We've been so Tangled Up In Wool that, as usual, we're about a season short in updating the website. I say we. It's me. I'm the one who finds a hundred other things to do before getting around to here.

Since the last update, we made the transition back to the mountain in time to see the first breath of Spring and I never cease to be amazed as these mountains come alive and turn every possible shade of green punctuated with the glorious colors of azaleas and rhododendron. Add to that the rich browns and reds of the fields being tilled in the bottomlands and it's really quite breathtaking living here where we do.


In March we were in Sapphire for the Carolina Fiber Frolic and I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jan Smiley puts on a great fun weekend retreat and if you get the opportunity to go, either this Fall or next Spring, jump on it.

In April we went to the beautiful Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg for the Southeastern Fiber Forum biennial meeting where I taught three dimensional felting and Kristen ran the TUIW booth. Paddy, our newest associate, served as assistant in my classroom. The fiber studio classroom was a teacher and a feltmaker's dream with so much space to spread out and all the equipment we would ever need. I loved dropping in on the other classes, making new friends, seeing familiar faces. I admit, I also really loved the giant tray of crisp bacon served up every morning. In fact, every single thing about the Arrowmont experience was so wonderful that I signed up to take a class in July on sculpting with wire mesh. I'm not sure how yet, but it looks as though it will "mesh" nicely with my felt work.


Last January I resolved that this was going to be a learning year as much as a teaching year for me so I'm also taking a natural dye week at Shakerag in Sewanee, TN and then in August, I'll be heading to Massachusetts to Felter's Fling. Aye, be still my heart! I will be learning from the best of the best in that week long adventure.


By the time I get home we wil be in the thick of the fiber season here in the Asheville area and looking forward to fall vending and teaching, with the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair  front and center October 25-27. See the listing below of other venues where you will find us during the upcoming months.


We're continuing to move towards an active online store for felters and spinners and we actually made the move to establish an Etsy shop (TangledUpInWoolshop.etsy.com) and oh, look! There's nothing in it yet! But yes, we do indeed have a full line of supplies, including our beautiful full line of 19 micron ultrafine merino and merino/silk blend, luscious natural finn landrace in 3 shades, soap, sprayers, nets and our utterly divine felting and spinning batts. I also happily custom dye silks and gauze for your nuno felting pleasure.


Enjoy the new slideshow, including photos from recent classes and events and stay in touch! Cheers, Vicki


January 18-20. Friends and Fiberworks Winter Retreat at Biltmore Square in Asheville.  https://friendsandfiberworks.com/events/winter-retreat/  3 Spectacular days of more than 35 Vendors and 70 classes! Lisa's retreats are always so much fun. I'm teaching A Simple Little Hat, Felt Collage and Silk Dyeing. I understand hats are in order right now in Asheville and this 3 season wonder is a lot of fun and gives you a chance to try your hand at dyeing wool prefelt as well. Kristen will be teaching a drop spindle class that gives you everything you need to create your own beautiful yarns and she has the patience of a saint so you really do get the individual attention you need to catch on to this skill- and once you have it, it's like riding a bike. Your own yarn forever. Together we will be vending again and you can find us, Tangled Up In Wool, in a booth right outside the Friends and Fiberworks Shop in the Mall. You can check the schedule here: https://friendsandfiberworksregistration.com/secure/grouplistpublicR.asp

February 16-17:  Two day felting intensive. Durable Wool Felt with Contemporary Design. This two day workshop will offer participants the opportunity to work with large batts of Finn wool, natural and dyed colors, to create a piece or art approximately 24 x 24. I've chosen the fleeces and had them processed at Echoview Fiber Mill in Weaverville, NC. The end product will be a thick sturdy piece with very precise design work, suitable for wall or interior design. The skills learned in this workshop will have broad application to continuing felt work: layout, shingling, translating your design from drawing to wool, clearly defined borders, durable finish techniques. Held in St. Petersburg, details TBA. Please email me on this one asap, class size limited to six. Several people have expressed interest in this weekend and if you are traveling from a distance and staying over I can tack on a Friday or Monday additional day in nuno felting using prefelts, scissor cut designs and silk.

March 22-24: Carolina Fiber Frolic, Sapphire North Carolina.  Jan Smiley really knows how to host a great weekend retreat- it feels more like one big wooly party. I will be teaching a vessel class, hat class and dyeing this weekend and Kristen is teaching her drop spindle class. It's hard to believe but you come away from that with everything you need to create your own beautiful yarns from fleece. Jan will have registration up shortly. The retreat setting is incredibly beautiful, the catered meals excellent and all you need to do is take classes, break to eat, laugh, learn and wait for the evening happy hour. And she keeps it very affordable, too! I'll post details as soon as I get them (Jan...)

April 4-7: Southeast Fiber Forum at Arrowmont! http://sefiberforum.org/maurice/index.html  THIS will be a wonderful opportunity to learn from some of the finest fiber artists in the Southeast. Four days at Arrowmont Craft Center at the entrance to the beautiful Smokey Mtn. National Park in Gatlinburg, TN, classes are offered in weaving, spinning, garment construction, felting and dyeing. I highly encourage you to go to the link, explore and sign up! I will be there teaching 3-dimensional felt construction and Tangled Up In Wool will also be vending. We've been fortunate to be asked to supply the forum's logo colors in merino top and drum carded batts and Kristen and I are delighted to be working in their colorways: blackberry, melon, ivy, taupe. Drop me a line if you're interested and I'll also post a link to the order page once it's up in a few days.

