Gorgeous Gift of a Day

Despite waking up with a headache Saturday morning I was determined to visit the Festival at Powhatan, only an hour and a half from Fredericksburg.

If you remember my friend at Woven Gems offered to display a small selection (that survived the last couple of firings) in her tent.

About 11:15, I was just minutes from pulling into the parking area and she called me with a request for more mugs!

Entrance 

I could not believe how beautiful the weather was.  The final number for the day was about 1,000.  And this is the first year for this Festival!

Waiting for the next herding exhibition...

Woven Gem's busy tent! 

A small display of my work.  I am so thankful for Diane's offer.  And a very good day for both of us!

One of my favorite fiber dyers...located right in Front Royal VA.

The central barn with the few animals.

Cashmere goats.  

This felted change purse ALMOST came home with me.  She also made beautiful felted and embellished bracelets.

Kathleen Oliver of Sweet Tree Hill Farm.

Churro.  (I think!)

I had never seen a "kick spindle" before!  I love this. The ability to spin on a spindle in a continuous way.  No stopping to wind on.  Still very portable and not as expensive as a traditional spinning wheel.

Alpaca from Hermes Alpaca.

From reading the posts on the PFoF Ravelry thread the festival was very successful!  I'm so glad I was able to support a new event, even in such a small way.

Next weekend?  Maryland Sheep and Wool!

I'll be meeting up with Ravelry friends coming down from New England.  I am so excited to meet them in real life!

And as soon as that electrician comes to fix the breakers in the studio I will have my hands back in clay.  It's been FAR too long.

Fiber Festival!

Remember that Fiber Festival show that I had to withdraw from since life got so complicated?

Well it's this Saturday!  Powhatan Festival of Fiber, 10-4

My friend Diane of WOVEN GEMS offered to bring a few of my pots!  

SO get to her booth early, as they may go quickly.

I may see you there!

Yard Sale This Saturday!

I'll have lots of pots for sale.  One of a kinds and old designs.  There might be some stash yarn for knitting and weaving as well!

Reality

There was a question on Facebook this week about seconds. What do you do with your seconds?

So I've had a very busy two months. There was some weaving.

My latest wool blanket


 I was working hard to build up inventory for a new fiber festival in Virginia this month (Powhatan Festival of Fiber).  I took advantage of an opportunity to move from my old studio at LibertyTown

(here my loom is already missing...)

 to a bigger and brighter space that I will share with my painter friend Carol Phifer.

Of course.  It was also FINALLY time to move into our new old house!  So the Saturday before the house move I decided to throw out my back. 

 I have finally learned the lesson of Asking for Help.  Artist friends helped with the studio, neighbors helped move items we didn't want the movers to take, the UMW girls rugby club (Rent a Rugger) helped move my pottery studio gear from the shed behind our rental and my buddy  Beth (Artist in Residence Extraordinaire) and her fantastic significant other helped me move my kiln.

After a full day of movers loading the truck, then unloading the truck we were left with this.

and this

We are getting there.  But slowly as I am still being careful with The Back.

Medicine helps.

Which brings us back to the discussion concerning seconds.  During all this moving and rearranging I had a kiln load of pots turn out less then good.  Sellable?  Maybe. But not a good representation of my work for a new show.  Seconds? I struggled with the idea of selling some at the LibertyTown artist yard sale in two weeks....but I finally decided that I was not happy with them and did not want them in circulation.  No matter that many people might not see the flaws.

So out came the hammer.

And it felt good.  No regrets.  (The best sign that it was the right choice.)

And since there is no time to recreate that load and my back is still healing I had to make the decision to pull out of the April show.

I will spend the next weeks setting up my home studio, organizing the home weaving space and working to have the few problems in the new place fixed.

And icing.

It's all good.

Even if that little clay box can hold half a kiln load of pots.