Woolderness will be closed December 28 - January 4.

I want to thank everyone who came to the studio during the holiday season. I hope you enjoyed the workshops we had.

We will be drawing the winner of the "gift basket" when we return on January 5.

May the Christmas season be merry and the New Year happy!

This is Linda. She is working on "Katie's Fun Scarf" kit. I can't wait until she finishes it. I hope you're having "fun," Linda.

You can see a picture of the finished scarf of the posting dated Nov. 19.

They make great Christmas gifts. They sell for $52. The yarn is wool, silk, alpaca and more! This project is for beginners as well as experienced knitters.

I don't like putting my picture on the blog, but here I am finishing up a wool rug. I am now ready to start my next project -- a multi-colored (bright pink, blue & green) for Annie's room -- but don't tell her. It's a surprise!

The next few pictures are for Anne from the Ann Arbor area. Here are the slippers that we have for sale. They are 100% wool -- hand-knitted and felted in the washing machine and have a rubber bottom to keep you from slipping. They sell for $40. To find the correct size, I suggest that you measure the foot and let me know. I will then measure the slippers to find the ones that would fit the best!

Here are just a few pictures taken on the first weekend of "An Old Fashioned Christmas." Annie is busy at her wheel. Pat is sharing her knowledge of "natural dyeing" and the carolers treated us with their beautiful voices! What a fun weekend it was!

Our first Open House is Thanksgiving Weekend. Visit this blog every day to see all the pictures of what is happening at WOOLDERNESS! Maybe YOU will be on the blog!

Hope to see you this weekend. Stop by for homemade cookies and punch!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

If you haven't been to Woolderness in a while, stop by during the holiday season. We have a new look, new products and two new looms! We have also "inherited" a very large supply of warping thread for our looms. What does that mean? It means we can offer weaving classes to you at a VERY, VERY low cost. YES, you CAN weave. It is easy, it is fun. Our looms are waiting for you.

FINALLY... Woolderness now accepts VISA and MASTERCARD!

Katie's "fun" scarf kits are finally ready!

You can now create this 'fun' scarf. We have put together a kit with over 20 different yarns & roving -- merino, llama, mohair, silk -- with easy to follow instructions! Kits sell for $52 and are now available. Call to place an order. We will be happy to ship to you. What a fun Christmas gift this would make!

Here is Linda just finishing the first layer of roving. Sorry, Linda, but you have 3 more layers to go. Keep on punching!

Last weekend was opening day for deer hunting. So what do the women do when their men are in the woods? They come to Woolderness, of course! And that is exactly what Linda, Carol & Betty did. They spent the afternoon making a wool purse and pillow top.

Carol is shown here "punching" away and Betty is planning her design for her locker hooked pillow top.

Here are the finished products! They are fabulous! Betty's pillow top is not yet complete. But I know it will look great when she finishes. Betty, you will have to send me a picture when you complete your project and I will post it.

Two more wheels that we carry are the S10 single treadle and the S15 double treadle. All the wheels have a nice finish, come with 3 bobbins, a lazy kate and a bag of roving. Louet wheels are easy to learn on, but are also for the experienced spinner. They never need oiling. I have had my Louet for over 10 years and I have not had any repairs done to it and I am still using the original drive band. They will last you forever! They are truly a wonderful wheel.

All our wheels are on the floor waiting for you to try them out. If you purchase a floor model, you get a 10% discount or we can order you a brand new one!

Another wheel that we carry is the S51, double treadle.

Woolderness carries several models of Louet spinning wheels. Here is the "Victoria" travelling wheel. It comes with a lazy kate, 3 bobbins and a carrying backpack. It sells for $610.00.

Woolderness now carries the following fibers:

Soysilk

Bamboo

Tencil

Tussah silk

Silk noils

The studio has a new look! Thanks, Marilyn, for helping me "clean" up the studio and rearrange things to make the studio look great! I will post a picture in the next few days.

Woolderness will be getting ready for the holidays with decorations, gift baskets and workshops! Yes, we have 3 big open houses coming up -- Thanksgiving weekend and the next 2 weekends. On each of those Fridays at 1 p.m. Pat will be giving a Natural Dyeing Workshop. On the Saturdays, all day, we will be making "felted ornaments," and on the Sundays, all day, we will do "Needle Punching." All workshops are $5. Plan to stop by for a visit.

