com/Spinawayfarm/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

SpinGlitz

X

http://www.facebook.com/SpinGlitz

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Spinners candy

X

https://www.facebook.com/Spinners-Candy-331668716917655/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Spottedcircus

X

http://www.facebook.com/spottedcircus

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

31 Susans Fiber Shop

X

https://www.facebook.com/susansfiber/

Fiber Mill

https://facebook.com/suzooswoolworkstx

Farm

57 45

Suzoo’s Wool Works / The Sheepwalk

X

The Devious Knitter

X

https://www.facebook.com/DeviousKnitter

Teacher

X

https://www.facebook.com/FoldoutCat/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

x

https://www.facebook.com/thegeneralbean2013

Finished Goods

X

https://www.facebook.com/TheStripedTangerine/

Accessories

Three Fates Yarns

X

https://www.facebook.com/ThreeFatesYarn

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Timber and Twine

X

https://www.facebook.com/timberandtwine.co

Farm

40 The Foldout Cat 25 The General Bean 38 the Striped Tangerine 53

TLD DESIGN CENTER & GALLERY

https://www.facebook.com/TLD.DESIGN.CENTER/

Accessories

True Creations Woodturning

X

https://www.facebook.com/truecreationswoodturning

Tool Maker or Dealer -

Two Doves Hand Dyed Yarn

X

https://www.facebook.com/2dovesyarn/

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

https://www.facebook.com/Unbesitofiber

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

http://Facebook.com/WhirlwindRanchAlpacas

Farm

https://www.facebook.com/wildharefiber

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

27 Un Besito Fiber

22 Whirlwind Ranch 26 Wild Hare Fiber Studio 27

x

X

Wine and Wooly Design

X

https://www.facebook.com/wineandwooly

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

Wolle's Yarn Creations

X

https://www.facebook.com/Wolles-Yarn-Creations-331339830070

Indie Dyer Or Fiber Artist

https://www.facebook.com/wooltoewe

Farm

https://www.facebook.com/yarntravel

Indie Dyer

Wool-E Farm Yarn Travel

X

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

WAFA

Vendor's Schedule

Wool and Fiber Arts Live Online Fiber Festival

Friday

APRIL

23RD

2021

10AM-7:00PM

PST

MST

CST

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM Spottedcircus

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM Heavenly Oaks Alpacas, LLC

8:00AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM True Creations Woodturning

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM Knotted Gypsy Designs

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM Four Hearts Farm Udderly Delicious Creamery

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM Small Beginnings Sheep Farm

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM Greenwood Fiberworks

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM Jehovah Jireh Farm and Woolmill

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM McKnitty Yarns

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM Suzoo’s Wool Works / The Sheepwalk

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM Wolle's Yarn Creations

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM Harvest Hill Acres

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM East o' the Sun West o' the Moon

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM Wool-E Farm

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM Alpaca Pines LLC Farm and Fiber Mill

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM Nistock Farms

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

Eastern

Hidden Pastures Luxury Fiber Farm

AriBo Arts

Ranching Traditions

- 06 -

APRIL 2021

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

WAFA

Vendor's Schedule

Wool and Fiber Arts Live Online Fiber Festival

Friday Evening

APRIL

23RD

PST

MST

CST

Eastern

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM Kostelaz Creations

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM Cozy Color Works

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM Ewe2me2u

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

9:30 PM Calico Farm Fiber Art

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

10:00 PM Knitspin

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

9:30 PM

10:30 PM Wine and Wooly Design

2021

7:30PM-10:30PM

The Foldout Cat

Notes

____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

- 07 -

APRIL 2021

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

WAFA

Vendor's Schedule

Wool and Fiber Arts Live Online Fiber Festival

Saturday

APRIL

24TH

2021

10AM-7:00PM

PST

MST

CST

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM Two Doves Hand Dyed Yarn

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM Sheepishly Made?

