It’s been quite exciting around here for Jim and me. Our daughter just got engaged…May 22nd, 2004 and our son and daughter-in-law are going to have their first child in April!!! Not only do we get a son-in-law, but we’re going to be grandparents!!! 2004 looks very promising.

On the business front, we got a new line of Opal yarn in. It is called Lollipop and has 8 color combinations. I am frantically trying to knit display socks for Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in a week and a half!!! Yikes. I have 2 done and the third one started. What are my chances??

Well, my 3 pygora goats arrived this summer and boy, are they cute. We’ve learned a lot about how easy it is to keep llamas fenced in. Ha! We intentionally kept our fences a little off the ground so that the llamas could eat the grass at the fence line…not exactly what a goat person would think! Ha! We’ve also learned that goats can fly…at least that what it seems like when the jump straight up! My, it’s been exciting here! Gave the girls their first haircuts in July. Now I just need the time to do my own pygora fiber! Not only do I have the three pygora goats, but also my front pasture now supports 3 young male alpacas…a white, a true black and a silver gray. Just what I needed, hey? If I could only find the time to shear them…they didn’t get a haircut this summer. Yikes.

The fiber washing is really going strong. I need to wash fiber every day and still seem to be falling behind. Darn. We added 2 more coolers (totaling 6) to the washing line up only to find out that the electric water heater couldn’t keep up to the demand. So, we invested in 2 propane gas hot water on demand units and now we have plenty of hot water whenever we want it. Jim also made me another dryer so we’re forging ahead once again. We had some significant down time while all this was happening but we’re up and running again. Yeah.

Well, we got another batch of Gotland wool in from New Zealand. This wool is gray…anywhere from dark gunmetal gray to silvery gray. I know some people had wanted some raw fiber, so please get in touch with me about this. The price for Gotland in the grease is $14.00/#, washed and carded into roving it is $20.00/#. This is beautiful fiber if you’re not familiar with it. Micron count for lambs wool is around 25 and the ewe fiber is a little heavier, but not even that noticeable. If you’re interested in some of this luscious stuff, let me know quickly as I got less than ½ of what I got last year. I hope to get more this year along with some other fiber from New Zealand, but we’ll see.

We’re trying to get everything ready for OFFF, September 27th & 28th. We hope to see many of you there. This event takes place right here in Canby, Oregon at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. What a joy to have a big, wonderful show like this right in our backyard.

We have a few classes schedule for this fall and one you can start out 2004 with. Here’s the plan. Some classes are coming up rapidly, so put your deposit down for your spot.. Some classes are repeats…others are brand new….come join us and learn something new!

October 4, 2003—Beginning Soap Making.
This class will run from 10am to 2pm. Please bring your sack lunch. Class fee is $15.00, material fee is $10.00 for a total of $25.00. You will be taking home about 1# of soap that you helped make (remember, this soap needs to cure for about 6 weeks before you can use it). The class fee reserves your spot and is non-refundable. Please bring rubber gloves, goggles, long sleeve old shirt, cardboard box (about 12x12x12) and old towels. This class is a re-run as we always have new faces and such fun. Thanks Renee for offering this class to us.

October 18, 2003—Dyeing with Koolaid.
I’ve been promising to hold this class for about a year and my employees are holding me to it! Ha! Class fee is $15.00 and your payment will hold your place in the class. Little bits of fluff will be available to you to try, but if you want to dye some of your own for samples, you’re welcome to bring it. This class will be from 10am to 2pm. Please remember to bring your sack lunch with you.

November 22, 2003—Natural Beauty Gifts.
Give the gift of nature this year. Simple indulgence at it's best. Learn to make lip balm, milk bath and oodles of other gifts all from scratch. These are sure to delight the recipients. Take home samples of all the creations. Please bring 3 clean glass jars with lids about 1 cup each. Class fee 20.00 materials included. This class will run 10-noon.

February 7, 14 & 21, 2004—Double Handle Shopping Basket.
I realize that this is planning ahead somewhat, but we’re trying to get things scheduled in advance!!! This will be a 3 Saturday class. Class fee for all three days is $35.00. Material fee is $30.00. These classes will run from 10am to 1pm. Sign up soon as I’m sure this basket will go over as well as the last one did! You will need 1/4" flat head screwdriver, heavy side cutters or reed cutter, approximately 15 spring clothespins, heavy-duty utility knife, pencil (no pens), paper for notes, old towel and a plastic shoe box (to hold water).

Job security is running high here at Fantasy Fibers. Anyone that has been here this summer (you pick the day) knows that there are boxes and bags of fiber all over the place. Due to this overwhelming amount of work, the turn around time has gone up significantly. The biggest bottleneck has been the washing. If you need your fiber back in less than the time frame I quote you, please wash it yourself. It gets processed rather quickly when it is already washed. Thanks.

Well, once again I need to get back to work…and get this out to everyone. Hope you had a great summer and are looking forward to a wonderful fall and winter. Until the next newsletter…take care & God bless.

Janell