Misty Mountain Farm

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The Purls of Distinction Knitting Guild made a field trip to Amissville, VA to visit Misty Mountain Farm.





We all dyed silk caps - choosing our own special blends of colors. We used acid dyes and then set the color by wrapping the silk cap in plastic and microwaving until the water was clear. (Tina - left, Yvonne - right with Lisa)


Linda spun our caps dry and we took them home. The plan is to knit with the unspun silk roving and create a vintage knitted collar with the pattern Linda provided. (Lisa - left, Anita - right)




Paula is busy dyeing her silk cap - somehow I missed getting a photo of Yvonne's friend dyeing. I must have been busy dyeing at the same time she was.




I dyed my silk cap with purple, teal, turqoise, and brilliant violet. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to spin mine first or knit the unspun roving. Lisa is leaning toward "spun yarn". She doesn't spin, so I told her I'd be glad to spin it up for her. The big decision there will be whether to ply it or leave it as a single.


In addition to our "dyeing project", there was a lot of yarn shopping, fiber shopping, and general knitty chatting. Paula's "friend", Louffa (on the left lounging on some silk caps and yarn), even had a great time!



Linda's shop/dye studio was absolutely bustling. In addition to 7 of us that were dyeing, there were 3 spinners getting lessons and checking out all the fibers that Linda had to offer. This year, she even has some fibers from her own Alpacas in a variety of lovely colors.


It was definitely a fun outing. We even visited Linda's fiber animals - they're so cute!!!

There were many sheep...including Blue Faced Leicesters and Finn Sheep, as well as goats, and alpacas!




























I love this little "Rasta" fellow...too cute!!!! (I often wonder how they can see - they seem to do just fine, so it's evidently not a problem.)












I love this photo of "harmony" - the chicken, sheep, and alpaca...all cozy and hanging out together in the barn.





And these loving alpacas...snuggling with each other.




Then, there are the curious sheep...wondering why I'm not outside taking their pictures any more...and curious about just what it is that I'm doing in "their" barn!





And we mustn't forget the "Great Pyrenees" - the guardian of the flock.






As a horse lover, you know I have to include the resident horse...even if it doesn't provide any fibers! I just love the silhouette below.