AND, WHAT AN ADVENTURE IT WAS! Have you ever ended up in an unexpected adventure before? I did a week ago. This was a knitter, crocheters dream……….read on!

A week ago we headed to eastern Missouri for a Bible conference and stay on for a couple days extra to spend time visiting with friends of ours south of there. They live out at Turkey Hill Ranch Bible Camp deep in the beautiful and peaceful Ozark Hills. We spent the time with long time friends and relatives of theirs from here. Sunday night found Debi & I and her mom online searching for a local source for a Ozark Hand Spun Yarns. Little did we know the designer of the yarn lived right smack in Jefferson City north of camp. So on Monday afternoon we had an appointment to stop there. Debi and I planned on some thrift store shopping after we stopped with her mom to buy yarn. That is all we thought the time was going to involve there. Look at yarn, buy some and leave. Were we ever wrong!

ENTER:

David Gentzsch
Designer of Ozark Hand Spun Yarns

As we arrived we were greeted by a large over 100 year old brick home with stain glass everywhere. David is talented in making stain glass, it was everywhere through out the house.  Some of the following 6 photos are little off in clarity – they are enlarged from cell phone photos. Thinking Debi and I were going to be on our way shortly I hadn’t even given thought to bringing my camera with since we were just going to go to the thrift stores in town. Thankfully she had her cell phone camera so we did get some pics. Below is a sampling of some of his stain glass.

We ended up with the Gentzch’s for over 2 hours seeing their designs and some of the process to produce the colorful array of beautiful yarns he designs and spins. David left the harder stain glass palette of colors behind  to move over to the softer form palette colors in the wonderful hand spun yarns he creates.  This ended up being the most memorable adventure any of us has had. We three gals were in our element like never before.  David buys his wool locally, through out the state and other states and New Zealand. His yarns are sold nationwide and around the world. And here we found he was a short distance away from where we sat with the laptop looking up a source for his yarns.

After seeing bins of yarns in a vast array of colors and many of his designs that he and his wife have knitted and crocheted up we headed outside.

Above – Here we are whooping it up with some of Davids designs draped on us. ( sorry this pic did not enlarge well so rather grainy ) I think we must have been out at the car looking at and trying on designs for over 1/2 an hour and it was chilly out. But when your having so much fun you don’t realize your fingers are freezing off!  I’m the one on the right in green jacket, next to me are my dear friends from here, then David, next to him Debi -daughter to the couple and who we were visiting. Mine and Debi’s hubbies didn’t come along they stayed on back at camp visiting and snoozing. David had just gotten back from a show and had tons more designs in the trunk that we were going through.

Above – David and Terry – they are a cute couple. Very friendly and fun to visit. You’ll see some of the designs worn above in photos later on in this posting.

Now we move onto the house next door. Where David has part of his workshop in the basement. We didn’t get photos of the wool washing process ( sorry about that ) because we were so busy listening and watching David work. David showed us his process of washing the wool, rinsing, setting the dye with vinegar, etc.. After all that we moved on over to the next room in the basement.

In this next room he had bins of wool dyed in every color of the rainbow, bales of wool and what I was really drawn to was the Raw Silk he had from China. See it above hanging on the wall – the creamy white deliciousness. I had never seen nor felt raw silk before. It’s so luxuriously soft. When done up into a garment, woven or otherwise it’s not as soft as it is in this raw state.

Above & below – here we are having so much fun as we help David shake out the washed hanks of yarn to hang on rods to dry. You’ll notice the bug zapper below in one of the collage photos. He uses them to keep moths away from all his yarns. Works well and you also avoid the smell of moth balls or that other crystal grains of ??? the name evades my brain at the moment…that you would have to have out in the open with so much yarn around. M in the corner photo above has what you call a mane of wool on her shoulder all dyed and ready for your imagination as how to use it. It’s a part of wool sheered  from the sheep that comes off  basically already felted. The one M has draped on her shoulder was so pretty and could be used just as it is by pinning a brooch to it onto a sweater or jacket to dress yourself up.

Our time spent with the Gentzsch’s was delightful. Davids yarns are beautiful. He has a vast rainbow assortment of  colorway choices. The sky’s the limit with your imagination in using his yarns. His designs ( many of his patterns on his website ) are Funky in style – nothing I would wear but others would like them – they are fun. He travels to shops for classes and shows. You can find out where to purchase his yarns on his site linked above.

~ FLORILEGIUM ~

Fast track ahead one week. While at David Gentzsch’s home we heard he was going to be at a shop in a town not to far from me. He was giving a needle felting class on wool scarves, there would be a fashion show with some of his designs and he would have tons of his yarns there. So I joined my friend M just this past Saturday for another adventure. She’s like a mother to me  less than a year older than my own mother) and she’s my knitting buddy who has been teaching knitting at our local yarn shop for years. And whom I have cooked with for years at our churches Bible Day Camp and coordinated and cooked for our bi annual conferences at church each year. How many years? I have totally lost count, but its been a long time.

So what is Florilegium? It’s been a well kept secret from me. I never even knew it existed till this past week.  Florilegium is the knitter, crocheter, needlepointer, ribbon art, hat making, beader, you name it store. It is magical when you enter the front door. The owner Gretchen is amazingly talented. The displays she has created draw you in to just a dreamland of crafts on display, antiques, etc..

I literally took close to 150 photos that day. Just snapping them left and right. No way I could begin to share them all. So I collaged some of my favorites and deleted most all the rest to give you all an idea of the store.

Above M is with David once again. M has on one of his latest ideas to use his yarns to embellish denim jackets. Also the other gal with same jacket we got to know a bit…she’s got 6 kids like I do and is a knitter / crafter. She was there for David’s needle felting class.  There were about a dozen gals involved in the class. We weren’t but we are considering a class that will be in March more along the line of what we like @ Florilegium taught by David.
The basket on the floor is just a glimpse of Davids beautiful yarns.

Below the gal holding up the black fabric with bird on it was part of the class. She brought a boiled wool jacket she bought at Cold Water Creek on sale to embellish it with needle felting with David’s yarn. The front was so pretty with vining and flowers. Then she added the bird to the back.

Below – I picked out my favorite pictures from the fashion show of Davids designs to share with ya’ all. These two young girls were having the time of their life modeling. The felted head band actually is for wearing around your neck but looks classy on the head. David has designers around the country that take his yarns and design other creations for him. The purse was done by a gal I think in Ohio ????, though may be wrong on the state. Knitted & felted purse then punch crocheted into the edge David’s yarn, along with feathers.

If your traveling in the Midwest and are a knitter, crocheter or another type of crafter that likes to seek out stores  for your medium of handcrafting art  FLORILEGIUM would be a great place for a shopping adventure.  It’s located in a quaint old town called Parkville, Missouri along the Missouri River in old North Kansas City. Nestled in the rolling cliffs. Many other fun shops near by that I am going to have to go back to see. I am so glad I discovered this little gem of a store.

As a side note here….Florilegium’s website currently isn’t up to date. You can get on their newsletter mailing list there.

Seeds of the Word: “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16: 5-8