8:00AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM Dunn Spunn

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM Un Besito Fiber

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM Cloverleaf Farms West

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM Shepherd's Woodworking

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM Spinners candy

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM Susans Fiber Shop

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM Wild Hare Fiber Studio

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM Mae Be Farm

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM Mulch and More Crafts

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM 3L&S Farms

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM Creative Ripples by Lisa

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM Clear Sky Fiber Arts and Alpacas

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM Mitten State Sheep & Wool

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM Nomad Yarns

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

Eastern

Macedo's Mini Acre

Forever Growing

Jems Luxe Fiberz

- 08-

APRIL 2021

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

WAFA

Vendor's Schedule

Wool and Fiber Arts Live Online Fiber Festival

Saturday Evening

APRIL

24TH

2021

PST

MST

CST

Eastern

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM Compass Moon Creations

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM Crafted By Locals

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

9:30 PM The General Bean

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

10:00 PM SpinGlitz

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

9:30 PM

10:30 PM Purly Shell Fiber Arts LLC

7:30PM-10:30PM

Rusted Flamingo

Happy Goat Lucky Ewe Fiber Farm & Michigan Merinos

Notes

____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

- 09 -

APRIL 2021

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

WAFA

Vendor's Schedule

Wool and Fiber Arts Live Online Fiber Festival

Sunday

APRIL

25TH

2021

10AM-7:00PM

PST

MST

CST

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM D n D Fibers

7:30 AM

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM MAB Elements

8:00AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM TLD DESIGN CENTER & GALLERY

8:30 AM

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM Pandora’s Yarn

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM Timber and Twine

9:30 AM

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM the Striped Tangerine

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM Whirlwind Ranch

10:30 AM

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM Marge Sundholm Designs

11:30 AM

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM Frivolous Ewe

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM Rusty Spur Ranch and Creations

12:30 PM

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM Three Fates Yarns

1:30 PM

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM Forget me Knot Fibers

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM Lamb Shop Kits

2:30 PM

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM Cedar View Farm

3:30 PM

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM The Devious Knitter

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM Sherwood Fiber Arts

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

Eastern

Spinaway Farm

Opalessence Fiber Studio

Yarn Travel

- 10 -

APRIL 2021

Find us at http://facebook.com/woolandfiberart

WAFA

Vendor's Schedule

Wool and Fiber Arts Live Online Fiber Festival

Sunday Evening

APRIL

25TH

2021

7:30PM-10:30PM

PST

MST

CST

Eastern

4:30 PM

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM Marcy Bell Jewelry

5:30 PM

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 AM Fiber Ops Ranch, LLC

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 AM Cold Comfort Farm Fiber and Arts

6:30 PM

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

9:30 PM Creations by Christina

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

9:00 PM

10:00 PM Goodie Supply Company

7:30 PM

8:30 PM

9:30 PM

10:30 PM Shaggy Bear Farms

Bent Limb Farm LLC

Notes

____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

- 11 -

APRIL 2021

1

FA

Y

r

AR

WA

yea

VERS

WAFA Interview with Ellen Zawada from Zephyr Creek Farm founder of the Wool and Fiber Arts FB Group

by Kat Bierkens of Terra Mia

Ellen Zawada is a shepherd and fiber artist from the Michigan Thumb. She raises Romeldale CVM, Merino, Mohair, and Angora Rabbits. Her passion is local natural fibers.

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

- 12 -

APRIL 2021

Crafted by Locals Saturday 8:30 Pm Eastern

We carry a full selection of indie-dyed yarns and fibers. We specialize in sustainable, local yarns that are spun in small local mills here in the U.S. Our handcrafted shuttles and tahkli spindles as well as a unique collection of beeswax candles are made by local craftsmen and women.

Visit our website: www.craftedbylocals.com Follow us on Instagram: @craftedbylocals And, yes, we're on Facebook too!

13 WOOL AND FIBER ARTS APRIL 2021

Sunday 10:00 AM Eastern

DnD Fibers is the team of Diana n Dave, a husband and wife who love all things fiber! We are located in Western New York, near Lake Ontario, and work together to produce hand dyed rovings and combed top, batts, handspuns and more! We also love to incorporate local fiber and other small US farm fibers.

For April, we will have our most requested fiber bases available in hand dyed braids. We will also be featuring batts, many with luxury fibers including the breed of the month, alpaca, as well as angora, silks, and many small farm fibers.

There will be a $5.00 flat shipping fee for all US orders.

We also ship to Canada, at buyers expense.

Shop: https://DnDFibers.Etsy.com

Diana n Dave

Love All Things Fiber!

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

14

APRIL 2021

Friday 9:00 Pm Eastern

ewe2me2u@gmail.com

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

15

APRIL 2021

Marge Sundholm Designs

I am a Nuno felter and wet felter. I love making beautiful items with wonderful colors!!! The best part of work if making people happy!! I was the Art Teacher at Camp Lejeune High School until two years ago. My students learned how to process wool and felt. It truly was a joy to see them loving the process!

