It has been quite a summer. I had a total knee replacement the first of August. That has really put a damper on my activities! I have been learning how to walk and use my knee for the past four weeks. I thought I would be able to spin...I could treadle the wheel just fine, but I couldn't sit with my leg down for long. I spent the first week out of the hospital with my sister-in-law, Carolyn, and her husband and daughter. We were up in the Bemidji, Minnesota area. We made some short trips each day for exercise. One of these trips was to the Bemidji Woolen Mills. It was not what I was expecting. The only yarn they had for sale was Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. Nice yarn, but I was hoping for something more unique. I understand the mill has been out of production for many years.

Another stop we made was to Northern Woolen Mills in Fosston, Minnesota. We talked with the owner, Stephenie Anderson. She gave us a short tour, due to my knee. It was interesting to see the mill. I also looked at some of her yarns and purchased some roving. It is so wonderful to have access to two woolen mills in driving distance. Northern Woolen Mills, in Fosston, Minnesota; Dakota Fiber Mill, Kindred, North Dakota (check it out on Facebook).

I also bought a llama fleece from a person I met while at a show in Battle Lake, Minnesota. I ended up with 2 1/2 pounds of beautiful roving, processed by Dakota Fiber Mill. I now have about six pounds of roving, some wool blend, Merino and Llama waiting for me to get my wheel out.

Yesterday, a friend stopped by and brought me a gift. She found this beautiful Polyporous Squamosus (also called Dryad's Saddle, pheasant back, or hawk's wing). This one is about a foot across and probably too old to be edible, but could be interesting in  the dye pot! I can't wait to 'cook it up' and see what happens! This was found on a stump from either Box Elder or Silver Maple. These can be found on living or dead hardwoods, mostly on the Eastern part of the country. We have had an extremely wet summer. There was a large amount of rain a few days before Linda found this. I am anxious to get out into the woods and see what else is out there. Should be a good mushrooming year!

Natural Dye Class Scheduled

This morning I went to Dakota Fiber Mill to meet with Chris Armbrust, owner-operator, to discuss the class I will be presenting there in a few weeks. I love going to see her! She is always so enthusiastic and full of information.  The class is scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2014. We have room for six participants in a class. Each participant will be given four hanks of wool yarn to play with.  We will be dyeing with red cabbage, onion skins, and walnut hulls. There will be lots of fun and information. Lunch will be served. The cost of the class is $45. All supplies will be provided. The class will run from 9am to around 4pm. To sign up contact Chris at Dakota Fiber:

        Phone:1-701-238-4002; email: dakotafibermill@gmail.com

It should be a lot of fun. We will learn about dyeing with plants and get to play with fiber and dye pots. Also, if you have not been to the mill before, it is a great chance to come and look around, see how things work. There are also a lot of furry critters to meet!

Chris has added a store and classroom area next to the mill. Of course I had to shop before I could leave! I bought some wool, some yarn, a Dakota Fiber Mill t-shirt. I checked out a lot of her other goodies, a line of soaps for humans, laundry and dogs, wool wash, greeting cards, and other fun stuff.  She has knitting and needle felting  supplies and lots more. I wish I had brought my camera along. It would be nice to have taken some pictures.

Chris has a new lodger, a camel named Abraham. He has been there about a month. He is very friendly. She also raises a number of sheep, angora goats, angora rabbits, and suri alpaca. She also has a couple yaks. Cola, the dog and a talking bird keep her company in the mill.

I purchased several different rovings. I had a hard time restraining myself from buying lots of her yarns. She has beautiful yarn, spun in the mill. Some of it is natural colors and some is dyed. She has a lot of different kinds of fiber right there at the farm to play with and mix. She has some really wonderful yarn. I can't wait to knit with it.

I am excited about this class. It will be fun to play with dyeing again! I haven't had much time to do it since last fall. It should be a lot of fun.