My family and I just returned from the annual dye & fiber retreat in Castaic, CA. Griffin Dyeworks does a wonderful job of organizing three days full of fiber arts demos, classes, 
camping, eating (great food...even for vegans!), and sharing.
We got to swim, do archery, drum, crochet, spin, weave, knit, dye yarn, Viking whipcord braid, batik dye shirts, tie-dye, and polish stones (la
pidary). My husband learned how to do lampwork glass beads. I learned Armenian needle lace, and I got to dye with lichen for the first time (makes a beautiful purple color!). I taught Tunisian crochet and Cro-hook, and we had a table full of items from Gosh Yarn It! My daughter learned how to do card weaving. The people who attend this retreat are extremely nice, and everyone enjoys the laid-back atmosphere. There is more to do than there is time, but that's part of the fun! Every year, there are new classes and projects.
We dyed wool and cotton yarns (some were our own handspun) in natural dyes: broom=yellow, Brazilwood=deep pink, cochineal=pink, lichen=purple, kamala=gold, onion skins=tan, indigo=blue, and broom then indigo=sage and green. We wound some of these onto weaving shuttles. During the summer, we will weave 
a table runner out of our dyed yarns as a family project. For more information and to register for next year: www.griffindyeworks.com
patterns!
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