Becoming Insubordiknit

Okay folks, once again, I have entered another new dimension of fiber heaven. This time, led by Jacey Boggs, of Insubordiknit fame, I got down with a group of serious spinning fiends for two solid days of playing with fiber and yarn making - awesome, outrageous art yarns. Lucky us, the entire event took place in a gorgeous setting down by South Street Seaport - Seamen's Church Institute.

Many years ago I attended a wedding at the same place and I remember being so impressed with the views of Brooklyn Bridge, the Seaport and the neighborhood. The top floor is like being on a ship's prow, which is appropriate for a Seamen's Institute, now isn't it?

Here you see two of my bobbins enjoying the view of the Brooklyn Bridge! This weekend, the focus was on the fiber. But what a great space! There was lots of room for us to spread out, and the natural light was simply superb. It made the entire experience really special. And we could SEE what we were doing! And we were able to leave all our stuff over night making the whole experience easy peasy.

Donna, aka BunnyMom is enjoying the airy open space and it's a good thing we had all that room because she brought a fiber bump that was supposed to be about eight oz. Umm, right. After fluffing it out for about an hour, and seeing the huge pile on the floor, we giggled because there was seriously, about 2 pounds of fiber from one bump. Spins nice, too. Thanks, Donna!

We learned coils, wraps, halos, beehives, tiny circles. We laughed, chatted, oohed and aahed over each other's yarns and provided encouragement to keep on spinning. Jacey is entertaining, informative and very upbeat. Her Mom, who came along for the ride - it's New York after all! - was so adorable.

Jacey sets the bar high, which I appreciate. She wasn't afraid to show us what we were doing wrong and how to correct. These techniques require finesse and practice. Her standards for the art yarns are the same as any other yarn: well balanced, knittable yarn.

Her teaching method worked really well: see it, try it, adjust it, try it again. As we learned a new technique, Jacey invited small groups up to the front to watch how she worked the fiber. Then we retreated to our wheels to try it. As the next group went up, we all had the advantage of listening to her talk through it again.

Christina aka miukat was so excited about the workshop she painted her wheel to match her dress and jewelry. She added a bunch of designs to make it look like a peasant ox cart. Amazing!

There's lots to practice. Some of these techniques hold appeal: corespun, coils and wraps. Halos and beehives are interesting, too. Once the workshop samples are set I'll post pictures and show you some of the details.

Oh man, was this fun! I learned new things. I was completely immersed in the challenge and the tactile pleasure. So satisfying, so challenging, so interesting! Whew!