Come to the WILD WOOL MARKET this Saturday!

We'll be participating in the first ever WILD WOOL MARKET this Saturday. Sure, it's Memorial Day Week-end, but come and see us. Here's the scoop:

WILD WOOL MARKET

Saturday, May 29th, 10-4

at the

Susan Hensel Gallery

3441 Cedar Ave.

Minneapolis, MN 55407

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Other news from THE STUDIO:

Memorial Day Week-End SALE at the store.

This Friday, Saturday & Sunday

20% OFF all Fibers

25% OFF Ashford Dyed Corriedale

And...we've got tons of undyed fibers and a great selection of dyes in stock. We've got undyed BFL, Merino, Superfine Merino, SW BFL, SW Merino, Colonial, South African, Falkland, Wensleydale, Finn.

We've also got some really beautiful blends that would be fabulous dyed up...Cultivated Silk/Merino 50/50, 21m Merino/Tussah Silk/Baby Camel 50/25/25, Alpaca/Merino/Tussah 50/30/20, and BFL/Tussah Silk 75/25. And, of course, we have Cultivated Silk Top, Tussah Silk, Silk Noils, Throwster's Waste, and Silk Hankies, Bamboo and Tencel.

And for those of you who are out-of-state, we cheerfully accept MAIL ORDERS. Give us a call at 612.822.1600, check our Etsy Store, or contact us via e-mail.

FELT MAKER'S RETREAT

Felt Makers Retreat

When:
April 23-25, 9-4

Where:
Community Homestead Farm
201 280th Street
Osceola, WI 54020
(it's just over an hour from Twin Cities)

To Register, or for more Information:
Call Jill at 952-484-1146, or e-mail her at JillLynn@JillLynn.com. Prices include a light lunch.


Seamless Vest or Top with Jill Lynn (shown above)
3 day class, Fri - Sunday ($360 + materials)
Have you ever asked yourself:
"How big do I make the resist pattern to get a well-fulled vest (or sleeveless tunic) in the size I want? Oh yeah, and preferably not cardboard stiff."

We will address these issues, and many more. By the end of class you will not only have a well made vest, or sleeveless tunic, but some great tools for sizing and control of fabric weight for all of your future projects.

Did I mention that the vest is reversible? To see more of Jill Lynn's work, check out her website at http://www.jilllynn.com/.

Elements Shawl with Kay Kaduce
2 day class, Fri - Sat ($240 + materials)
This shawl combines a wonderful mix of wet felted wool, textured nuno felt and re-purposed wool. The unique design features the use of a number of techniques, such as wet and needle felting, machine sewing, beading, and embellishing. Be ready for the creative juice to flow.

Freeform Bracelet with Rona Horn
1 day class, Sun ($120 + materials)
This over the top project features wet felting around a wire armature, embellishing with a simplified free form peyote look and additional beading techniques. The free form peyote is stitched in parts then assembled during the embellishing process, allowing you to mix and match your pieces in the course of the design process.

Cutest Kitty!

This is my kitty, Pie...he is the sweetest boy!

Shepherd's Harvest and Tons of Wool for Dyeing

It's Spring, and I love daffodils.

Thanks to my friend Barb for this sweet bouquet!

Here's a head's up, SHEPHERD'S HARVEST FESTIVAL is coming up fast! Be sure to mark your calendars...we'll be at the Washington County Fairgrounds (in Lake Elmo) Mother's Day Week-end, May 8th and 9th. If you are at all into fibers, it's a must see. A ton of activities going on, it's a blast, and it's totally free! For more info, http://www.shepherdsharvestfestival.org/.

NEW INTO THE SHOP:

We're loaded with fibers, including nine new colors in the solid color Merino Tops.

There are some very pretty new Multi-Color Merino Tops, too...can't wait to spin them up.

We've got a bunch of undyed wools that are perfect for dyeing. There's Blue Face Leicester (BFL), Merino, Superfine Merino, Falkland, Colonial, South African Top, Wensleydale (very lustrous and a very long staple), Superwash Merino and Superwash BFL.