Beginning May 1st: Open studio resumes in Fairview, a quick 8 mile hop down the road from Asheville. Further details TBA. 

June 14-16  Friends and Fiber Works Summer Retreat, Biltmore Square Mall

As the year progresses, I will continue to offer more workshop listings for summer, fall going into winter and of course, we will again be at SAFF. http://www.saffsite.org/

We are stepping up our online sales this year and you can get just about all of your felting supplies and materials from us at tangledupinwool.com. Specializing in beautiful Finn wool batts and top, 19 micron merino top in 80 colors, silks for nuno felting including beautiful rust and resist dyed panels 22 x 90 inches of deliciously fine paj silk and dyed tussah silk. We are carrying ball sprayers, the ultimate felter's tool, for 24.00 (22.00 at workshops) as well as felting matts, resist material and pure Greek olive oil soap. Best of all we offer custom carded wool batts of the finest quality, guaranteed to felt and spin beautifully. You can order in colorways of your choice or find hundreds to choose from from our booth at vending events. E-mail us; we make it a pleasant, fast and easy transaction.

Be in touch and let me know what you've been working on. If you have interest in private instruction or questions about a specific project, drop me a note. I look forward to seeing you, working with you and being inspired by you throughout the coming months.
Cheers, Vicki
vicki@tangledupinwool.com

I  had an old friend who would always write, "Rabbit, rabbit!" on my weblog on the first of each month; it was supposed to bring you good luck all month. So Rabbit Rabbit to you and may this month, in particular, be filled with joy and peace , hope and love and many bright shiny lights! 

As the holiday season begins, we are going to begin our online sales here at Tangled Up In Wool. I have so many students looking for quality fibers and supplies and so many requests for handmade felt items that the time seems right.  Browse and enjoy and just send me an e-mail with your requests. I answer all e-mails promptly (unlike updating the website!) and I'll answer any questions, send you a Paypal invoice and make your transaction a pleasant one. 

I'll admit right up front, these lovely felt Christmas trees are kind of like silk purses from sows ears. Like most fiber artists there are always those projects that just don't go according to plan and the result is a rubbermaid tub full of felted fiber that remains UFOs. Since I like to work in greens, it occurred to me that there was a lot of really beautiful merino and silk yardage just waiting for new life. These trees offer a gentle recycled reflection of  the nature of the season. They are all hand felted, cut, sewn and trimmed with art yarn and unique torch fired glass beads at the top. Each one is different and they range in size from 3 inches to 10 inches. Priced 8.00-30.00, 40.00 for a set of three. Email for preferences and I'll send additional photos on request.

These beautiful felt brooches make a wonderful one-of-a-kind gift for that special friend, sister, mother. Friend and fellow feltmaker Paddy Lynch has painstakingly resist dyed hand made pieces of felt and then stitched and beaded them to perfection. 1.5-2 inches, they are precisely right for any ocassion. 25.00 each.

I'm spending my time in warmer climes but when my parents retired they moved to the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P. of Michigan where they got  as much as 330 inches of lake effect snow each year. The house would be buried! While there, they worked very hard to champion the environment and now my daughter is hard at work on her PhD with a focus on environmental preservation of the world's oceans. 

So. Here we have these snow people that are made with love and frustration. They are time consuming and detailed with unique silk and merino scarves and hats, holding a string of festive holiday felt geodes. I resist making them and then, once I settle to the task, I get into their rosy cheeks and carrot noses. They stand about 10 inches tall. But they are a favorite among my friends and felt fans so here's the deal: I'm making about 6 more this season. They need to be ordered by Dec. 10, they'll be to you by the 15th. They are 45.00 and of that, I will donate 50% to EarthIsland Org, 

These are, heads down, the single best felt hat you'll ever own. They are very lightweight yet cozy and warm, incredibly soft and skin friendly with ultrafine merino wool and delightfully colored to your specifications. They are warm, they mold to your head, they stuff in your pocket, they fit under your bike helmet, they make a fashion statement on any trek out into the world. They rinse out with a light gentle wash and reshape perfectly. Could you ever ask for more from your hat? I hand felt and dye these after you send me an e-mail with color choice and head size. I make them from preemie to large. I'm proud of these simple little hats. I wear mine every single day. They are 32.00 with free shipping this month only.

I'm going to be using this merino top exclusively for my own merino felt work and I'll be making it available to all of my students. This beautiful line of merino, at 19 microns, is the loveliest I've ever worked with; it felts easily and has a lovely drape when worked into scarves and other wearable felt. The colors are absolutely vibrant and delicious and dye fast. I've made a dozen commissioned birdhouses with it this season and it has a smooth, sueded finish when used in 3-dimensional work.  See below for available colors and also a photo of how beautifully this "pulls" for layout. 3.00/ounce and free shipping. (Now that's a deal!)