John C. Campbell Folk School - Day 1

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Well, the laptop seems to be back up to snuff, but the wireless internet at my B&B has been iffy, so I wasn't able to blog last night about my second day at SAFF and my spinning class there. Better success tonight, thank goodness.

I did go back to SAFF on Sunday and buy a few more things before my class, and I'll most likely share my purchases in a post after the end of this long trip. Or maybe sooner, if I have some time one evening this week.

I ended up getting a couple books, a little bit more fiber, a fantastic pair of earrings, (don't let me forget to show you those), and one hank of yarn. Still pretty darned restrained, at least for me.

My SAFF spinning class was good in that it introduced me to the concept, it got me a chance to try a Lendrum wheel, and helped me get over the initial awkwardness of the process. The instructor was over-extended, however -- there were 12 of us and just one of her, so I think a few of us felt neglected on occasion, which was frustrating if we hit a roadblock and couldn't figure out how to troubleshoot the problem. We were also her last class of the weekend, and she'd had seven other classes, plus evening spinning sessions at her hotel, so she was a little burnt out. To her credit, though, she was willing to stay with us for as long as we wanted to stay, even hours past when the class was over, if we so chose, but I had to head on down the road to Brasstown, NC, my home this week while I take another, week-long spinning class at what has quickly become my favorite place in the world -- the John C. Campbell Folk School.

The drive down is incredibly beautiful, and I think I picked the most perfect week to be spending in the Great Smoky Mountains. See for yourself:

I see where they get their name

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I got there late, but made it just in time for dinner.

Our class met briefly after dinner and then I headed on to my B&B, just up the road, for the night.

This morning, I came over early for their "morningsong", to hear the school's director tell the history of school, and then browsed their exquisite craft shop while others ate breakfast. Oh, my -- that shop is going to put a hurtin' on my wallet, I can just feel it! Some incredible handicrafts in that place!

Afterwards we went to class and spent the entire day carding and preparing wool from a fleece provided by the school's knitter-in-residence, Martha Owen, who also happens to own the local yarn shop in nearby Peachtree.

Here's the building where our class is held -- we're in the "wet room", on the bottom level, on the left:


The cooking class is right next door -- we're still waiting expectantly to be taste-testers for them. There's a music class upstairs, and we hear them all day long, mainly in the form of thumping on their floor (our ceiling).

Here's a few folks from our class:

Instructor Annie Hall, on far left in red vest
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After class, I took the walking tour of the campus, and here are a few pictures of buildings along the tour:

old log cabin; used to be weaving studio
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Mill House
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After dinner, our class took a field trip over to Yarn Circle for their Monday knit night. Nice folks, and nice shop -- lots of spinning and weaving supplies, in addition to the typical knitting supplies. I didn't buy any fiber or yarn but did get a few sheepy greeting cards.

I am now completely exhausted ready for bed, so will end this, for now.

Tomorrow -- spinning!

Maybe another blog post tomorrow night, if all goes well.

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