OH....MY...GOSH!
Calling OFFF a "fiber feast" is an
exaggerated UNDER-statement!
It was a fiber enthusiasts..."heaven"!
We drove about 20 minutes south of our
hotel...arriving right at 9am...just as the festival opened.
The weather was very cooperative...even tho
I did miss those Pacific Northwest clouds.
We were so excited! Our first stop was the
Woolie Winder booth so that I could purchase
2 more bobbins for my Majacraft Susie spinning wheel.
Our VERY next stop was at the
I've been communicating thru emails with
Mr Hansen and his wife since 2009...when they
first started selling their
"miraculous" mini-spinning machine.
I approached them with the idea of making it
out of exotic wood...and, not very long after,
...I was the proud owner of a
Bloodwood Minispinner with Maple Woolie Winder
and Maple bobbins...it's #21
I was so excited to actually meet them in person.
They are two of the nicest...most fun
people I've ever met...also MOST talented and
clever for creating such a simple and unique
product. Can you tell I'm in LUV with my
Hansen electric? I have to admit, while mozeee-ing
around the booth...there was some bad news.
Well, bad news for my wallet. I came across
a display shelf with...probably, more than a half
dozen new, pristine minispinners. Several of them
were made of beautifully colored, wonderfully grained
exotic woods. AND...one special one seemed to keep
calling..."annie....AAAAnnnnie...." Then, in a quiet sultry
whisper..."taaaayK....meee...hooOHme with you"
Now, Mr Hansen speaks telling me that this
particular one is part of small group (maybe12-15)
"Anniversary Issue" designed spinners.
This particular one...that I was holding...
numbered 1001.
So...I'm now the proud owner of TWO
wonderful Hansen Electric Minispinners.
My new limited edition minispiner. =)
This booth had some lucious feeling fibers...and
some wonderful colors too. One thing I really liked
about her display was that about 90% of her colorways
and/or different fiber content rovings...had spun samples.
It can be difficult to look at a roving and guess what it
will look like spun into yarn. Granted, my spinning would
be different from hers...but, at least I have an idea
of what the end product might look like.
Below are two of my purchases...just petting them...
brings on the endorphins!
I'm kicking myself because I didn't take pictures
of one of our Utah representative vendors.
Judy is one of the most sharing/caring fiber
teacher and vendor I know! She always has
fun things in her booth to try...like "loop/roving" to make
rugs. Her prices are really good and she is so
patient to answer just about any fiber-eee
question you might have. She is a REAL
regular at OFFF and has one of the nicest booth
areas to prove her patience to work up the "list"
to get her special location...inside and with a breezy
access to two doors.
This is me with Hazel Rose of
What a REALLY NICE lady she is! The frame looms
that they make are really practical and easy to use.
But, the added wonderfulness of the Hazel Rose Looms
is that they are made out of beautiful, strong woods...
with simple care, they will last a lifetime...or even longer.
This booth was stuffed to the gills with fiberee toys,
books and gifts, along with some very yummy fibers
for spinning. They had the most variety of new/for sale
spinning wheels. You could sit and try any of them.
Morgaine...was very helpful in helping the prospective
spinning wheel buyer...pic the wheel that was just right
for them.
This is also the booth where I was able to purchase
the "famous" Zuca rolling bag. It's perfect for
carrying the Hansen Minispinner with accessories.
The Pro-Zuca is airline approved for carry-on and only
weighs 9.3lbs...it also doubles as a chair securely
supporting up to 300lbs.
Below, can you see something furry?...
checking out the new "throne" for
the Hansen minispinner?
Below, can you see something furry?...
checking out the new "throne" for
the Hansen minispinner?
After our day of living in "Fiber Heaven"...
we had great low calorie (NOT!!!), YUMMY
finger-licking, lip-smacking ...dinner at
Then, my VERY sweet chauffeur took
me to my hotel near the Portland airport
and I flew back home early the next morning.
So....whuddda you think? Are you "ON" for
shopping at a FIber Festival in Oregon next year?
4 comments:
We have a local group - sheep owners and processors - and I try to suport them. Unfortunately where they had their group meeting was flooded and anything stored there lost.
That colored roving is just gorgeous!!!!!
When Stephen grows older, will you teach me all that I need to know?
Wow you are so full of surprises!
Debbie
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