Missouri Fiber Retreat

When I was up in Chicago last year with Adrienne, she told me about the Missouri Fiber Retreat. Yes, I live in Missouri and didn’t know anything about it. She had been before and once got to take a class with Judith McKenzie McCuin! So I watched the website and waited for sign ups, and was fortunate to get my first choices of classes.
Christa and I headed up to Jefferson City last Friday, and we took our first class, Spinning Beyond the Basics with Nancy Barnett. We got to play with adding angora and firestar to plain ordinary wool. We also learned that angora floats away and gets on everything.
That night we enjoyed some finger foods and door prizes – I won a little lamb! – ok, so it’s stuffed – and then our keynote speaker was Janel Laidman, author of The Eclectic Sole and The Enchanted Sole, two wonderful sock books.
The next morning we both took an entrelac class and learned to knit backwards. Tamara Laseley was a very patient teacher. Then Christa headed to a colorwork class and I took Plying and Finishing Smooth Yarns with Patsy Zawitoski, better known as PatsyZ. This class was amazing, and I’m still processing all I learned, including Navaho plying. I told Patsy I was going to become her stalker, because I definitely want to take more of her classes. For now, I’ll have to settle for the workshop video I purchased from her.
Sunday morning was our last class, Spinning for Socks with Janel. This class was too short, because Janel had so much to share and we just couldn’t take it in fast enough. We spun two different 3-ply blends, and a cable plied yarn.
I forgot to take many pictures because we were having such a great time, but here are a few to recap:
Adrienne and Becky

Christa – look at that awesome Amanda Hat! (And ignore the fact that she’s wiping her mouth – this was the only one I got in focus!)

Janel and another student.

My second single for Patsy’s class (I spun about 4 ounces in 5 hours).

I’ll definitely be attending this retreat in future years!