Master Spinners Level 1 Course

I survived the level one week. The Master Spinners program is offered through Olds College out of Alberta but this cohort was held in Victoria. There are six levels, so I have five more to do. The course was great fun but I didn't expect so much homework. I am not complaining. In fact, it is great to have some projects outlined to do after the course. So the next few months (year?) I'll be busy completing my assignments.

Here are some pictures of the commute. I took my bike and peddled the Galloping Goose trail which took me to one block of the course location right downtown Victoria. Note my spinning wheel on the back of my bike! Another first.

Busy, busy, busy!

It has been a very busy few weeks. I've been to Ottawa ---took a new spindle and learned to navajo ply--got caught in the midst of the Ottawa marathon and 50,000 runners--and saw Leonard Cohen.

>

Went on two hikes to see Gary Oak meadows with various people involved in restoration of these ecosystems.

Piloted a boat so Mark could take pictures of the start of the Van Isle 360. Watched something like 50 fiddlers fiddle away.

From Fleece to Loom

Things have been happening very fast. I bought a fleece. $25 for the whole fleece. I figured it would keep me busy for a year. Th store I bought it from were not sure what breed of sheep but it had lots of crimp similar to a merino and they thought it was lambswool which it could very well be,being fine and soft. Hard to believe but it is white.

I rushed around figuring I needed to clean it now while the sun shone and before I headed down to Victoria to see a loom I had read about for sale. I threw the whole fleece into hot tubs of water and headed out to Victoria. On the way i read about how to clean a fleece. Step 1 - carefully layout the fleece and skirt it by throwing away the not-worth-the-bother-of-cleaning sections. Step 2 - categorize and separate the various qualities. So much for that.

Which brings me to my new loom. 45" Leclerc-look-a-like counterbalance loom. It fit in the car! I just needed a new brake. So now i have to figure out my first project.