Spring is finally here at the farm. It has been a long time coming.We have be inundated with cold and  rain for  weeks and so many of us had not had a chance to till earlier. The green house is full of early spring plants that have had nowhere to go until I get a chance to till the ground. The frog leg shallots have been sorted and waiting for a  spot to go in.  I am heading out after late lunch to start the tiller  and see how the soil looks. We have a good strong west wind today  that is just what we need  The leeks in the picture  are so tall I  might be able to sink them in 4 inches when I plant  in the next few days.
     Thank God I have had fiber work that needed tending to keep me busy as I have waited for winter to give up it's fight and the ground to dry out. I attended the Iowa Federation Of Spinners and Weavers last Saturday near the Quad Cities. It was a very beautiful day with lots of spinners and weavers taking home  big bags of Fae Ridge Fiber. I have already begun two new blends and spent several wintery days in the studio washing fleeces and dyeing. Now that the weather has turned I sheared last spring lambs, Ebony, Milo and Trudy. I have their fleeces  on the skirting table just to admire them.  I love the tiny locks of these Blueface fleeces. They look so beautiful I can hardly
wait till next weeks "Processing a fleece class" when we will work our way through at least a couple of the spring fleeces. I am very happy with my hay feeders and how clean  the fleeces look.I had better sign off and go start the tiller.

The studio  filling up with screens of fresh fleeces, and indigo seedling sprouting  under the grow lights are inspiring  me to get out the calendar and start planning classes for the year.  I have  had several folks ask for a needle felting class.  In this class students learn all the basics of creating 3 dimensional creatures. Many or you see my woolie babies every year at New Pioneer co-op around Easter but I am posting a picture of some out at the store.
     I am planning to run this class on Sunday May19th. This class will be taught in the studio at my home. It will run from 10:00AM to 3:00 PM This class will be limited to 8 students. All of  the materials will be provided  and students will take home everything they need to keep making these fun creatures at home.  Class fee is $50:00
   

I am also planning a processing a fleece class for Sunday May 5th.  This class will be limited to 6 students and will  begin at 10:00Am and run through 4:00AM or 5:00PM. Class fee is $50.00.         This class will be taught in my in home studio space. This class guides student through the complicated world of choosing a fleece, and is designed to help build confidence to through every step of how to take a fleece from the sheep to spinning. Students are welcome to bring fleeces they have on hand.

This is always a fun class  and each student will take home a nice collection of ready to spin rolags in a wild variety of color.

I am also  posting my annual natural dye retreat  for August 24th and 25th. This two day retreat fills up fast as we immerse ourselves in a world of natural dyes.  Students stay at the farm  eating the bounty of the farms summer gardens.This retreat runs from 10:00 AM Saturday to 5:00 PM Sunday, and is limited to 8 participants. Room and board are included in the class fee of  $275.  We will  harvest plants from the farm dye gardens for most of our dyes. We will create  Echo Steam Prints and Happa Zomi  from the farms gardens. These are  two unique method of natural dye surface design.   

 All classes are filled on a first come first served basis. A 50% deposit is due upon class registration to hold your spot in these classes.  If you have any questions about any classes or would like to register for any classes please contact Janette at 319-643-5873 or at faeridgefarm@lcom.net