virginia is for spinners

what a wonderful time! maryland and virginia are absolutely gorgeous! the leaves were spectacular, the weather was perfection! have i used up my exclamation allotment?
the view from my friend's front yard.



norman kennedy is a hoot ;-0 his class was tons of fun, my favorite part was when he told naughty stories about the williamsburg tourists (he was master weaver at williamsburg). i love this photo, it reminds me of beatrix potter's "a tailor of gloucester".











we learned spinning for an aran sweater, and knitting an aran swatch. overachiever that i am, i made a tiny purse.
truth be told, my yarn was so overspun, it would be cruel and unusual punishment to make anyone wear a garment knit from my yarn ;-)










norman spun many a yarn about the old ways, i especially like the dyeing with urine tips. if my backyard is a little stinky next summer, you'll know why...



waterford, the town in virginia where the class was held, is like a tiny brigadoon. you go down a country road, around a curve, and there it is, all lovely 18th century homes, beautifully restored. the waterford old school has been redone, and now hold classes and concerts. in early october waterford has a juried craft show that melissa (the class sponsor and friend of norman) told me is worth a trip.


this is the old school.

saturday. after class, we walked around town. ending up in a little general store. there along with an old red coke machine, were baskets of lovely woolen spun yarn in natural colors. then we spied the spinning wheel. spent the next hour talking to linda landreth, the shop owner. she has a flock of corriedale-lincoln cross sheep behind the shop. it was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
linda stopped by class the next day, here is a photo of my friend and linda.



whew, my 2 fingers are tired ;-0 will post more later, and put the rest of the photos in a yahoo album. the waterford houses are charming :-)
glad to be back home, vanessa