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

- 25 -

FEBRUARY 2021

BFL * Gotland * Mohair * Merino * Fiber Kits * Rolags * Batts * Hand Dyed Yarn * Handspun Yarn Special Thanks to my 2021 Lamb Sponsors

Makes a great Mother's Day Gift!

Nadine Zielinski-Keanu Debbie Sykes-Ace PineFineCarders-Madam Baa Baa Lisa Gottstein-Twins! Irise and Rosie Jo Campbell- Sherlock Sponsor a lamb,ewe or ram and receive updates and fleece during sponsor period if you are interested in more information about sponsoring please send me an email at myterramia@gmail.com

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

17

Lea rn M ore !

Sponsor a Sheep Program APRIL 2021

Purly Shell Fiber Arts

There's a lot to be said about having fun while you're learning

Saturday 10:30 Pm Eastern At

Purly Shell Fiber Arts we

believe in the free exchange of information, and that learning is the key to bringing more people into our hobby and that by sharing our knowledge we can make the world a better place. The Purly Shell Pirates were formed with this ideal in mind. When this crazy world is not in quarantine we can often be found at events teaching Drop Spindling, educating on wool, angoras, sheep, and learning right along with people too.

Visit us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or on our website: http://www.purlyshellyarn.com

Local, Sustainable, Humane is our goal!

SE2SE provider.

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

18

APRIL 2021

LIV

E

Saturday 4:30 Pm Eastern

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

19

APRIL 2021

Friday 4:30 Pm Eastern

Harvest Hill Acres, located in the beautiful SOGN valley of south central Minnesota, is home to a purebred flock of CVM Romedale sheep. We also have llamas, angora rabbits, chickens, bees, barn cats and our golden retrievers who feel they own the place. We try to use everything used on the farm in our products so you will see feed bag totes, sheep pins made from skirtings. All our fiber products are natural colors, are locally processed at a mill. This sale will include NEW products that include Jacob sheep roving, llama roving, Antler buttons, Angora/Romeldale blend yarn, and as always new yarn colors from our sheep.

IG: HarvesthillacresMN

WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

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APRIL 2021

Shaggy Bear Farms Sunday 10:30 Pm Eastern

Farm to Needle supply of fiber from Dozens of breeds of Sheep and Goats! http://www.shaggybearfarm.com

Welcome to the Shaggy Bear Farms! For almost 2 decades, we have raised, bred, and rescued animals from over 40 breeds of sheep, goats, rabbits, and llamas; just outside of Scio, Oregon. We have made an effort to focus on rarer, endangered, and lesser-known breeds. All the yarn and roving sold here is from our farm (except silk any silk and alpaca products) and dyed here. We do send our wool/mohair out to various mills to process it into roving and yarn WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

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APRIL 2021

Sunday 1:00 Pm Eastern

Whirlwind Ranch, Inc Est. 1994

Celebrating Our 27th Year!

Whirlwind Ranch has been raising Alpacas for over 27 years! We have a passion and appreciation for their wide assortment of colors and the unique properties of their fiber, and love sharing that with others. We have raw fleeces, roving, yarns and a whole store full of finished products for our customers from our herd and other regional herds. info@whirlwindranch.com whirlwindranch.com

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APRIL 2021

Hidden Pastures

Friday 1:30 Pm Eastern

Natalie Burger, Liz Jackson and Mary Cobb are the fiber divas behind Hidden Pastures Luxury Fiber Farm in Branchville, NJ.

We have raised fiber livestock since 2004. Our farm is home to Angora, Cashmere and Cashgora goats, Angora rabbits, Llamas, Huacaya alpacas, Teeswater sheep and Tibetan yaks. We take great pride in creating products from farm raised fiber and enjoy sourcing fibers from North American farms and mills to compliment what we raise.

Twitter @hiddenpastures

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APRIL 2021

Sunday 8:00 Pm Eastern Marcy Bell Jewlery

Handmade sterling silver yarn needles, yarn needle pendants, cable needles, shawl pins and orifice hooks.

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APRIL2020 2021 AUGUST

Saturday 9:30 Pm Eastern

Eco friendly wool products as well as Needle Felting Kits and supplies all handcrafted from local Canadian wool.

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APRIL 2021

Friday 10:30 Pm Eastern

From field to finished product and everything in between!

Give the gift of handmade this year. Don't see what you want?

