I've been spinning now for 7 years, after I was dragged to a spinning retreat on Vashon Island near Seattle. My friend Sarah brought an extra wheel & some ugly gray fiber for me to learn with. I ended up with a horrible gray dread-lock looking skein. I joked that I could make wigs for aging Rastafarians in my old age. But, after that first day I latched onto a drop spindle & the rest is history! I now own 3 wheels and more than a dozen spindles. Spinning has not only restored my love of knitting but has transformed my life. I love getting raw fleece, cleaning, dyeing, carding & spinning it for knitting yarns. My knitting skills have taken off after decades of being stagnant. I'm a happy member of Northwest Regional Spinner's Association and a new member of my local spinning group here in Orange. Check out: www.nwrsa.org
My handsome husband - a horticulturalist, and I live with a cockatiel named Henry, in Orange, Virginia after recently relocating. I love the Pacific Northwest, where we lived for the last 13 years...the green damp coolness of it, the mountains, the water and particularly the people. But we have found that this area is lovely and the people are warm & welcoming. There's an active fiber community and both my husband & myself have made new friends. We know we will be happy here too.
I'm a tea blender & merchant, selling wholesale to tearooms, gift shops, yarn shops, wine shops, weaving studios and even spas. I also sell retail to the general public from my website www.teatimegarden.com as well as at the fiber events I attend. My spinning & knitting as even invaded my product line...now I sell Mugzys (mug cozy) as well as hand dyed, hand spun tea cozies! Look for my ad in the classifieds of Spin Off Magazine each and every issue!
My favorite place to spin? Either by the fireplace in our living room or on the front porch, or back wisteria covered deck, drinking tea and treadling away... now, if only I could invent a telescoping heat-resistant straw!
