4th Annual Iowa Sheep & Wool Festival Fiber Class Instructor Biographies   Nancy Ahlborn:  Nancy Ahlborn, from Bellevue, Iowa.  Since her introduction to spinning while researching alpacas in 1999, Nancy’s “farm” business, Huacaya Moon, expanded to a full-service fiber shop in 2002 and a woolen mill catering to handspinners in 2004.  A true fiber-holic, Nancy invites anyone with a passion to learn to “come play with her”.  She lives in Bellevue, IA, with, an array  of fiber producing animals, a big white dog and her daughter, Callie. Kimberly Baxter-Packwood: Kimberly from Ames, IA, has been dyeing with natural dyes for over 15 years.  Her specialty is surface design with natural dyes.  She has been perfecting the technique of “Compost” dyeing and “Rust” dyeing fabrics for creating unique one-of-a-kind art work.  Kimberly teaches the art of natural dyeing and exhibits her fiber art internationally.  Kimberly is the author of Compost Dyeing and Other Fermentation Dyeing Techniques, and the book Rust and Clay Dyeing.  She has also created a DVD called Mark Making with Nature: Surface Design with Natural Dyes.  www.prairiefibers.com DiAnn Boehm:  DiAnn Boehm of Country Dream Acres, Ames, NE saw a spinning demonstration while in a college textiles class.  She was mesmerized by it and knew that she would learn to spin some day.  Rather than learning when she was single and had free time, she waited until she was married and a busy mom of 3 young kids before deciding the time was right.  Learning to spin didn’t come easy for her.  Because of that she loves teaching beginning spinning and sharing helpful techniques to help new spinners avoid common pitfalls with spinning.  DiAnn also enjoys knitting, crochet and crafting with fibers.  Country Dream Acres offers beautiful Corridale sheep, angora rabbits, fibers from both and handcrafted items for sale.  www.countrydreamacres.com Judy Crouch: Judy, from Aurora, MO, has been working with fibers for about 25 years.  She has taken numerous classes from excellent instructors.  She loves passing on what she has learned throughout the years.  She is a paramedic, mother, grandmother and great grandmother and co-owner of A Twist In Time.  She raises her own wool, which her husband shears.  She and her husband Jim live in southwest Missouri and travel to wool festivals frequently.   Jeanne Dudley:  Jeanne is from Troy Mills, Iowa.  As a high school visual art teacher, Jeanne Dudley taught 33 years at North-Linn Comm. Schools and has a MA in Fiber Arts and Art Education.  Jeanne has been weaving baskets since 1985 and has woven over 2100 baskets.  She has a weaving studio in her home, where she also gives classes. Collyer Ekholm:  Collyer is from Swisher, Iowa.  Collyer is a self taught weaver and maker of Japanese braids.  Her latest interest has been handwoven vests trimmed with Japanese braids.  She freely admits to being a “workshop junkie” and “fiber junkie in general”. Karen Guffey: Karen is from Newton, IA, and is an accredited McGown Rug Hooking teacher.  Karen teaches traditional rug hooking in all cuts but specializes in wide cut.  Karen is Director of North Central McGowan Teachers’ Workshop in Newton, IA.  Karen gives lessons in rug hooking as well as dyeing work shops both locally and throughout the United States. Winnie Johnson: Winnie is from Elk River, MN and she has been weaving for thirty-some years.  She owns a number of floor and table looms that she uses for rugs, table runners and dish towels.  She recently discovered these “toy” looms in Sweden while visiting her daughter.  She has bought a number of them for use in beginning weaving classes for adults and children.  She likes weaving chenille scarves on them as well. Vanessa Kessler: Vanessa is from Sheboygan, WI.  Vanessa has been involved in the fiber world since the purchase of her first llamas in 1993.  She owns and operates Shady Haven’s Fiber Designs near Sheboygan.  Her specialty is luxury fibers and designing and creating unique one-of-a-kind pieces through her custom fiber service studio, using all fiber types from cashmere to dog/wool blends.  