Monday, March 24, 2008

Local Treasure

Taking Dexter to obedience class, I always pass a little farm with 5 or 6 horses out to pasture and an shed decorated in a most intriguing manner. There's a laundry line, with a wooden cartoon sheep hanging from it and brightly painted wooden quilts are nailed to the exterior of the building. The upper story has a big window with a spinning wheel and a stuffed sheep visible from the road.

On Saturday I finally made a special trip just to visit the Wagon Shed. I should have brought my camera. The place is a magpie's nest of fiber and textiles. I found Kassy, the owner, sitting at her wheel spinning. A four-paned window behind her cast a warm light into the room and onto a hand-spun, hand-woven shawl draped over a loom. Kassy had embroidered dainty flowers on it. There was a open closet full of charming children's sweaters, and on the other side of the room there was a whole colony of wooly bears, each one unique.

Kassie had a student in, learning to spin. I couldn't decide if I wanted to flop down in a chair and work on my sock, or poke around the shop. I did both. I found collections of yarns, grouped by color, in bowls and on looms. I found a few caches of hand-spun too. I picked out some colors that spoke to me and played with them and arranged them to suit me.

It was difficult to talk price with Kassy. I think she loves her yarn too much to want to part with it. But I did manage to talk her into taking my money. I was just so inspired by the yarn. I think I want to make a hat, so I tried a swatch on Sunday.

I love the colors!

I want to knit a hat and bring it back to Kassy so it can live in her shop for awhile. I want her to feel like her hand-spun went to a good home. Next time I go, I promise to bring my camera so I can show you real pictures, instead of writing descriptive prose for you. But in the mean time, do go visit Kassy's website and poke around.

5 comments:

  1. Hey! I'm learning to spin with Kassy right now too...unfortunately I was sick this last weekend...so I was not the student you saw ...and I missed seeing you...but Kassy IS great fun isn't she! Maybe next time you stop in ...I'll be sitting there attempting to spin something myself (I say attempting :-)

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  2. Thanks for the link - what a cool place. Makes me want to dust of the spinning wheel I bought several years ago, and learn to use it!

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  3. Oooh, here I just found you and Kassie and I am moving to Owen Sound region! Darn! Keep knitting though...the socks the soxophone player wore on Easter Sunday are awesome!
    Peace,

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  4. I have been to the Wagon Shed too - last year or the year before. I found Kassy to be the same as you Laurie....unable to part with her yarn! In fact I didn't buy anything from her because it seemed to me that she simply didn't want to sell it! When I asked her about yardage, she laughed at me and said "who knows and who cares. I spin till I'm sick of the colour".

    I love the colours you got Laurie. They are lovely together!

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  5. 'bout time you made it out there. It's a lovely place. Last time I was there she was sucked into working her giant loom. I still think about heading up there for lessons . . (love the swatch)

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