Reach out to have what you are looking for created! https://www.facebook.com/wineandwooly

Saturday 2:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Friday 6:00 Pm Eastern

WOOL-E FARMS

High Quality Romney Fleeces, rovings, and yarns.

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Un Besito Fiber is known for their adorable Snack Packs, and Dana is bringing a new Snack Pack to the Spring String Fling Thing!

Join us on April 24th, 9:30 EST / 10:30 CST for the Premier of the April Ice Snack Pack.

Un Besito Fiber will also be presenting Lace Weight Mohair/Nylon, Merino/Nylon & our new Twinkle base. https://unbesitofiber.com WOOL AND FIBER ARTS

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APRIL 2021

Friday 5:00 Pm Eastern

Saturday 5:30 Pm Eastern We carry 13 yarn bases with over 100 colorways ranging from lace to bulky yarn in hand dyed yarn. We have lots of kits and patterns for sale.

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APRIL 2021

Tips for Washing Alpaca Fleece by Ingrid & Dwayne Snader Cloverleaf Farms West Alpaca do not create lanolin, which – to us – makes washing their fleece much less intimidating than scouring sheep’s wool! The wash method we use can be done in scale-able – you can wash a few ounces in your kitchen sink, or a whole fleece in large multiple large tubs. You will need a few things to get started, though; Mesh laundry bags (check dollar tree!)

Sink, bucket, large tub (we use storage bins) Baby shampoo/baby wash Gentle hair conditioner or fabric softener (optional) Cedar oil, tea tree, mint oil, lavender oil – one, all or none Once you have skirted (and tumbled, if you’re tumbling) your fleece, separate it into the mesh laundry bags. For our largest fleeces we’ll use 3 to 4 bags.

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APRIL 2021

Washing Alpaca Fleece by Ingrid & Dwayne Snader ~Cloverleaf Farms West (cont..)

Wash Cycle: Run room temperature water into your wash container and add your shampoo while the water is running – 1 to 5 pumps depending on how much you’re washing. You will want at least enough water to completely submerge the entire fleece and allow room for some expansion and gentle movement. Submerge your bag(s) of fleece and gently squish and saturate them till the bubbles stop and they will remain submerged. You should see dire dirt beginning to drift out pretty quickly at this point. It is ok to gently prod, swish and move your bags around periodically over the next 15 to 30 minutes to help move the dirt out….just be gentle.

Once the water is dirty, lift the fleece bags out of your tub, drain the dirty water, and repeat the Wash Cycle until your water runs pretty clean and the “barn yard” smell is gone – subsequent Wash Cycles generally can be shorter than the original 15 to 30 minutes. For cleaner fleeces one or two cycles is usually enough. If your fleece is from what we like to call the “Dirtbag Diaries” you may need to repeat this step as many as 5 or 6 times. Don’t worry that any remaining VM is not coming out during washing – any leftover VM generally works it’s way out during carding/combing and spinning.

Rinse Cycle: one you don’t see much dirt and yuck in your wash water and you don’t notice the barn yard smell, again lift out your fleece bags, drain the water and run your next tub full of plain room temperature water. Submerge and gently swish the fleece around. Leave it to soak for another 30 minutes or so, with the occasional swish.

Final Rinse Cycle: This is optional, and may depend on your preference and need.

Colorado is dry as heck, and fleeces get static-y. For this cycle, lift out your rinsed fleece and drain the water. Refill your tub with room temperature water and a small amount of hair conditioner or fabric softener. We add cedar, tea tree, mint oil and lavender oil at this stage to discourage mice and moths. Submerge your bag or bags of fleece swish gently and allow to soak for 15 - 30 minutes.

Dryer Cycle: lift your bag from the final cycle – whichever that is – and drain the water. Gently squeeze as much water out as you can. We spread the fleeces – still in the mesh bags out on wire shelving to dry; and from time to time, the skirting table does double duty! We also use box fans to keep the air moving and help with drying. Whenever someone thinks about it, we flip and gently spread out and rearrange the fleece to help it dry evenly.

Times for ALL cycles are suggestions, because nobody has ever gotten busy with something else and come back an hour or three later!

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APRIL 2021

Susan's Fiber Shop

Susan's carries a variety of equipment and tools for spinning, weaving, felting. Check out our supply of weaving and knitting yarns and exotic and domestic fibers to spin or felt.