Rabbits are always a part of the festival. I do want to get two Angoras. If anyone has a recommendation for me, please comment. Aren't they cute!

Here are a few of the many vendors at the festival. They are beautiful! They are handmade by a man in Canada. They sell for about $1500!







Sorry about the quality of this picture. They are the same wheels as above.

Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival

Here are pictures of my booth.





Well, I have returned from a very busy weekend in West Branch and I had a GREAT time! I met people from all over the State of Michigan. Here are a lot of photos from the weekend. Enjoy!

I took a lot of pictures today -- pictures of my booth and the booths around me. I will be posting these pictures when I get home. More later...

Here are pictures of the FELTED PURSES we have for sale at the present time. Give me a call if you would like to learn how to make these purses or if you would like to purchase one.

I finally finished the "heart" wall hanger! It is now for sale -- $125.00. If you are interested, just give me a call.

I have also been busy playing with different "dyeing" techniques. Here is some border leicester and corriedale "rainbow" dyed. This really is a fun way to dye. Interested in learning more, read the Twisted Sisters Sock book.

Annie is busy making up NEEDLE PUNCH KITS. Annie has been a big help this summer!

Thanks, Annie.

Northern Michigan Lamb & Wool Festival

I am on my way to the best "little" fiber festival around! I am looking forward to a fun weekend! I will be taking pictures all weekend and will post them and update you when I return to my studio.

I have been very busy getting ready for the show. Here are a few pictures of what the studio looked like this past week!

WOOL SLIPPERS

Diane's hand-knitted wool slippers are going fast! Your feet will not get cold this winter in a pair of Diane's slippers. We have a variety of colors and sizes. They make a great gift! Stop by the shop and try a pair on.

So sorry that I have neglected this blog -- life sure is busy! Guess what? Rug hooking supplies are finally coming in! I have received my bolt of Dorr Wool and I will begin dyeing it this week. My supplies of Cushing Dyes have arrived and now I have to get busy.

I will be selling the wool by the yard in its natural color or by the strips already dyed. At the present time, strips will be available in the following sizes: #5, #8 & 1/2".

The only backing I have right now is monk's cloth.

I will be posting my prices at a later time.

Start looking through thoses patterns and get your next project started!

Just a quick update today -- I have no new pictures to post, unfortunately, but we did receive a new shipment of Woodwick Candles and another one is one its way. We have some fabulous scents and colors to compliment any room in your house!

BOAT SHOW 2008 is now history. In the 8 years that I have been living in the Les Cheneaux Islands it has NEVER rained on Boat Show. Well, it did this year and boy did it rain. It poured for about 15 minutes with lightening and wind. It stopped and the blue sky came out and it was beautiful for a few more hours and then the rain came again. This time, not so violent and only for a short time. But inspite of it all, the day was fun!

I am hoping to post a picture of my tent for you to see. As soon as it is sent to me I will post it!

What a fun way to spend the afternoon -- punching, punching, punching & more punching!

Needle felted purses -- a class for all ages! Jordan, Kylie & Annie did a great job on their purses.

Liam hard at work on the loom. He has a great teacher!

Here are a few of Pat's young weavers! Oliver and Liam spent some time in the studio learning the art of weaving from Pat. They did a great job! We hope to see a lot of Oliver and Liam when they are in the Les Cheneaux area. Annie helps out at Woolderness all the time. Not only is she a great "spinner" she is also getting pretty good at drum carding. Annie is waiting for her lesson from Pat on the loom!

These beautiful handwoven purses are the creation of Jane Forslund, a member of the Eastern U.P. Country Spinners Guild. They sell for $30.

"Funky, fun" scarfs have come to Woolderness. We are now carrying a new line of handknitted scarfs by Katie E. She uses many different kinds of yarns and roving to create the most unusual, one-of-a-kind scarfs. They range in price from $42 and up. Come check them out!

Katie E is also creating some fabulous "bulky" yarns that would be wonderful in your knitting and weavings. Thanks, Katie for all your hard work and creativity!