Fiber Studio

This sweeeeet studio just makes me say....ahhhhhhhh.........

C'mon in.




Learn more about what we're up to by going to www.freehavenfarm.com

I LOVE this Cricket Loom!

Got a new rigid heddle loom today!! Caron and I are planning on having classes teaching weaving on a rigid heddle loom (a Cricket Loom) using either handspun yarns and/or store bought yarns.

The cost of the class will include the loom! What a deal!

You can either BYOY (bring your own yarn) or purchase yarn from us for your weft. (We will supply the warp yarn.) OH, you can bring your own rigid heddle loom too if you have one. (We also have Schacht Flip looms!)

Anyone out there interested in attending class? We are in the process of setting up dates etc. etc. so let us know what days/times would be best for you.

OK, gotta get back to warping my Cricket!

I am no longer a 'wannabe' fiber farmer!!

Meet my newest family member!

He's a French/English Angora rabbit... who will grow LOTS of spinnable fiber!! (This little guy makes me an OH-ficial Fiber Farmer!)

He is a little 8 week old doll. Haven't named him yet. Got any suggestions?

Have you always wanted to learn to spin??

Caron and I are starting a beginner's spinning class in Simpsonville, SC (tentatively scheduled to begin next week on Tues and Thurs nights from 6pm until 8pm).

Our classes roughly follow Judith MacKenzie McCuin's book, "Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning". In class we'll begin by looking at (and fondling!) all kinds of fiber. Then each student will prep fiber with hand cards and/or a drumcarder and then spin the newly prepared fiber on a drop spindle. (Starting on a drop spindle is a GREAT way to learn about drafting fiber and the drafting zone!). Next, on to the spinning wheel! You will be making yarn in no time!!


Our classes are now being held in our new 'studio' at www.freehavenfarm.com in Simpsonville.

Join us! You'll have a blast!

xoxoxoxo
PattyAnne

PS. If you want more info or want to sign up, email us at

freehavenfarm (at) mac (dot) com

or call 864 862-4802

(If Caron is out tending to critters, mending fences and/or doing other 'farmer' stuff and you get 'the machine' please leave a message!)

Felted Purple Rabbit (and his 'buds')

I wish you could see bun's eyes. They are soo expressive.
Other than that, he looks more like a ....... not quite sure LOL. BUT he is cute!

Little Blue Man is now 'sportin' an alpaca mullet. :)

He felt a little nakie without any hair.... (and no hat, right Dafe?).

More Felting

Here are my newest FRIENDS!

The little blue fella is created out of merino wool.

The bunny holding the spring flower is made out of coopworth.

The little lamb on the far right is made from Corriedale wool that I accidentally felted. See, when I was washing the wool (so that I could spin it), I got the bright idea to dry it quickly in my clothes DRYER. I put the wet wool on a shelf in my dryer so that it wouldn't tumble around as it dried BUT that didn't keep it from felting! Arrggghhh what a MESS! I really thought the warm-ish air just circulating around the fiber wouldn't felt it. Live and learn! :)

Here's what my felted fiber looked like prior to becoming Lambie Pie!

Weaving a cord on cardboard 'loom'

I had a hard time deciding how to finish my woven bag (see previous video)!!!

I've decided to roll the raw edges of the cloth under forming a casing through which the cord that I'm weaving in this video will be threaded.

~~Keepin' my fingers crossed!~~

Getting my woven bag sewn up.

A completed weaving woven on my rigid heddle loom

I spun some Shetland roving... and added in all kinds of acrylic yarns and various fibers such as silk, merino, and corriedale to make a novelty weft yarn.

I LOVE IT!!

I think I'll sew this cloth into a bag to hold my spindles. :)

Needle felting fun!

Yesterday was needle felting day. Caron and I needle felted some REALLY cute little bags. They're not quite done yet because we have to whip stitch the edges. I put hearts on mine. Caron put a 3-D dog bone and heart on hers. She's making hers into one of those treat bags that you can wear on your belt when you're training your pooch.

We also needle felted two 'critters'. Caron did the sheep. She is sooo good at making her critters life-like. I wish I had a closer shot so you could see the texture in the sheep's wool. Better yet, I wish you could feel him! OH, Caron tried something new this time. Rather than having her sheep be solid wool, she felted over some sweet gum balls.

I had fun spinning and then weaving this WIP today. I used gray alpaca (thanks Gerald!), and a bunch of miscellaneous pinks I had in my stash thanks to Rhonda.

Anyway, I learned the spinning technique from Velma Pretty easy and fun to do.

I wasn't sure how I'd like weaving with the crazy yarn but I LOVE it. It is just so much fun to weave with all different types of yarns! You just never know what you're gonna get! So MUCH FUN!



I also needle felted this cute little lamby pie the other day.

The Studio

Yeah! The studio is getting in shape.

Caron and I are going to be teaching classes in this studio. We plan to have weaving classes, needle felting, wet felting, rug hooking, spinning, spindling, fiber prep, dyeing, hmmmm bet I'm forgetting some GOOD stuff!

We will have classes for adults and kids. (I'm a certified 1-8 teacher - taught math and science in a middle school for 10+ years and LOVED it!)

Anyhhoooooo here's the fiber studio! We would love to do something with the floor. Any ideas?




Oh yeah.. this studio is in one room of a HUGE, HUGE barn. This is what can be seen outside the barn!

Cute Little Woven Bag with Wet Felted Flower

I wove this for the fun of it. (I still have a bit more 'clean-up to do on some threads/yarn.)

This bag is made from my homespun, home dyed bfl.

Both the warp yarns and the weft yarns were about 22 wpi. I used a 10 dent heddle on my flip loom.

The two stripes near the center of the bag are ribbons.

I have lined this bag with a hot pinkish silky fabric.

The flower is one that I wet felted recently.