Keep calm and fiber on

Yesterday, the day after the governor cancelled all events that involve over 250 people, I met up with a friend at the Jay County Fiber Fest. Some vendors had bailed, the crowd was thin, didn't see any class trips (school is also cancelled for the next four weeks). We purchased a few things (just soap and silk thread for me), tried to spend some money in downtown Portland (such as it is - another tired Indiana town) but the gift shop was closed and the coffee shop proprietor was "out to lunch". Burgers at the Greazy Pickle were delish, though. Now it is time to (mostly) hunker down for the duration.

Spinning: Needing a break from the Shetland wool, I started spinning some Lorna Laces Shepherd Wool top superwash merino from my blog friend, using the fractal method. I'll write more about this at a later time, assuming it works as expected.
Weaving: Now that my calendar is REALLY clear, I have been able to devote some time to the online weaving class I am enrolled in.

I bit the bullet and purchased a (kind of pricey) Mirrix loom. Actually, I bought the kit that goes with the class I am taking. I am really glad I spent the money - I didn't realize how much I have struggled with weaving because of inadequate tools. Yes, you can weave on looms cobbled together from wood scraps and nails or PVC pipe, but this loom has adjustable tension and a shedding mechanism, the cloth can be shifted like one does on an inkle loom so you have twice the area to weave, there are coils to hold the warp in place, etc. Oddly, of all my tapestry beaters, the fork (as in silverware) works best for the warp spacing I am using. I'm still going to invest in a few more tapestry-specific weaving tools. It's my way to help the economy.