Friday, July 30, 2010

Gettin' Woolly!

A Bowl of Pure Winnie

This morning, while minding the bookstore, I've been busy picking fleece.  Village Books not only has an amazing selection of used books on every imaginable subject; I also have this fiber thing going on in the store.  The above snow white bowlful is pure cashmere, hand combed & hand picked (dirt removed) by yours truly.  It's ready to be carded & spun.  I'll keep you posted...

Starting August 1st, I'll also be carrying some Finn roving.  The sheep were raised in Maine, the wool was processed at New Aim in Waldoboro and then it was all hand-dyed here in Washington by Toni Weiner.
It will sell for $2.00 an ounce, undyed and $3.00 an ounce dyed.I'm knitting up a sample even as we speak.

Meanwhile, on the table we are displaying a lot of goodies: Romney ready to spin; audio books from Knitting Out Loud; a handknit sweater by Eileen McCormack alongside some of her gorgeous Prairie Wind handspun.  I threw two Mary Thomas pattern books on there too (classics!).  In the back you can see a handmade quilt by my big sister Kathlene O'Roark, as well as some Fiber Side handspun (in the bowl) and some lovely yarns spun by Toni (in the basket).

I'm really excited about knitting & spinning & plan to carry as much Maine-produced roving as I can get my lanolin-covered hands on!  The stuff above is plied Romney & Merino.

New books on the shelves include The Green Mountain Spinnery books, Sally Melville's The Knitting Experience: the Knit Stitch; Folk Socks by Nancy Bush; several Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's and other treasures.  Plus classics in weaving, spinning, crochet, design & more.

The Fiber Side's next public appearance will be at Fiber College in Searsport in early September.  Otherwise catch me at Village Books, 18 Waldoboro Rd, Washington, Maine (207)845-2133.  Fri., Sat. & Sun. are safest, 10 am - 5 pm (sometimes I have actual paying work during the week) or you can call ahead!

Look forward to your visit!

The gardens at Village Books

2 comments: