Sunday, September 07, 2008

Fiber College

The day started out rainy and foggy, but the weather cleared by the time my friend Layne and I arrived at Fiber College on the Penobscot Bay at Searsport Shores Oceanfront Campground. (about an hour's drive from my house). Our first stop was at the Artist in Resident's booth. Mary Ellen makes quilts incorporating photos that she prints on fabric using her computer and printer. The quilts were gorgeous - tempting me to take up quilting again! Layne's mom is a quilter and she found the perfect Christmas gift for her - Mary Ellen's soon to be released new book,
Blending Photos with Fabric, by Mary Ellen Kranz and Cheryl Hayes. Our next stop was a demonstration on dying fiber with plants. I'll never look at weeds the same way again! Goldenrod is not just for sneezing anymore!

Proving that spinning is not just for the ladies, this man was contently spinning away with his angora bunny roving. His only complaint was that he didn't have time to play his guitar anymore because he was so busy spinning.
I bought a hank of the bunny yarn
which will become a bunny scarf one
of these days!
These two skeins of yarn came from
Friend's Folly Farm and are hand dyed 50% goat's angora and 50% wool. I'm not sure what they will become, but I loved the colors and the yarn is soft, soft, soft!


Here is where I fell in love! These angora bunnies are the softest thing you have ever felt. I got to pet this one and even got to try plucking some of it's fur. I was so tempted to bring one home ($75.00). Of course I don't spin, don't have a spinning wheel, and know nothing about taking care of bunnies - but just holding him and petting him would be enough. I guess they have to be plucked or shorn at least 4 times a year or they get too hot and die.
The shearing of a bunny this size would produce about 2 oz. of angora wool. The wool is so clean and smells so good that there is no need for the washing, carding, etc. that needs to be done with sheep's wool.

It was a very enjoyable morning - and I could have stayed there all day! Next year for certain I'm going to take some classes and maybe stay overnight in Searsport to enjoy some of the evening activities, like the potluck supper. Anyone want to join me?

5 comments:

Aunt Kathy said...

They can make yarn out of that furry bunny? Amazing!!! Is that you petting the bunny?

aksunflour said...

Hmm... bunnies are sooo easy! Just feed and water 2 Xs day and pens. But the angora also require brushing (lots). Now this sounds like a maintenance schedule for a dog!

Can I go w/you please? That looks like so much fun.

Unknown said...

My sister made a quilt for me a couple years of ago for Christmas. We do a name exchange and she got mine (lucky me). It has my parent's and my wedding pics top center. And all of my nieces and nephews, brothers, sisters, their spouses and my kids. Very cool.

My younger sister took one look at it and said to my brother (who does the envelopes every year for the exchange) and said, "I want Peg to have me next year."

Nancy @ the Jersey Shore said...

What a nice day! You have such cool stuff to do up there. Bunnies are easy (my energizer bunny Buttercup was the easiest!) But I fear an Angora would be work, with the grooming!

Dandy said...

Jane you lucky duck, I wanna go to Fiber college!!