Susans Fiber is nestled in the heart of America Columbus, Wi. Https://www.susansfiber.com

Saturday 2:00 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Sunday 8:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Saturday 6:30 Pm Eastern

https://www.mittenstatewool.com/ Email: mittenstatesheepandwool@gmail.com

Friday 8:00 Pm Eastern

Kostelaz Creations

Kostelaz Creations is a small one woman business based in the Pacific Northwest. I offer hand woven items, handspun yarn, and project bags!

Handcrafted drawstring bags and constructed tote bags are made with high quality fabrics and materials to contain all of your projects and fiber goodies! My bags come in a variety of sizes tailored with the fiber artist in mind. When you shop with Kostelaz Creations you will find fabrics and patterns that run the gamut from whimsical animal prints to fantasy, garden and sea themes to designs that tickled my fancy and hopefully yours as well! Custom orders are always welcome! Purchases can be made by private message, or email message.

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APRIL 2021

Saturday 1:30 Pm Eastern

Alpaca! We have a variety of colors in both Suri and Huacaya. Fleeces, rovings and batts, as well as yarns, dryer balls and finished garments. Our website is http://www.macedosminia cres.com. Please follow us on FaceBook and Instagram.

Friday 7:00 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Saturday 7:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Friday 6:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Saturday 4:00 Pm Eastern

Saturday 12:00 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Sunday 12:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

E-SPINNERS 8 WOOD TYPES

4 COLORS

Sunday 12:30 Pm Eastern

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR FAN CLUB

UNIQUE HANDMADE WHEELS JUST FOR YOU! www.forevergrowingllp.com

Friday 12:00 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Friday 10:00 Pm Eastern

Saturday February 27th 4:00 PM EST

https://knitspin.com

The Foldout Cat offers all sorts of fibery tools and treasures for your spinning, felting, weaving, and general art-making pleasure!

This month, Q - with the invaluable help of Fiber J and Maker J - will be bringing tons of fun things to the WAFA community

Friday 7:30 Pm Eastern

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including the following: * Littermates - one of our unique art batts paired with complementary/contrasting roving * Meow Mixes - handpicked, kitty-curated selections of fibery fixins from our Batt Buffet * Cat Toys NEW ITEM: a Meow Mix paired with complementary/contrasting roving * and of course, our unique art batts, in two different sizes - regular (2 oz) and the new CHONKY! (4 oz) Find us on social media (FoldoutCat everywhere you look :-)) or our website (http://foldoutcat.com). Come fiber with us!

APRIL 2021

Friday 11:30 am Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Sunday 4:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Lamb Shop Kits -Brand new Kits! Everything you need to make the project! The best customizable kits available.

-New projects every 3 months!

-We offer knit AND crochet kits!!!

- Projects are appropriate for the confident beginner.

-The kits are cheaper then if you were to buy the supplies separately -We offer amazing hand dyed yarns AND a superwash lambs wool yarn from United States companies.

-The patterns also have a free digital download PDF code included.

-We have $9 flat rate shipping to the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada, We have a flat rate shipping of $25 to the whole of UK.

Sunday 5:00 Pm Eastern

Friday 3:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Friday 9:30 Pm Eastern

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APRIL 2021

Spinner's Candy

Spinner's Candy is a simple philosophy, fiber and yarn are the things fiber artists crave. I want to make dyeways that will make you want to craft. I focus on high quality fibers in dyeways that are repeatable and fun to work with. I have been a dye artist for 20 years and have worked with many fibers. I also raise angora rabbits for show and fiber in a variety of natural colors. I enjoy working with all sorts of fibers and love to see what others create as well.

Saturday 1:00 Pm Eastern

http://www.spinnerscandy.etsy.com

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APRIL 2021

So, You Want to Buy a Loom?

by Margery Erickson Opalessence Fiber Studio @Opalessence.Studio

www.etsy.com/shop/maverickson

Table looms, knitter looms, tapestry looms, floor looms, rigid heddle looms, inkle looms and the list keep going. Which loom is for you? Unfortunately, this is not an easy question to answer. Is there a friend or place you can go to learn to weave before you purchase a loom? What are you interested in making? What is your budget? How much space do you have? Is this a heart, soul kind of commitment or just something you want to try out?

Here are three looms a beginner might want to consider.

Rigid Heddle loom sometimes called a Knitters loom It is an economical way to learn to weave.