She has participated and taught at various fiber and conference events and has judged both handspun skein and ready-made classes at some of these events.  She teaches throughout the Midwest at conferences, private workshops, etc.  She is a member of the Shuttlecraft Guild in Sheboygan, WI, Association and the Midwest Weavers Assoc. and also the L.A.F.F. Lakeside Area Fiber Fanatics.   Darlene Megli:  Darlene has been spinning about 18 years, lives in southwest Missouri, raises Romney and Border Leicester sheep, and just this past year added Blue Faced Leicester to the farm.  She spins and weaves, and owns a fiber business, A Twist In Time, with friend, Judy Crouch.  She loves to teach the fiber arts as well as take classes in them.  She is a nurse, working full time at a hospital, so play time can get limited, but she also likes to dye her own fibers, spend time with the grand-kids, and sometimes just kick back and do nothing! Terri Schaefer: Terri is from St. Croix Falls, WI and the owner of In The Wool, St. Croix Falls, WI.  Terri has been braiding for 15 years and recently was the guest instructor at the National Braiding Conference in Gig Harbor, WA.  She teaches braiding classes in her shop and has taught braiding classes at various workshops throughout the U.S.  Her shop, In the Wool, carries a wide variety of wool, supplies, patterns and books. Betty Shreeves: Betty is from Lone Tree, IA has been a weaver, knitter and spinner for over 37 years.  She has taught weaving and spinning in North Carolina and Iowa.  For the last 10 years she has developed a special fascination for silk and has used it extensively in her weaving and knitting.  She sells hand dyed silk and wool as “Lone Tree Wools”. Bonnie Smola: Bonnie, from Monona, IA, has been knitting on a CSM (Circular Sock Machine) for about 15 years.  She interprets hand knit patterns for the CSM and publishes a Newsletter “SockMachine Knitting” quarterly.  The Newsletter has been published for 11 years.  Raising sheep, spinning their wool, and other fiber arts along with volunteer work occupies Bonnie’s time. Kim Specht:  Kim lives on a farm near Prairieburg, IA and teaches music in the Marion, IA school district.  Kim started raising Romney sheep five years ago and uses their fleece to felt, spin and knit.  Her fleeces have won awards in five state festivals and at these festivals she has attended classes taught by nationally known artists.  Kim enjoys combining her love of teaching and the fiber arts. Donna Story: Donna from Hawkeye, IA, has been knitting on a CSM (Circular Sock Machine) for about 15 years.  Donna raises Shetland sheep and delights in spinning their fiber.  Knitting warm socks, hats and mittens for eleven grandchildren along with volunteering, gardening, horse and kitten care occupies Donna’s day. Carol Wagner:  Carol Wagner, from Valders, WI says: “Fibers are my passion.”  Carol, a spinner for 19 years, believes the quality of the finished product depends upon the preparation of the fibers.  Carol is a teacher of carding, dyeing and spinning at several fiber events.  She and husband Paul, raise Coopworth sheep and also operate Hidden Valley Woolen Mill, where they do custom carding and help customers with the creative process. Vicky Wickham:  Vicky is from the Des Moines area.  She has an accounting degree from Upper Iowa University and an MBA from Drake University in Des Moines.  She is employed at Principal Financial Group in Des Moines as Senior Treasury Manager working with Principal’s foreign subsidiaries.  She learned to knit while living with her grandparents in England and made her first adult sweater when she was 10 years old.  She enjoys knitting Aran patterns and creating her own designs and has taught knitting at several venues, and this is her second year at the Iowa Sheep & Wool Festival.  Vicky was one of the founding members of the Des Moines Knitting Guild and has held several board positions during the guild’s 16 year existence.  She has entered the Iowa State Fair, knitting division, for several years and has won over 80 ribbons for her knitting.  In 2007, she was featured on Iowa Public Television for her knitting experiences at the fair.     CLICK HERE FOR FIBER CLASS DESCRIPTIONS