I'm Thankful for Saturday Spin...

… for the spinners/friends who can come, and for the ones who are spinning at home. Spinning isn't always easy, but with a little time behind the wheel, or with your drop spindle, you develop a feel for the fiber, settle into a rhythm of drafting and spinning fluff into yarn, and find yourself relaxed and your bobbin fills.

I'm thankful for each of you who have given weaving a try. What fun to watch as you select your materials, take a seat at the loom and begin creating beautiful fabric. Even with our masks on, there are smiles on your faces as you explore techniques, sampling colors and textures.
I'm thankful for each of you who have continued weaving. Watching as your cloth becomes clothing, and seeing the pride and satisfaction from completing your projects.

I'm thankful for our artisans and the shoppers who support them. I sincerely want to thank each of you who support Three Sheep, who care about our community and appreciate the skill and dedication that goes into making each item in our shop.

I'm thankful that it's Thanksgiving. This list of thankful's is just the tip of the iceberg of what I'm thankful for.  This time of year reminds us of the many people, things, opportunities... we have to be thankful for . Let's keep our glasses half full, look on sunny side, and have an attitude of gratitude. 

L.M. Montgomery wrote in Anne of Green Gables, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

We've been enjoying an exquisite autumn, vibrant colors, and crisp mornings of this beautiful season. As much as I love summertime, sandals and sunshine, I always welcome the cooler weather, wearing soft woolens, and enjoying the comfort and warmth that they give. 

Scarves are cozy, joyful articles of clothing that we sadly can't wear all year long, but when autumn rolls around, we get to reintroduce our scarves to the world. And, oh, what a beautiful day that is.

Three Sheep has wonderful selection of handwoven scarves for the season. Each one of them is an original, never able to be duplicated, piece of wearable art. There are many styles and sizes, colors and textures to choose from. 
Shop or selection or create your own. Wear one this week. 

Celebrate: acknowledge (a significant or happy day or event) with a social gathering or enjoyable activity.

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” –  Oprah Winfrey.

Celebrating your wins helps to cultivate a positive mindset. By having a positive mindset and pointing out the positive by celebrating, you actually start to train your brain to focus on other positive things. It’s almost like when someone tells you to not think about purple elephants, your mind can’t help but think about and focus on those purple elephants. Find something to celebrate this week.

Librarians, Karen and Cindy celebrated together by giving weaving a try. Trying something new, spending time with a friend, making memories... a wonderful way to celebrate .

Congratulations on your Retirement & Happy Birthday!

A Jacket in the Making

Have you ever wondered how our garments are made? Me too, just kidding. It's simple and puzzling at the same time. I begin each piece weaving, with thoughts of color and texture. More often than not, the thoughts change and the finished cloth looks very different from it's beginning. 

The next step... enjoying the cloth, draping, touching, looking to see what it will become, tunic, sweater, jacket...

Eventually the cloth with care is cut and stitched back together in it's new form.. Each piece of clothing is one of one, and unable to be duplicated. Like each of us, beautifully perfect in it's own way.

Hello September

I've been enjoying playing with colors, really bright colors. Looking in my closet, you probably wouldn't see many of these colors but... I'm growing bolder and discovering that it's fun to brighten up my wardrobe every now and then.  
This scarf was woven with a combination of ribbons, novelty yarns, silk, and cotton, it's just the right weight for cooler days ahead.

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Leaving the summer colors behind, my weaving has taken on the rich tones of autumn. A fine wool warp blends beautifully with a variety of threads and ribbons, creating cloth that's lightweight, warm and fun to wear. 

Come in and weave one for yourself. You'll enjoy the freedom of creating and wearing your personal piece of art. No time to weave... no worries, this scarf is available for purchase.

In the best of times, the arts create connection, community, belonging, and joy. In the worst of times, the arts create all of that and more—and most of all, the arts create hope.

We were made for Sunny Days...

I hope you've been enjoying these late summer days, the warmth of the sun, the colors of wildflowers, the bounty of our gardens (well the bounty I find at the farm stands). It's one of my favorite times of the year. 

As a weaver and knitter, late August leaves me with one question, should I be thinking of a winter wardrobe, or keep knitting and weaving for summer? 

A lacy knitted wrap is perfect for this time of year.

We're Making Yarn at Three Sheep

We're so excited about the spinning wheels, spindles, accessories and all the beautiful fiber we now have at Three Sheep. Our "Beginning to Spin" sessions are starting this week! Stop in on Wednesday morning at 11:00 and we'll get you started. You can sample a drop spindle, a turkish spindle, and even our majacraft spinning wheels. This is a free session, of course when you're ready to purchase your own equipment, we'll be happy to help you with that too!  

I was invited to demonstrate spinning at Lanterman's Mill, Old Fashioned Days. This is a fun event when you can watch the mill in action and see artisans at work.

Beautiful fibers for spinning, the Majacraft Suzi and Turkish Spindle, just a small sampling, you've got to see and try for yourself!

Thanks Ladies for your generosity!

This Saturday we had a wonder Charity Crafting Session! Our adults are still working on the Angel Gown project for St. Elizabeth's HEAL program. Our younger crafters made bracelets to be donated to the Arc, to be given as prizes in their weekly bingo games. Giving is such a nice way to spend your Saturday. Thank you ladies for your time and talents and for the donuts too!

We've gone back to school, we've gone to the fair, we've eaten cookies and whiskey stix, written new books, made baskets, jewelry and cards for our friends. We've satisfied one of the deepest yearnings of our soul, we've been creative! We've won ribbons, we've cheered someone up, we've made something functional or maybe just fun, but that's what Three Sheep is all about, learning, creating, making friends and sometimes making messes. Hope to see you soon!

This is just too much fun!

It really has been a lot of fun, meeting such nice (and talented) women, being surrounded with beautiful handmade art, getting to see how the art is created and getting to play a little myself. 

Our classes and workshops are going well. Last week Lynda Bumback from the HEAL program at St.E's came and talked to us about the program, it's history and it's importance to the community. It's wonderful that we have women donating their time and talent to help others in our community. After seeing Jeanette demonstrate some of her polymer clay techniques we're anxiously awaiting her class later this month. It's absolutely amazing what can be done with this medium. Laurie lead the first of her three alcohol ink painting classes last week. Some ladies chose their favorite colors, some made Christmas gifts and some didn't have a plan, but all the abstract tiles were stunning. In Laurie's next session, the class with create landscapes, it will be interesting to see how similar and how different they all will be. 

Spinning is taking off at Three Sheep. Barb held the first high/low tech spinning class. Each student received their own spindle made from a CD, fiber to spin and instruction from the "go to spinning teacher" in this area. The local spinning group was displaced from their meeting location and is now spinning the first Monday of each month at Three Sheep. If you're interesting in attending, just give us a call for the details. 330-953-3600. Oops, I almost forgot, Le Tour de Fleece is on and spinners all over the world are spinning yarn as the racers spin their wheels. The shop is open for public spinning Saturday July 16th and 23rd from 12:00 to 3:00.