Fiber Friday #5

Each winter I look forward to Project Spectrum. It's so nice to get a jolt of inspiration during the blah winter months. This year is particularly inspiring, as it centers on the 4 Elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. I plan on dyeing a spinning a 'mini-series' for each of these elements, working with color, material and texture to integrate the feeling of the individual elements.
This week I worked on Fire (the theme from Feb-March), in the warmest of materials: wool.

This is the newest local wool I've sourced; it comes from Hobby Knob Farm. I haven't had a chance to visit the farm yet, as that would involve going "over the mountain", something I try to avoid when we have the possibility of snow. Last year, in December, I had to go to a conference in Asheville ('over the mountain') and it just started to snow as I left at 5pm. By 5:30pm, I was at the highest elevation and the road had narrowed to one lane (the other lane had over 5 inches of snow), with just the smallest little tracks for my wheels. I was alone, without a cell phone and only the occasional car around. It took me 3 hours to make the 1 hour drive and I learned later that they usually "close the road" when it gets that bad. I asked, "so the drivers have to get off at an exit and stay at a hotel?" No, they simply close all the exits so you are stuck on the road all night! So yes, I'll be waiting until the threat of snow is passed.

However, Elizabeth, the owner, tells me that she's expecting some lambs any day and that shearing season is upon us, so if I want to get some fleeces, I need to get over that mountain!