Ep 70: That Old Black (Sheep) Magic

The Black Sheep Gathering 2017 was so wonderful the Two Ewes can't stop talking about it!  The wool judge was Judith MacKenzie so of course it was such a learning experience.  There are also a few finished knits, some new fiber, yarn, and, you guessed it, FLEECE! Kelly arrived in Eugene after a long hot drive through the northern California heatwave.  Marsha and Kim came down from Seattle on the train.  They met and prepared for the opening of the show the next day.  Marsha and Kelly spent Saturday in the fleece judging, soaking up all the information that Judith MacKenzie so generously shared with the audience.  On Saturday, there was a side trip to two Eugene yarn shops.  Cozy is a newly opened shop in the old downtown area near the train station.  Youthful and spacious, this shop really showed off the many indie-dyed striped and speckled  yarns in its stock.  It also had a good stock of Flax by Fibra Natura and Marsha snagged some for a linen tee.  Then on to Soft Horizons Fibre.  This shop is in an old house filled with yarn.  The attraction for the Two Ewes and their friend Kim was the Stone Hedge Fiber Crazy yarn.  It has the largest selection of this yarn of any yarn shop in the northwest.  Back at the fleece barn, Kelly found a gem of a fleece had gone unsold so she bought it. She also found some interesting breed blends at the Homestead Hobbyist booth.  Both Marsha and Kelly found plying silk on wood bobbins and Marsha also found some batts that she loved.  At the Jorstadt Creek booth, they both bought cashmere laceweight in support of The Great Steppe Fiber Project.  Maddy from Jorstadt is going to Mongolia to teach spinning and help to provide women there with the skills to have a fiber company.  To help pay for the trip and learn more, visit the gofundme page. As for the knitting, Marsha made good progress on her Twice Born shawl by Magdalena Lorentz.  Friends helped her determine that the Easy Folded Poncho is finished and doesn't need the cowl neck.  Kelly worked on an OLD project, her Playground Shawl, a pattern by Justyna Lorkowska.  Started in August 2015, this shawl has been in hibernation since early last spring.  Now it is back out and on its way to being finished.