Thursday, October 04, 2007

BACK FROM THE SIERRA NEVADAS

My husband and I spent six idyllic days up in the Sierras in the June Lake area and just got back. What a great time we had. The weather cooperated with glorious fall weather, the changing color of the leaves, a chill in the air at times, a bit of snow flurries one morning and frost at night. We hiked and explored during the day -- the Mono Craters, a day trip into Yosemite, lunch along the Merced River, and a hike to see one of the giant sequoia groves. It was great to get away up into the mountain air. I immersed myself in some serious spinning every morning and in the evenings. Here is the view off the deck of the condo where we stayed. This is what I was looking at as I spun.

Here are some of the skeins I spun while on my trip. These were spun from some of Lynne Vogel's handpainted rovings. They're a merino/cashmere/silk blend. [Click on the picture to enlarge.] Just prior to my leaving on vacation, Lynne and I did a handpainted fiber exchange and her colorful rovings arrived just in time to make it into my project bin. My plan is to work these yarns -- along with some natural colored handspuns -- into a Kaffe Fassett waistcoat using his "poppies" pattern from one of his earlier books. The other day, I got a copy of his new book "Kaffe Knits Again" and it's got some great patterns. Funny to look at his picture in the earlier books and then in his new book and to see how he's grown a little gray along with a lot of his more "mature" knitters.


TORRANCE FIBER SHOW -- SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH
SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, November 4th, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. for the Southern California Handweaver's Guild Fiber Festival. This is held annually at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center and is always a fun local event with some great fiber vendors. I will be there as a vendor under my Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio moniker and will have loads of handpainted rovings and many different handpainted yarns. I'll also have my patterns available, and hopefully some new drop spindles. I've also got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to offer some beautiful niddy noddies from a local woodworker. These are handtooled out of exotic woods and are very special. For more information on the show, map, etc. view the site: http://www.schg.org/
Hope to see lots of my fiber friends there.

2 comments:

Hannah said...

Oh, you are so lucky! Yosemite in the fall! (be still my heart) :-) Well, its a good thing you left when you did, its snowing here in Reno, so I'm sure it's snowing there more!

Those colors you spun are really nice, great fall colors!

BTW - If you ever go to Tahoe or Truckee, let me know. I'd like to visit w/ you. Also, I want to get down to SoCal some time after the new year, so I will let you know when that is.

Happy Autumn (and happy spinning!)! ;-)

Jerry said...

I love the whole Sierra in the fall. Many years ago I would spend a week and fish the little lakes and hike in to some places and just enjoy the quietness. I can picture you spinning in the crisp morning air with a soft hand knit sweater on and your coffee nearby as the blue jays sing to you. Wonderful pictures too. Thank you!
Jerry