Home Again: Postcards From Olds Fibre Week 2012

We arrived back home from Fibre Week 2012, safe, sound, a bit weary, but happy.  Olds College is a beautiful campus, full of flower beds and foliage.  It stays light there very late this time of year.  This is the view from our townhouse door between 10:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. (really):

 First timers, Hilary and Susie, had a great conference. Susie loved her wool judging class; so much so that she volunteered to help with the Fleece Show and Auction.  I'm thinking that her husband may want to be checking for woolly creatures in the backyard.  Hilary took the Beginning Weaving course with teacher par excellence, Linda W.  For her first 4 shaft loom project, Hilary wove a lace dish towel.  This is Hilary, winding bobbins:

This is her gorgeous towel:

This is Gretchen, their charming room mate.  Gretchen's smock is her own design.  It tempted me to take up sewing again (even though I'm allergic to sewing); we've planned a pattern swap:

Everyone was very, very busy.  Judi D., the Volunteer Coordinator, who drives from Calgary every year, just to help out, is a wonder of organizational skills and diplomacy.  It's always a pleasure visiting with her.  Donna F., Kathy P. and other spinners whose names I don't remember, did a bang up job with the Silent Auction, which raises money for Fibre Week. Birgit R., one of my room mates, instructs the Master Spinners Level 3 and 4:

Here you see some Master Spinners programme participants hard at work.  Sue, at right, brought me beautiful brown cotton bolls, as a Random Act of Kindness.  A few of the bolls went to Jen B.'s Spinning For Fun class (not many, because I am not as kind as Sue).

Ruth B., at left, in blue and white, advises Level 1 students:

I'm in serious destashing mode, so I made an effort not to buy very much; however, a lovely BFL fleece from a sheep named Elvis, owned by Linda W. (another Linda W.), found its way home with me, as did a bit of Merino/cashmere/silk from Fibres West and this lovely spindle-the only one I purchased-from Twist of Fate and made by Erynn's dad:  (The spindle bowl is from Heather E.  It joins the yarn bowls I bought from her last year.)

There was fibre, string, string and more string.  Birgit's class reeled silk cocoons.  Students dyed hand spun flax:

So many people give generously of their time and effort to help make Fibre Week the success it always is.  Once I've collected my thoughts, I'll post more about the workshops I taught and observed.  For now, I'll leave you with this image, one of the spectacular poppies from the bed I look for every year:

Namaste.