We also have a bunch of other undyed fibers you can dye up. China Silk (aka Paj Silk) Fabric for Nuno Felting (54" wide), Bombyx Silk Top, Silk Hankies, Silk Caps, Silk Throwster's Waste, Tussah Silk with Flecks, Mohair Top, Soy Silk, Bamboo, Tencel, Firestar (100% Nylon) and even Hemp (new in the shop).

We're working on the new class schedule and I hope to have that ready soon. If you'd like to get notices about class schedules and other events at the shop, shoot me an email at pamangier@comcast.net with the subject "Email List," and I'll add you to the list.

And, as always, if you have any recommendations for the shop, I appreciate your input.

WINTER CLASS SCHEDULE

The Winter Class Schedule is ready (yay!). You can take a look at it at http://www.thefiberstudio.com/classes.html. There are a couple of classes still to be posted, I should have them ready next week. And I'll also have the photos on the website within the next couple days.

And while I'm posting, here's a last minute reminder that the Spinning Group meets today, 12-4.

New Items, Spinning Group

Hi everybody,

Here are some of new things in the shop:

Another shipment of Gale's Art has come in...her semi-solid BFL and 70 Alpaca/30 Silk (yum).

Hand Painted Firestar, a bunch of it in lots of colors, perfect for putting sparkle into your fibers.

Lots of Hand Dyed and Carded Romney, Corriedale, Border Leicester locks and more by Celeste. Also her Handspun singles from that started out as fleeces grown by happy sheep, all from Minnesota and Wisconsin...can't get any more local than that.

Pulled Silk Threads from Frabjous Fibers (great for carding into your batts and such).

Sari Ribbons from Frabjous Fibers, really nice colors.

And...new Crazy Batts carded by moi.

And don't forget...we'll be doing the Spinning Group at the shop on Sunday, January 17th, from 12-4, hope you can make it. February dates will be the 7th and the 21st, be sure to mark your calendars!

CRAZY BATTS at The Fiber Studio

dscn1757 (2)
Originally uploaded by The Fiber Studio

New! Soft, Fluffy, Etheral CRAZY BATTS for spinning Art Yarns, each chock full of fibery goodness! They're also great for wet felting and needle felting, you'll want to check them out.

HOLIDAY HOURS

Better late than never, I guess...
Hours at the shop over the Holidays will be:

WEDNESDAY 12/23, 11-6
THURSDAY, 12/24 (Christmas Eve Day) 11-3
FRIDAY, 12/25 (Christmas Day) Closed
SATURDAY, 12/26, 10-5
SUNDAY,12/27, 12-4

MONDAY, 12/28 Closed
TUESDAY, 12/29 Closed
WEDNESDAY, 12/30, 11-5
THURSDAY, 12/31 (New Year's Eve Day) 11-3
FRIDAY, 01/01 (New Year's Day) Closed
SATURDAY, 01/02, 10-5
SUNDAY, 01/03, 12-4 -- SPINNING GROUP!

It's been a difficult year for a lot of us, we just have to believe that 2010 is going to be better. I'd like to thank all of you for your support and friendship over the past year, it means a lot to me. Wishing you and yours a safe and blessed Holiday Season.
Warmly,
Pam

A NEW RAVELRY GROUP, SURI ALPACA, CHINA SILK and MORE

I'm very excited...there's a new group on RAVELRY for friends of The Fiber Studio! I hope you'll join! In case you don't know how to find it, go to http://www.ravelry.com/, click on Groups, then do a search for The Fiber Studio. And if you're not a member of Ravelry yet, now would be a good time to jump in, you won't believe what a fantastic community it is! Thank you so much, Michelle, I can't wait to see how the group evolves! My name on Ravelry is fibrgrl, let's be friends!

I have some wonderful SURI ALPACA in the shop, unwashed (it's easier to spin it before you wash it), all of it Prime...in white, black and chestnut (sort of auburn, don't remember what color it's called). The white takes dyes beautifully, if you're into dyeing.

