Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Judith McKenzie McCuin Recommended Reads

Judith was here the first week of November doing a three day workshop for us. During that time she dropped several names of books that are good reads. I thought I'd pass them on to you.... Margaret has already started reading one of them!!!

Of course if you like ranching, the Ivan Diog books are fabulous, as he talks of sheep ranching on the range. I have them, but not read them yet, and should, with the history in my family of my great-grandfather's sheep ranches. "This House of Sky" is one of them.

Judith has a unique style of teaching. I think she comes to "class" with a basic idea of what will be taught, and with her wealth of knowledge stored in her head and hands, she can naturally, literally pull things "out of her hat" at a moment's notice. Her love and experience with fiber and animals is really demonstrated in class. She is a real natural. So while I went to class to learn new techniques of spinning, it was also an "experience" of a sort, hearing stories of other spinners, ranchers, knitters and weavers of the past and present. I loved these few days!

One evening after class, after we had done some combing she mentioned a book that was out of print. Alan Fanin is the author of "The Art of Handspinning". She said he was a crotchety old guy that nobody really got along with, but he really knew combing! And the section in his book on combing is the best! VanNastrom Press.

"Three Blankets, Three Legacies" and "In the Cloth of My Grandmother". Don't know the author, same author though, I think. If you know, please reply to the blog and let us know!

And lastly, the book Margaret is already reading, "The Midwives Tale", written by the same author as "The History of Knitting".

If you have any other information on these or other books to pass on about spinning and weaving history or stories, let us in the blog, Thank you!


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