The name come from the structure of the heddle. A heddle functions to raise or lower the warp threads. A rigid heddle is fixed, and you use your hands to move the warp threads up or down as a group. The widths range from 8” to 36.” This is one of the easiest of looms to use. Those who decide they want to weave more intricate patterns may find they would like to experience a loom with more shafts.

Table loom

A table loom may have 4 or more shafts for weaving and take up less space and financial investment that a floor loom requires. Just as the name says it sits on a table and some have stands. You move

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the shafts using your hands by pressing levers that are located either in the front or side of the loom. When pressing a lever, the shaft rises. You control each shaft by pressing each lever separately They come in various widths from 15” to 24”.

Floor looms – Jack style

A jack loom is similar to a table loom – except the shafts are connect to treadles under the loom.

You step on a treadle and the shaft rises. Jack looms also come in various widths: most are from 18” to 60.” Many of these looms do fold. Think about your arm span and comfort. A sixty-inch loom is big!

How often would you weave 60”? What new weavers do not realize is there will be shrinkage. A 60” loom will NOT produce 60” wide fabric.

Think 15% shrinkage and your end up with 51” or even less.

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I have long arms and my widest weaving comfort width is 30”. Using this as a reference I was able to weave a tablecloth for our dining room. How could I do this? Weaving fabric and sewing three panels together. The width when finished was about 72” Some jack looms have one treadle for each shaft. For example, pressing treadle one, shaft one goes up, press two and two goes up, etc. These looms usually have 4 shafts and 4 treadles.

More common are jack looms where you can connect two or more shaft to one treadle. This is helpful when weaving more complex patterns. You will see looms like these that have 4, 8, 16, or even more shafts. You can weave so many patterns with 4 shafts there is really no need to get more in the beginning. As an experienced weaver I find four are what I use most of the time and sometimes 8 shafts.

Used or New? Now what should you look for or buy? If money is no option, then you can look at some of the new looms that are on the market. If your budget does not allow for new there are many used looms for sale. Sometimes used wider looms are less expensive than narrow looms. Why? Because they are big. If you are not familiar with loom parts have someone who is knowledgeable help you pick out a used loom. If certain parts are missing and the company is no longer in business this could be a real problem.

Remember if you have leg issues or are on the senior side of life the shafts on the wider looms may be harder to lift when you press down with your leg. Young folks – no problem – great leg exercise. Keep those beautiful legs in shape. You will get a workout without going to the gym. Also, if you find you love weaving it is can be very relaxing and grounding.

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Understanding Alpaca Fiber By: Liz Mitchko, Whirlwind Ranch Alpacas produce fiber that is annually shorn and used for many things. There are two types of alpacas – the Huacaya (wa-ki-ya) and the Suri (Sir-e). The Huacaya Alpaca has fiber that has crimp and grows at 90 degrees from the skin in small bundles called locks. The Suri Alpaca has silky smooth fiber that resembles spirals in locks that can look like dreadlocks, but they aren’t felted.

Both the Huacaya and Suri alpacas naturally come in a wide range of colors including white, fawn, brown, silver grey, rose grey, black with many shades in between. In North America the Alpaca Registry classifies 16 distinct colors for registration purposes.

Alpacas are shorn annually and their fiber is not all the same throughout the animal. The North American industry tends to use both the names and numbers to help define where and/or what part of the body the fiber came from. As breeders, our goal is to have uniform fiber fineness and length through the fleece on the body of an alpaca. ( location drawing) Each lock of fiber is made up of a primary fiber in the center. The primary fiber is surrounded by secondary fibers. You can distinguish the primary fiber in a Huacaya fleece as they do not have crimp and can be longer (so they stick up), and coarser than the secondary fibers. It is a bit more difficult to see a primary fiber on a Suri fleece. Through breeding and genetics, we want to see the primary and secondary fibers be of similar micron count. We can get information on this from a Histogram, and a number called SD (Standard Deviation)- the smaller that number, the closer the fineness of those fibers. .

This is a general break down of the parts of the alpaca that represents each area. Note, not all alpacas are the same this is where skirting an alpaca fleece is very important for a better quality end product.

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The Blanket, or 1’s (or Prime), refer to the fiber on the body of the alpaca from the base of the neck to the top of the tail and down the sides approximately ¾ down to the belly. This generally represents 50-55% of the fleece harvest.

The Neck, or 2nds, (or two’s), refer to the fiber from the neck and from the upper leg. This is usually around 2/3s the length of the blanket fibers and has more pronounced primaries.