Do you know that we sell undyed HABOTAI SILK (also known as China Silk) by the yard? It's a perfect silk for Nuno Felting, very light and airy.

And, just in today:
A new shipment of ANGELINA FIBERS, more GREAT BOOKS (perfect for your gift giving), and Pro-Chem came in, all the SABRASET DYES are restocked, along with Synthrapol and Citric Acid Crystals.

I think I've told you about the hand carded CRAZY BATTS I'm doing since attending Camp Pluckyfluff with Lexi Boeger...well, they sell just about as fast as I can get them off the drum carder. It's "crazy." And do you know that The Fiber Studio is selling HANDSPUN YARNS from hand carded Crazy Batts? So far we've got Handspun from 3 spinners, all of whom were at Camp Pluckyfluff!

More news soon...keep up the Fiber Mischief!

Website: http://www.thefiberstudio.com/
Online Store: http://www.etsy.thefiberstudio.com/

CRAZY BATTS, ART YARNS, NEW ORDERS

I am loving my new LOUET DRUM CARDER and have been carding Crazy Batts whenever I can...it's always exciting to see what the Batt looks like when you pull it off the drum! You can spin them into fabulously interesting yarns, you can use them in wet felting and needle felting projects. I've been spinning some Batts into Art Yarns, and my friend Zoe brought some of her Art Yarns in on consignment, check them out next time you stop by. I hope to get some of my Batts into my Etsy store soon.

I bought some Hand Dyed Carded Wool from my friend Celeste...Romney, CVM, Corriedale, Shetland, it's a riot of beautiful colors, all of it locally grown in Minnesota and Wisconsin!

A new shipment of GALE'S ART arrived yesterday: Fresh BFL in Semi-Solids (some new colors, too), Hand Painted Black BFL and her lovely Hand Painted Alpaca/Silk blends.

An order of Hand Painted Bamboo from THE FIBER LADY should be in today, too.

The Winter issue of WILD FIBERS magazine has just come in. Haven't had time to look at it yet, but as usual, the cover photo is amazing!

And, last but not least, our SPINNING GROUP meets again on Sunday, December 6, from 12-4, and we hope to see you!

That will do it for today...until next time, I hope you find yourself deep in Fiber Mischief!

Some Corny Stuff, Gale's Art, Hand Painted BFL

Disclaimer: there's some corny drivel coming up...

It was Saturday (ya know)...and Lawrence Welk was on! I got to watch the whole show with my Uncle Lyle...woo hoo! It was a Thanksgiving show from 1973! OMG, talk about COR-NY! The (scary) hair, clothes, uber-sweetness, "Bobby and Sissy." I was surprised at how much Lyle knows about all of the characters..."those two were married but then they got a divorce and he married someone else," Lyle knew about every single person on the show.

After Lawrence Welk, we were watching Antiques Roadshow and I started feeling kind of sleepy (no matter how hard I tried, I nodded off a couple times). Then, I realized Lyle hadn't said anything for a little while. I looked over at him and he was asleep...I thought, well he'll never know if I just close my eyes for a few minutes...nothing like a little Lawrence Welk to put you in the mood for a nap.

For those of you who have been waiting for more Gale's Art, it will be shipping from Atlanta today and I hope to have it by Saturday. I talked to Gale yesterday, part of the Firestar on order will come in with this shipment and the rest will come in a couple weeks or so. The Hand Painted Semi-Solid BFL and the Hand Painted Alpaca/Silk fibers will be in this shipment, for those of you who have been waiting for it.

More of the Hand Painted Bamboo is coming too, I hope (fingers crossed) it'll come in Friday.

In case I don't post again before Thursday, I want to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A HOME STUDIO and THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Some of you already know that I live in the house I grew up in. There are two bedrooms upstairs, and my sister and I used to share the biggest one. It's really big, like 16' x 19', and I'm finally getting around to organizing and rearranging everything up there into a home studio for myself for jewelry making, mixed media, etc. I have always loved ephemera, found objects, the quirky, the offbeat...and I've collected a ton of it over the years. I'm excited to get it all set up, and painted. When I get a more done I'll snap some photos and post them.

