And A Good Time Was Had By All

Don't you just hate it when you read those words? Reminds me of old 4-H meeting minutes that were submitted to the local paper. A good time was always had by all. So they said. Of course, how could a night of sewing and cooking be bad?

Warning: Picture heavy.
Okay, back to business. Last Saturday we had our South Georgia Fiber Meeting. Yes, capital letters. I've got my list right here, and it says there were 9 of us in attendance. Sure did seem like a lot more, didn't it ladies? We met at the Agrirama, in the costume workshop, which was air-conditioned. Sort of. It was better than sitting in the hot sun, swatting gnats. Carol came from Brunswick, GA, over at the coast, and Charlotte came from Dothan, AL. They must've thought we were giving away money. I was amazed at the variety of items and workmanship these women brought with them. Charlotte is a sweet country girl from Alabama, who just wants to learn to spin! She had some good teachers this past weekend:

Here she is showing us what she's done so far. Confidence, woman, confidence!!
And here she is getting some excellent instruction. That's Carol (madaboutwool) from Brunswick in the foreground, and Rosemary? RoseMarie? (sorry) in the background.
I met Jackie for the first time, too. Jackie thinks outside the box. And she's funny. You've got to love that combination in a fellow artist. She set up her inkle loom. And then broke out her Kumihimo.
And then started weaving a bottle cover. And then brought in her foot spindle thingy. Okay, is there anything this woman can't do? I think Carolyn went home with the half-finished bottle cover. Which brings us to Carolyn. She drove about 2.5 hours due west to get to us, lugging her hitchiker wheel with her. She brought some beautiful alpaca to spin with, when she was sitting down, which wasn't often. I sure wish she lived closer! She knows all about the fiber arts and is really enthusiastic, right there in the middle of things. She jumped right in to help Charlotte get a handle on her drop spindle, and like I said, she ended up taking home Jackie's half-finished bottle cover. Next time we see her she'll probably have made a dozen or so!Notice her sweater - it looks great!
Hazel is one of our regulars. She doesn't live too far away, and she's always there, always knitting a NEW sock!! She was working on Rivendale this time:She also gave some knitting lessons! Here she is teaching Thelma, who works at the Agrirama, to knit. See Thelma knit? Knit, Thelma, knit.
Sherlyn, from Valdosta, was a surprise! She is new to Ravelry (2newknittin) and new to knitting. BUT - what was she knitting? Why, teddy bears, of course. One-piece, shaped teddy bears. Obviously this woman doesn't understand the meaning of beginner!! I didn't get a picture of the bear bodies, but if you click the next picture to make it larger, you can see one in her basket at her feet. Turns out Sherlyn also makes cloth dolls. I have a total fascination with cloth dolls, so I freaked out when she brought Gayle in. Gayle, as in Oprah's best friend Gayle. Seems Sherlyn's friend made an Oprah doll, so Sherlyn naturally had to give her a best friend. Judging by the face on this doll, I would say Sherlyn is quite the artist.Sherlyn and Gayle:I'd smile too, if I could make a doll like that. Mine would probably frighten small children.
Helen, of walking wheel fame, also graced us with her presence. This was Helen then: and this is Helen now! Uh, kinda different, eh? Helen brought her friend, Sharon, who took lots of pictures and soaked in all the fiber goodness. I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up next time with knitting needles in hand.
Last, but certainly not least, is Kathy, my partner in crime. Kathy is the consummate business woman, always picking up my numerous loose ends and tucking them in. Kathy is also the possessor of some of the oldest UFO's in Georgia. She has a "map of the world" sweater that she abandoned when the wall came down. After all, what's a girl to do when the world changes?
Kathy's motto is "When life gives you panty scraps, make an panty rug". Which is exactly what she did. The rug she's working on is made from pieces of fabric used to make panties. Just so you know, this fabric is not from actually panties. In case you were wondering.
I managed to spin all my very green fiber, and started on my very purple fiber.
Here's something interesting - (aren't you glad?) As we were meeting we had visitors to the Agrirama wandering through the workshop, asking questions, taking pictures, etc. We're all on someone's home video! Helen brought her drum carder and demonstrated that to some visitors, and the rest of us just fielded questions and showed them what we were doing. It was pretty neat! We were actually Agrirama volunteers for the day. The man responsible for all this is in the middle in the following picture. His name is Mark, and he likes to think of himself as rugged, yet sensitive. Okay, he likes for everyone to think of him that way!Mark's in the middle, and the curator, Jim and his wife, Rosemary, are flanking him. That's Carolyn's head up in front - hi Carolyn! Back to Mark - this entire fiber meeting thing was his idea. He is Mr. Enthusiasm about getting things going out there. And Mark, thanks for setting up and cleaning up! Now if we could only get him to spin . . . Did I mention he also does the sheep shearing demos for the Agrirama, too?
Okay, this post has gone on long enough. Here's hoping we can do it again!