The lower legs, belly and apron (chest) fibers are referred to as thirds. These fibers are generally coarser. The lower leg fibers are much shorter in length, however the belly fibers can be quite long .

Every shearer has their way of removing a fleece from an alpaca.

While we would all love to see each and every fleece removed in one piece, sometimes it comes off in sections. Some will remove the belly fibers first to get them out of the way and to separate them from the blanket.

When you are looking at a bag full of fiber, or several from the same alpaca, understanding where on the animal the alpaca the characteristics of the fiber may change will ultimately lead you to having a better end product for you and/or your customer.

Alpaca fiber is graded by micron into different numerical grades based on the micron (thickness of the individual fiber) count. The industry grades fiber from 1-6, with one being the finest and 6 being robust/coarse.

Grade 1: 18-20 microns Grade 2: 20-22.9 Grade 3: 23-25.9

Grade 4: 26-28.9 Grade 5: 29-31.9 Grade 6: 32+

Believe it or not, the human eye can see the difference every 3 microns, and with tools like using comparison samples, a lighted magnifying glass, histograms (lab reports), sorting a fleece by grade can be done efficiently.

Over the last 26+ years I have had a couple of thousand alpaca fleeces cross my skirting table and my goal is to “touch it once” from the time it is sheared off the animal (or picked up in bags), to heading back out the door for to a mill, for production or for sale. I personally like to lay the cut side down on the table and take a good look at what is before me. This allows any second cuts to fall to the floor and not cross contaminate the fleece. Some may choose to start with the cut side up and may even run a lint roller over the cut side to grab any second cuts.

I try and “read” the fleece to see where the blanket part of the fleece changes characteristics and where primary fibers become more pronounced- sticking up like a “halo” effect. This is where I like to begin to pull that away from the blanket and follow it all the way around the table.

Depending on how the shearer removed the fleece, we might have partial seconds and thirds on the table too.

There are many things that I look for when working on a fleece: 1) Health of the fleece (strength)- is it brittle when pulled on? I usually test 3 samples on the fleece first. These are done by “snapping” a lock. If it makes a sound like “boink”- it is healthy. If it breaks apart in all 3 samples, the fleece is unhealthy and I am done. 2) If there is any evidence of parasites (lice), 3) How clean is it from vegetable matter, stains, foreign objects, etc. 4) Color contamination from previously shorn animals and 5) Quantity of Second cuts. If any of the first two items are present, I don’t do any more to that fleece and put it aside with a note. Otherwise, inspecting the fleece, skirting it and grading all happen simultaneously. On average, a single blanket should take between 7-10 minutes, and if the neck and mid-leg were bagged separately, another 3-5 minutes with those fibers for a total of 10-15 minutes at the most. Of course, if it is a Tui (baby alpaca) fleece, you can plan on doubling that time….as their fleece tends to contain

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more vegetable matter because of constantly being under their moms. The tips on baby fleeces also tend to be brittle, so more care is needed.

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APRIL 2021

Sunday 6:00pm Eastern

www.CedarViewFarmVA.com

Cedar View Farm is a fiber farm located in Central Virginia where I raise a breeding flock of FBA registered finnsheep. In addition to my sheep, I also maintain a small herd of alpacas. I specialize in spinning fiber with my farm raised roving and batts in both natural and kettle dyed colors.

Hand-dyed Yarn

Handspun Yarn

Handturned Knitting Needles

COMPASS MOON CREATIONS (BASED IN THE INLAND NORTHWEST ON THE WA/ID BORDER)

SATURDAY APRIL 24TH 8:00PM EST/5:00PM PST WWW.COMPASSMOONCREATIONS.ETSY.COM

Fiber Locks

Carded Batts

Creative Ripples by Lisa is a home-based business out of South Dakota, raising Angora Rabbits for their amazingly soft, warm wool.