Soooo, anywho...while working upstairs I ran across this quotation, which I thought I'd share with you:

"Notice what happens when you follow your intuitive feelings.

The result is usually increased energy and power,

and a sense of things flowing."

-Shakti Gawain

JUST IN: Wool, Ashford Merino/Silk, Mohair & Angelina

Just in this afternoon, another 84 lbs. of wool and other fibers...mostly Corriedale (what we use for Tote Bags, Slippers, Handbags, other wet felting projects and needle felting). There's plenty of Black, Lima Bean, Lime Green, Periwinkle and more...one of these days I have to get those listed in my Etsy store.

There's also another bump of the lovely Multi-Color Merino 80/Silk 20 from Ashford in the Woodland colorway, and two new colorways that I haven't had in before, one is Mango and the other is a very pretty blue (don't remember the name right now).

I also got some fine white adult mohair top that will be great tossed into the mix for Crazy Batts, and a bunch of new Angelina and Crystalina fibers are also in.

Monday I was finishing up my yardwork, when my birdbath caught my eye. No water in it, and the pottery shards that have been sitting in the bottom of it were beautiful! That's what's going on in the pictures at the top.

THIS IS GOOD TO KNOW (ya think?)

I've been meaning to pass this along... :)
Do you know that you can still watch Lawrence Welk? woo-hoo! Every Saturday evening at 6:00 PM on Comcast Channel 13 (TPT 17) there's this great Lawrence Welk program (they show reruns and tell behind the scenes stories). My Uncle Lyle (he's 90 yrs. old, dear man) turned me onto it...when I can visit him on Saturdays we watch it together! It's actually a great show, and seriously, if you live in this area you should check it out, no matter what your age is. Nice, mellow music, kinda corny, lots of memories. Hey, let me know if you happen to check it out!

Crazy Batts & Kris Post's 3rd Annual Holiday Sale

Oh my, the big Crazy Batt Carder (ala Lexi Boeger of Pluckyfluff fame) came in late last week and wait until you see the batts this thing cards. We've done a little playing around with it at the shop and everyone who has seen what it does (and how it does it) is awestruck. I hope to get pictures of more batts online this week, and I hope to list some in my Etsy Store (which is: http://www.thefiberstudio.etsy.com/). Hope you'll come back and take a look.

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HOLIDAY SALE OF UNIQUE HANDMADE ART

A lot of you know Kris Post, she teaches some of the great classes offered at The Fiber Studio. You've loved her work, this is a great chance to buy hand felted works of art directly from Kris, one day only...maybe something for yourself or for those on your holiday list. Kris and some of her friends hold this Holiday Sale each year, this is the 3rd Annual Sale.

Now, if I was more computer literate I would have been able to figure out how to get a copy of their postcard uploaded...until I figure that out, here are the details of the Holiday Sale:

where: 4047 LINDEN HILLS BLVD., MINNEAPOLIS, MN

when: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 9-5

Hope you'll stop by, do a little browsing and some buying!

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Coming to The Fiber Studio!

There's lots of wool and other fibers on their way this week. About 80 lbs. coming from Ashland Bay Trading on Friday, and about that much coming from Ashford the first of next week.

An order of Felting Needles, Foam Bases and Multi-Needle Tools will also be in this week.

And then there's the Drum Carder I ordered...it should come into the shop by Friday, and I cannot wait! The Camp Pluckyfluff "experience" has opened up a whole new way of looking at fibers and the wide world of add-ins and all that. Yow.

Here's a heads up on the next Spinning Group, which will meet again Sunday, December 6th, from 12 to 4...it's a great group and all are welcome!

I think that will do it for tonight, as always keep up the Fiber Mischief-making!

CAMP PLUCKYFLUFF...Oh, My!!!

