I'm back, all refreshed and rested! And a FREE SPINNING MAGAZINE

We had a wonderful time in Sweden. We landed at Landvetter Airport on April 25 and spent the night at the hotel before we headed into Gothenburg. Spent an evening in town and met our friend Elin for a ferry ride to the southern archipelago. It was interesting enough that I forgot to take photos..... And Elin and I had months' worth of news to catch up on.

Painted glass ceiling in our 150-year old Gothenburg hotel

After lunch we were off to her sheep farm for a few days. She and Erik have a wonderful place in the countryside with a dozen or so Varmland sheep (sorry, Elin, but blogger doesn't have diacritical marks in the English text function).

 

We took the opportunity to visit local (western Sweden) sights, with a stop at the Boras Textile Museum. Unfortunately, we found that the Museum is a misnomer--it's really part of the design school and the only exhibits were the student end-of-term work and a Swedish designer. However, the entryway was a fascinating crochet yarn-bombing by students.

 

 

On another day, we went to a fiber mill to pick up a fleece sorting table that Elin had purchased. This is proof that no matter where you travel, fiber mill equipment is the same. And it's where I just couldn't resist some indigo-dyed fingering weight Finull yarn. There it is, on the right side of that top shelf....

The sorting table in action that evening.

On Saturday, we had scheduled two workshops and nearly filled the room with students. There are fewer spinners in Sweden than here so many of these ladies drove a good distance to get to the farm. I taught a class on different drafting methods in the morning, and we had a breeds tasting class in the afternoon. Lunch was something special--although I've hiked through stinging nettle and know that it is a medicinal herb/supplement, I never knew you could eat it. It makes a wonderful soup, especially when served with fresh whole grain bread, butter and Brie cheese. My students were so easy to teach and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn so much about spinning in Sweden. Traveling is always such an educational experience and I love meeting and learning from other cultures.

L to R--Isabella, Sandy, Linda and Elin



Elin and Ulla, who quickly grabbed the spots near the fireplace

 

Sweden is a beautiful country (when the sun is shining), and the people we met were helpful and friendly. Since it was spring, I couldn't resist the wildflowers popping up alongside the farm lane.

 

More on our travels next week.

And a plug for PLY Magazine, which is a treasure of spinning and fiber knowledge published by Jacey Boggs. Each issue is themed, covering that issue's topic in depth with articles written by leading spinners and many no-so-famous-but-knowledgeable spinners. In an effort to introduce the magazine to more US spinners, Jacey is offering a free issue--the June issue, no strings attached--to anyone who signs up on the website. Remember, this is for new readers in the US only.
Go here and input the code: NEWEYES. You'll have to be quick as the free issue will be coming out in the next few weeks, but PLY Magazine is SO worth it!