Clarifying..

Uhh, I'd just like to clear something up. Folks seemed to think that when I said "wrecked" I meant I was plastered. Blotto. Pissed. You know, drunk...at Black Sheep Gathering...

That's not true! I was wrecked as in run-down. I checked and this is indeed a dictionary entry for the word, it's not just me who thinks it means this! There were a lot of folks hanging out with Bacchus at this shindig, and far be it from me to keep anyone from a decent glass of wine at a really good party! However, I was working--and, I'm exhausted. I was afraid to see what alcohol might do to an already dizzy (with fatigue) person.

Here's a photo of my friend Karen and me at dinner in Portland on Sunday night. Karen works for Crafts Americana and is in charge of quilting stuff there. I met her when I did design work for Knit Picks. This is the best photo of them all, and Karen is very pretty! I look wiped out and that's about how I felt, although we had a lovely time with Karen and her family. Then I left the nice hotel room in Portland at 9 AM yesterday, and didn't get back to my house until 11:30 PM. Even if you erase the time change, that's 12 and a half hours of travel. The professor and I counted another statistic. In May and June I have been on 17 flights. He's been on 21. No wonder why I'm tired! The highlight of my day has been doing laundry. Thank goodness I am not travelling again for a few weeks.
I don't have photos of Black Sheep yet, because that would require getting them developed, and I think I'm not up to driving or even walking up the street just now. Instead, I'll share a random photo of fleece with you, and mention the wool show I saw there in Eugene.

LAAAA! (Imagine your favorite song of worship or Jimi Hendrix here) It was like going to the symphony. The judging was like attending the church of wool, no kidding. Judith MacKenzie McCuin did the judging. People sat in a semi-oval of chairs, listening, spinning, knitting, and gasping at fleece. At the end of each class judged, we were all invited to go up and touch the fleeces and see for ourselves what we thought about each one. It was the highest quality wool show I've ever seen. I know I said this in the last entry, but I need to get it out of my system. Wow.

My new spindle from Crown Mountain Farms looks about like this. It is made out of Ebony Mun and weighs about 2.5 oz. This goes against what most people want now in a spindle, I mean, what's in fashion, but I like to spin thicker yarns and I like weight in a spindle, so I love it.

I can't offer a full report on BSG, mainly because I know I couldn't do it justice right now, but it was different than any other show I've been to. I was able to just purchase Blue Moon sock yarn without any line at all! I even got mill ends and a discounted price. I bought Gotland fiber for the first time. I saw the new American Teeswater, Gotland, and Wensleydale breeds in person, from the farms who were doing the first crosses with imported UK seamen. (I know that's misspelled, but it's easier this way and you know exactly what I mean...self-censoring at its best)

One last thing I should mention. The Black Sheep Gathering, and the introduction of "colored" flocks in the USA, were brought about by many people through the years, but Morris Culver was instrumental. He was the first to import colored Romney rams to the USA after World War II. He judged fleeces at the Tennessee State Fair a couple of years ago, and we were lucky enough to meet him. He was a pioneer in this field, the field of celebrating black sheep...and after 50+ years of celebrating black sheep, he passed away this year. Read more about him at the American Romney website. Take a moment to think about a great man who brought the US some of the amazing color diversity we have in sheep's wool today.

Psst! Hey you. There. Yah, that's you! Leave a comment, wouldja? I can tell you're reading because of that map over there, but I never hear from you. Tell me what you're up to? What you like reading about? Huh? OK? :) Thanks.