Featured in this Live Sale will be: One-of-a-Kind Rolags Fiber Art Packs Luxury Rolags Washed Fleece Dyed Long Locks Hand-Spun Yarns Dyed Braid and Lock Sets

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“Spring Into Creativity” Saturday 7pm PDT 10pm EST Featuring: Mini & Mega Sparkly Art Batts Mohair Locks French Angora Fluff Hand-Painted Spindles & Kits SpinOlution Spinning Wheels Weapons of Mass Construction (giant knitting needles) Fabulous Fiber Washing Bag Art Yarn Custom Batts via zoom

Follow us on:

www.SpinGlitz.com

Lizette Hopkins

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Interview with Alexis MANTIONE: Inventor of My Two Ladies “adjustable knitting needle system” I am a New Yorker transplanted on Long Island. I started my entrepreneurial journey when I was 15 participating in the Junior Achievement Program that teaches teens how to start-up a company, get funds, manufacture, sell and everything in between. Actually I was not an overachiever in school, but I excelled in the program representing, the county of Queens. Worked, got married, had a kid and lived a very nice life. The change came when I was 56 and retired from my job as a law firm office manager. That very week, a local yarn store opened in my town. I was always crafty and working with wood, clay, yarn and every tool I could get my hands on. The correlation between entrepreneurship, and creativity melded together at that very yarn shop only weeks after retiring.

My grandmother who did not speak a word of English, nor a word of Italian, taught me to knit and crochet at the age of 8. It was wonderful in many ways for me to be able to share this bond. I always kept with it, but hard to find the time and it usually sat on the back burner. Now it comes together once more. I am 57, retired, spending several days a week improving my knitting skills and enjoying this knitting community. ● Tell us about the product you invented with a brief explanation: My Two Ladies “adjustable Knitting Needle System”: My patented product is a knitting needle system that offers knitters an innovative knitting needle option. Using these needles, you can knit longer, faster and easier with less stress on your hands, wrists and upper body. Knitters are notoriously afflicted with hand ailments from overuse and repetitive motion injury. A

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sliding stopper on a pliable cord attached to each straight knitting needle, allows the knitter to adjust the tension of their project and hold hundreds of stitches effortlessly.

Ultimately, use of the adjustable needle will reduce your pain and enhance your gain.

When I invented these needles, I was not afflicted with any pain or arthritis type ailments and specifically liked these needles for the ease of knitting large projects and any project that has lots of stitches. Two years later, I had a serious accident, severely broken bones in my dominant arm, surgery and still burdened will nerve damage. I was not able to use any other needles. The irony of this is “I became my best customer”.

● How/Why did you start inventing. What set you off?

Inventing and creating are similar. I have always been a tinkerer and would work in my dad’s home workshop or help with repairs. I often tried to make something work better or easier. Inventing is an art and I was an amateur artist turned inventor. Life certainly took a wonderful and rewarding turn for me later in life. ● How did you get from idea to finished product?

As I was now knitting more often since retiring, I decided to tackle a king sized bulky blanket for my bed. While knitting this blanket, it was getting larger and heavier and cumbersome to say the least. The fun and relaxing aspects of creating was becoming more of a chore. I thought there had to be a better way to do this. Surprisingly, there was not. There are only two types of needles and no innovation in many decades. I had an idea pop into my head, grabbed some knitting tools and gadgets and created my prototype right there on the spot.

Patented adjustable knitting needle system.

Sizes US4-US19 The journey continued as knitters were requesting I sell them. Others were suggesting “you need to get a patent”. I found my way and read many books and start-up documents. After conducting focus groups with my built in knitting network, it starting becoming real. I knew it was important to protect my invention and hired an Intellectual Property attorney. Applied for trademark and patent which was later granted.

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Handcrafted exotic wood shawl pin & Yarn caddy/holder The most challenging task was finding a manufacturer. I wanted to have a US company, but it was impossible for me to find, regardless of the cost. Every day I searched the web, made calls, emails, asked other businesses for referrals and suggestions. Most people were more than eager to help and mentor where possible.

Eventually, I found a multi-generational family in India that created luxurious products by hand to perfection. We were mutually thrilled to be working with each other.

Jumbo Adjustable Knitting Needles & Drop Spindle kit with all you need to spin yarn

● Let us know of useful resources that helped you i.e. Books, websites, software etc.

My most useful resource was being selected as one of 100 entrepreneurs/inventors for a scholarship 3 day work shop, sponsored by HSN, as a participant in the “American Dream”. I connected with so many experienced and brilliant leaders. Upon returning home, I continued to meet with my local SCORE chapter. The mentors of SCORE are there because they want to keep entrepreneurship and small business alive.

My Two Ladies patented adjustable knitting needle system now grew to become the “good for your hands” fiber art tools brand” in a micro-niche market. All My Two Ladies products are handcrafted in India by expert generational wood artisans and designed by me to include subtle and not so subtle features that promote ergonomics and the importance of quality tools and hand health.

Please find all her products at: http://mytwoladiesknitting.com

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