I'm getting questions as to when my next newsletter is coming out…geeze…I'm late again…story of my life, folks. Sorry about that. Will try to make an honest effort to be better organized in 2004. I've got some new things in the shop in the last month, so let me explain as best I can.

First of all, we got in the six colors sequences in the Hand Painted yarns of Opal. Also added the 10 colors of Magic that has just come out in the Opal line. They are all beautiful. With 16 display socks to knit I decided that the sock machine was going to be the way to go. I've got all of the Hand Painted socks done and half of the Magic socks. Yeah. Thank goodness for old fashioned (late 1800's to early 1900's) technology!!!

We've found that with bringing the washing of fiber on line with our other services we've been overwhelmed with the fiber washing. I went from washing in two small coolers to 4 large coolers to 6 large coolers. All worked well along with adding the propane water heaters last summer. However, this process was very time consuming. As of the end of the year we now have a wonderful stainless steel fiber washer. It has three compartments each of which can hold up to 7 pounds of fiber. I place the Eccoscour in the bottom, fill the 3 sections in the washer, put a water/Eccoscour blend in the jug that automatically adds it to the water when it's time for the 2 nd wash and presto chango…in about 2-2 ½ hours, I can take it out and put it in one of our wonderful fiber dryers. Yeah. Even a dumby like me can operate this one. I'm so pleased.

Along with that shipment we got extensions for our two drafters (the machines that prepare the roving from the carders to go into the spinners) that are break aways…if the fiber pulls apart or reaches an end of the roving, the machine shuts off! Yeah. I feel like a real winner with these. Of course, one thing leads to another like usual. Jim, bless his heart, was busy this weekend making 20 more metal bins. Hopefully this will help the yarn production catch up a bit.

Like many people around the country, this month's weather has taken it's toll. Jackie came in last Monday (the 12 th ) for the first time since Christmas eve. It was Myrna's first day since the first of the year. Between snow and ice everything was pretty well shut down around here. We didn't have any major damage here and only flickers in the power. That's more than a lot of people around here, so we're very thankful. However, not much got done in the shop during that time. Not only was I working alone, but I didn't want to start something with the fear the power would go out and I'd lose everything. Should have taken that time to write the newsletter, hey? Ah well, the obvious is so hard to do!

At this time we only have the one class schedule for February and that one is a 3 week class…the first 3 weeks of February from 10am to 1pm. This is a double wooden handled shopping basket. It has a wooden base and is very sturdy. I have a sample in the shop if you would like to see it before signing up for the class.

I received some rather sad news last week. My beautiful Samoyed (12 years old) has cancer. It's a rather fast growing kind and started behind her eye just before Christmas. Her face is already very disfigured. We're trying to keep her comfortable for as long as we possible can.

Just a reminder that our area 6030 of the Northwest Regional Spinners Association meets here on the 3 rd Wednesday of every month at 7pm. Hope to see all members here and anyone that would like to join, please call and I'll give you all the particulars.

Last summer we were graciously given about 65 alpaca fleeces…actually, what appears to be just the blankets. I've kept a few for myself (greedy person that I am!!!) and have been washing the rest slowly since I got the new fiber washer in. (It's great…I set it up before I go to the house in the evening and presto chango come morning the fiber is washed and ready to go into the dryer) I hope to have a lot of it carded into 8 oz. Bumps of roving for the Black Sheep Gathering in June of this year. Hopefully I can report the progress on this in the March/April Newsletter…keep watching.

Once again it's time to say good bye. Hope all is well with you. Take care & God bless…….Janell