Hi Spinners! I was a SOAR Scholarship recipient in 1999 and got to travel to Potosi, Missouri to take part in all the fun! I had the good fortune to study natural dyeing for three days with Trudy Van Stralen...not to mention studying with other wonderful instructors during the Retreat portion of SOAR. I went on to vend at SOAR a few times (PA and MI, if memory serves me well), as co-owner of The Copper Moth, a business that sold naturally dyed silk, silk blends, and other unspun fibers to spinners. I was on the SOAR Scholarship Committee myself for a few years. I also taught at SOAR in 2006 at Granlibakken, Tahoe City, CA. I've taught many spinning and dyeing workshops over the years in a variety of places. I've felt the thrill of getting various articles of my own in Spin-Off magazine. Some of my pieces that I've spun/dyed/knit have appeared in other Interweave books. The last five years have been spent writing my own book, "Spinning Around ~ Spinning, Dyeing & Knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann's Classics, Schoolhouse Press, published in December 2010.

Without a doubt, Spin-Off magazine has been a constant companion over the years and I treasure each and every copy. I can't imagine not having a subscription to Spin-Off. Having the chance to actually attend SOAR as a scholarship student (the only time I ever had the chance to participate as a student), was not only exciting...it set me squarely on the fiber arts path that I traveled...and continue to travel.

Try for a Scholarship! The experience could prove life changing! I know from experience!!! Thank you, Spin-Off!  Cheers, Jeannine (Jenny) Bakriges