Oh, geeez, did we have fun at Camp Pluckyfluff!!!

Lexi Boeger is amazing...and a great instructor! She was so generous in sharing her techniques, knowledge, tips and tricks, I swear it was just the best workshop ever! There were 22 of us in class and we just carded and spun our little hearts out all week-end. It was two days of pure sensory overload, and I don't think that even begins to describe it! Actually, it was so exciting that, when I got home Saturday night, I ordered a drum carder just like Lexi's! I can't wait for it to come in! More about carding to come...

FIBER NEWS

Due in Friday, an 80 lb. order from Ashland Bay Trading.

REMINDER, SHOP HOURS

Thursday and Friday, 11-5

Saturday, 11-5 Sunday, 12-4

Hope you're all gettin' into some good ol' Fiber Mischief!

SHOP HOURS HAVE CHANGED

Holy Cow, it's been a long time!

Just a couple things this post. First off, due to unforeseen circumstances, the shop will be open shorter hours through Fall and Winter. Here are the new hours:

Thurday-Friday 11-5
Sat 10-5 Sun 12-4

Oh, and the shop will be closed this coming week-end...we're going to "Camp Pluckyfluff" with Lexi Boeger at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota (at The Textile Center). I can't wait! I've never closed the shop for a whole week-end before and I know it will be an inconvenience for some of you (for which I apologize). But this is such a great opportunity, and a bunch of us will be there.

Also coming up is the 35th Annual FIBER FAIR sponsored by the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. It is a huge sale and goes Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15. I'll post more about it next time, with the hours and more information. It's a great sale!

I also have to tell you about some lovely hand painted SUPERWASH BLUE FACE LEICEISTER that's just come in. It is supersoft and the colors are deeply saturated, and it was a big hit with the Spinning Group Sunday!

I hope you're all finding the time for some "Fiber Mischief." I'll post again soon!

Pam

Fall 2009 Class Schedule

Our FALL 2009 CLASS SCHEDULE has gone out to the email list, and it's also up on the website. We are offering a ton of classes this Fall and there should be something for everyone! If you would like to see what we have put together for you, click here: http://thefiberstudio.com/classes.html. And, if you have any ideas for classes we'd love to have you share them with us, as we all love learning new skills!

JUST INTO THE FIBER STUDIO:

HAND PAINTED SOCK YARNS from Pigeon Roof Studios, these yarns are 80 Superwash Merino/10 Cashmere/10 Nylon, 380 yards per skein, size 1-3 needles (US) and very yummy!

Lovely HAND THROWN PORCELAIN DROP SPINDLES by local potter Dyann Myers! These spindles are beautiful, and little works of art...and they spin and spin and spin!

A new shipment of TOP WHORL DROP SPINDLES from Steve Kundert of Wisconsin! A wonderful selection of perfectly balanced wooden spindles, each made one at a time by Steve.

COMING IN SOON:

"INSPIRATION" YARNS from SouthWest Trading Company, 50 Alpaca/50 Soysilk, these yarns are beautiful!

I swear that Summer is flying by! I know I've said it before, but where does the time go?

Kris Post is here tonight teaching her Nuno Felted Scarf Class. We've got a full house and, from the sound of it, they're having fun. The class participants are always awe-struck, because Nuno Felting is such a magical process...who'd a thunk a little wool and silk could do that?!

A quick update for those of you who like to dye. Another order of the Cushing's Perfection Acid Dyes came in this week, including 17 brand new colors (and now there are 67 colors to choose from). Summer is a great time for dyeing, come in and check out the expanded Cushing's color line, and the Sabraset/Lanaset in all 22 colorways.

And today, the new Fiber Arts and Quilting Arts magazines came in. I'm hoping to have a look at them in the next day or two.

Here's a reminder that our Spinner's Group will meet again on Sunday, August 2nd, 12-4, and everyone is welcome. I think we had 8 or 9 spinners for the July meeting, and it was the 4th of July week-end!

I'm need to scoot for now, hope to post again soon(er than usual).

Pam