The Wool Goes 'Round

Now we are embarking on a new venture:

E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N-

Yes, we are now starting to produce educational videos to help fiber artists efficiently use our fiber processing tools.

The first one we worked on---it's an experiment---is one covering the proper use of the Strauch Jumbo Ball Winder. Check it out on Youtube at:

Let us know what you think, Otto

The Wool Goes 'Round in Australia!

It sounds like Otto & Joanne had a great time at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show! We've got some fun photos in our Flickr set, or you can sit back and enjoy the slide show right here.

Our demo area was set up with our Australia dealer, Mandie, of Ewe Give Me the Knits! Otto and Joanne enjoyed meeting everyone and showing off our products. It looks like the Ravelry dinner was pretty fun too. I hope you enjoy looking at the pics. We can't wait for O & J to get home and tell us all the stories.

Making roving with a drum carder

While at the Fleece & Fibre Show in New Zealand, Joanne demonstrated how to take fiber off of the large drum of a carder as a roving rather than as a batt. Otto captured it in two short videos that we think you might enjoy. If you like, you can view them at our Flickr site. Or you can watch them right here! (The wonders of modern technology :-)

Isn't that cool? The diz that Joanne is using is a large button. She keeps it pretty close to the card cloth, and is careful not to try to pull too much through at once. You also have to keep in mind the length of the fiber itself. It's a lot like drafting when you're spinning.

If you give this a try at home let us know how you like it. We'd love to see some photos of your drum carder roving too!

The Wool Goes 'Round in New Zealand

Fiber Festival Round-Up for May- Maryland Sheep & Wool

May has been a crazy-busy month here at Strauch Fiber. We've gone to four great fiber festivals, and we've introduced a new product. (More about the new addition in another post.)

Maryland Sheep and Wool was a blast, or a blast furnace, depending on your point of view. Yup, it was hot, hot, hot! But as always, we had fun reconnecting with Strauch friends and fans from previous years and meeting lots of wonderful new people. Demos at Carolina Homespun, Earth Guild, Stony Mountain Fibers, Misty Mountain Farm, and The Mannings were well-received. It's great to get to spend a little time with those folks that bring our equipment to the fiber world at large. 

Lawre and I were also thrilled to meet some rock stars of the fiber world. Here's a photo of Lawre with her spinning wheel idol Gordon Lendrum, maker of the fabulous Lendrum Spinning Wheels. Lawre loves her Lendrum wheel and was pretty darned excited to meet Gord. (That might be a bit of an understatement.)

We also had a chance to go out to dinner with Owen and Glynis Poad from Majacraft. They were at Maryland to launch their new wheel, the Aura. What lovely and fun people they are. Otto and Joanne will be spending some time with them in July when the Strauch World Tour heads to New Zealand and Australia for their big wool festivals.

Of course no Strauch adventure would be complete without going out for great food and drink. We had a couple of good dinners at the Ellicott Mills Brewing Company in Ellicott City. Robin is a great waitress - be sure to ask for her! But the real stand-out dining experience was at Pure Wine Cafe, also in Ellicott City. Really. Beautiful. Food. Go there, eat Tapas, and by all means get some White Peach Sangria. You won't be sorry.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to David and Susan at the Wayside Inn. This is our home-away-from-home when we go to MD. S&W. We love staying with David and Susan. Not only is the Inn fabulous and the breakfasts very yummy, but they are fun people and gracious hosts.

Lawre, Liz and Joanne having fun at Pure Wine Cafe. We're not normally this blurry. Must have been the sangria... Or maybe Otto was just laughing too hard when he took the picture. Yeah, that must be it!

See all the photos from Maryland S&W on our Flickr page, or watch the slideshow, below!

Off to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

The truck is loaded and we're ready to head on up to Maryland for the big weekend! We've been busy making drum carders, ballwinders, swifts, handcards and accessories all spring, so we'll have a nice supply with us.

We're having a Md. S&W giveaway! 

Be the first person to tell any one of the Strauch crew that "Strauch Fiber Equipment makes the wool go 'round" & get a prize! Otto, Joanne, Lawre & Liz will each have a prize to give away on Saturday and on Sunday! We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions about our products or would like to see how our drum carders work come and see us. Our table will be set up in the Carolina Homespun booth in the Main Exhibition Hall and we'll be demonstrating there most of the time. You'll also find us periodically at the Earth Guild, Stony Mountain Fiber, and Mannings booths.

And be sure to stop by and check out the Special Edition Walnut Finest Drum Carder. It's a beauty!

 

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Susan, winner of our Web Launch Giveaway!

Susan has won our prize pack of handspun yarn, beaded stitch markers from Lawre's Laine, and a set of notecards created by Joanne Strauch.

Thanks to everyone who looked at our new web site and posted comments on our blog. We'll be announcing another giveaway when we get back from Maryland Sheep & Wool, so stay tuned!

See you at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!

Otto and Joanne are back from Stitches South, but the 2010 Wool Goes 'Round Whirled Whorled World Tour continues! Next stop -  the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!

We'll be located in the Carolina Homespun booth, but you can also find Otto, Joanne, Lawre & me  demonstrating our products at the Earth Guild and Stony Mountain Fibers booths.

You might bump into us girls shopping too. :-)

I hope we see you there.

A Postcard from Stitches

Web Launch Give-Away!

The new Strauch Fiber Equipment Company website has just been launched and we're so excited about it we want to give something away! The crafty ladies at Strauch Fiber, got together to make up this excellent and very cheerful prize package:

Joanne Strauch created and printed a set of four note cards - three are her own block printed design, and one she hand stamped.

Lawre (who some of you may know from her own business, Lawre's Laine) added a set of four hand-made Beaded Stitch Markers to the prize pack.

And Liz, your blog hostess, contributed a 200 yd skein of handspun merino wool, made famous on our NEW website!

If you'd like to enter this giveaway, visit our NEW website then do the following:

• Post a comment here and tell us which page heading photo you like the best and why.

Winner will be chosen at random, possibly by a cat, from all entries. One entry per person. Contest ends on Monday, April 26 at 5 p.m. EST. We'll announce the winner on Tuesday, April 27.