I went and didn't see the allure of spinning. Well, a couple of weeks later I was passing the llama farm at Hoffman Lake and asked the owner if he had any llama fiber for sale. He didn't but would give me some - 38+ pounds of beautifully blown out, groomed, show quality llama fiber. Little did I know that the herd owner STARTED our 4H llama program - Hoosier Llama Lovers (see page). Well, I figured since I had been doing hand-work for so long I could learn how to spin. My mother, who was still alive and living with me offered, generously, to purchase my first spinning wheel, a Louet S10-DT. I got the fiber processed at Zeilingers and the rest was history. A couple of months later my mom passed, I was separated, I had three young children and I was at loose ends. In April 2000 a sales associate at Quality Farm and Fleet - now Tractor Supply asked since I knew how to spin, I was now spindling everywhere I went, did I know how to shear. They were having inquiries about shearers for small flocks. I said I didn't but I could learn and knew where to go to a class. Little did I know that it takes 500 to 1000 sheep to cut your teeth shearing. Well, I needed a kid-friendly job and in a couple of years I was VERY busy shearing for the handspinning community in Indiana, Michigan, and parts of Ohio. With an occasional excursion to Illinois, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and once to Kentucky. I have steadily built up my fiber business, and now I am cutting back (no pun intended) on my shearing business. I do custom handspinning, handweaving, handknitting, flock consultation, and fiber consultation. I have two spinning wheels currently, a Reeves before Rick sold to Schacht, and a Majacraft Suzi. If all goes according to plan I anticipate the acquisition of a Rio Grande in late summer. I have twelve harness looms and weave mostly kitchen towels, but I also do throws, scarves, mug matts, runners and whatever else catches my fancy. If I can work with the fiber, and make a yarn. . . . although not all my work is handspun. I keep a fiber flock of around 40 sheep, 5 llamas, and alpaca, a resident donkey, Samson, what a joy, assorted poultry, and yard cats, a three-legged calico house cat, Minnie who is fearless, and a wonderful, loving, kind, gentle bullmastiff, Angel. My daughter Rebecca lives with me and works on the farm and fiber business. My eldest Claire just finished her junior year at Taylor University and is doing an internship in audio production/engineering at the Masterworks Festival in Winona Lake this summer www.masterworks.org. She plans on completing her studies in audio production and engineering at Taylor next spring. Jack just got accepted to the University of Evansville and plans on studying to become a high school math teacher. He acheived his Eagle Scout this past spring and is working at Camp Chief Little Turtle (the Boy Scout Camp for the Anthony Wayne Boy Scout Council), near Pleasant Lake Indiana. Hope you enjoy the site. I am still getting up to techno-speed on posting products for sale. Stay tuned. . . .
