It has been just over a year since we launched the Fiber of Maine website.

We spent the first year focusing our attention on stocking the site, and while we continue to look for more products to add, we have started blogging.

We have been going out in the field visiting the many Maine farmers and artisans who bring us a rich diversity of fiber products.

Our blog posts are short -- just enough to whet your appetite. We realize that traveling to these farms, mills and studios can take many hours, so we try to mention in our blog how you can make a day of it. Grab a fiber-loving friend or supportive partner and have fun going somewhere new and fiber-related. It gives you another reason to travel to a different part of Maine where you may never have been. Maine is just so beautiful!

Of course, if you are on the Fiber of Maine newsletter, you will be alerted to the newest blog post; you will be sure not to miss it. We send a short newsletter out in the middle of each month. If you aren't already signed up to receive it, we encourage you to do so. An added bonus is that each month we will be raffling off a skein of yarn from the farms we visit. If you leave a comment on the blog post that mentions that farm visit, you will have a chance to win. Even if you don't live in Maine, you can still take part in all this fun. Scroll to the bottom of any Fiber of Maine page and enter your email address (don't worry, we never share it).

We recently had a closeout on our MadelineTosh yarn. Many people may wonder why, since the yarn is beautiful, has name recognition, and it sells. There are two reasons. First, the wait time between when we place an order and when we receive it is six months. With a very small store space, trying to manage shelf space with that length of lead time is difficult.

Second, and maybe more importantly, we have many talented fiber dyers in Maine. It just seems silly to us to have yarn shipped from Texas when we can keep our dollars closer to home.

A case in point is ontheround artisan yarn and fiber.

We just got a shipment of their fingering weight yarn for our shelves and we are test knitting with their beautiful dk weight yarn. Come in and see the beautiful colors in person!

We are busy working on projects for the shop. Just this week we put out a few skeins of Blue Heron Yarns Hand-Dyed Bulky Rayon Chenille and a scarf model and we sold out! A new order of chenille is on the way.

Although we once stocked cotton chenille, we have stayed away from rayon chenille because it almost always "worms" -- loops of yarn work themselves out of the knitted fabric all on their own. This yarn is no exception, except that we have a great free pattern for a one-skein scarf that has you "felt" the scarf after knitting. The drape of rayon is great and this scarf is a beautiful three-season accessory!

In January, Fiber of Maine subscribers received a full skein of Swans Island's All American Worsted as well as a quarter-skein in a contrasting color to make the Maine Sea Captain's Hat.
 
We are mentioning this, not because we want to sell you a pattern, but to tell you that both Liz and Helen enjoyed knitting the yarn so much. At this time we have a limited selection of this yarn at the shop with the plan to increase our selection. We also have some quarter-skeins available at the moment.

The yarn is made of 75% Rambouillet wool and 25% alpaca American-sourced fibers. It is so lovely to work with, and because we cannot detect any itch factor whatsoever, we think it is perfect for a hat.

We knit this yarn at 4.5 sts per inch on a US #7 needle. Of course you are welcome to buy the pattern, but if you already have many hat patterns, we recommend casting on 90 stitches for an adult medium size.

	A knitting group puts donated yarn to good use (click to zoom)

Jennifer Gunderman shares with us the continuing journey of the donated yarn. Some yarn was donated to refugees located outside of Athens, Greece. Shown at right, a knitting group puts the yarn to excellent use; and below, a little girl who has been in America for about a month, originally from Iraq, helps Jennifer organize donated yarn.

To all who donated, thank you again for your support and generosity.

A little helper, with donated yarn (click to zoom)

Knit-A-Thon
Love to knit with others and give back at the same time? Join Knit the Community on March 18 for their biannual Knit-A-Thon to raise money for people in need. The event will take place at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, located at 95 Court St. in Belfast, 8 am to 8 pm. Stay for an hour or two, or spend the day. Bring a friend and any type of handwork. All funds collected for the event will benefit the Community Love Fund, which provides money for families and individuals facing medical, housing and/or other serious needs. Sponsor sheets are available at Heavenly Socks Yarns, St. Margaret's Church or online at Knit-A-Thon 2017 Sponsor Form. For more information, phone Sara at 978-325-0045.

Knitting Circle
The Knitting Circle is open to all. First and third Fridays, 4-6 pm, at St. Margaret's Church library, 95 Court St., Belfast.

KnitMaine-ia
The KnitMaine-ia Fashion Show is planning ahead for their eighth annual event to raise money for New Hope for Women in October. Though all submissions are accepted to be modeled for the event, this year the theme is Sea Creatures. Think mermaids, lobsters, whales, sea anemones ... Consider knitting or crocheting a project that represents this uniquely local theme. The submission deadline is September 29 for the October 14 show. For more information, email Jillian at jillianliver@gmail.com, phone Sara at 978-325-0045 or find them on Facebook.

Join Belfast Flying Shoes on Friday, March 3, for an evening of contra dancing at American Legion Post #43, 143 Church St. in Belfast. (Please note that The American Legion's new maple floor is now installed.) The evening begins at 6:30 pm with a community dance called by Chrissy Fowler. The contra dance begins at 8 pm and runs till around 11 pm.

This month's caller is Chrissy Fowler. Sharing the Flying Shoes stage with Chrissy will be Old Grey Goose. A band since 1977, the members of Old Grey Goose are among Maine's most prominent and beloved players, collectors, teachers and exponents of traditional New England music. The band also tours the world as Old Grey Goose International. Sound provided by Eric Weest Johnson.

CDSS Summer Camps
As an affiliate of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS), BFS may request priority admission for someone who plans to attend one of CDSS's week-long summer camps. To be considered, email belfastflyingshoes@gmail.com by March 7.

DEFFA Scholarship
Another CDSS affiliate, DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts (DEFFA), is offering a $350 scholarship to one of the CDSS camps. Application due March 7.

For more information, phone 207-338-0979, email belfastflyingshoes@gmail.com, visit Belfast Flying Shoes or find them on Facebook.

You're invited to a free Community Supper on Saturday, March 4 at 5 pm at the Belfast United Methodist Church, 23 Mill Lane, East Belfast (Mill Lane is beside the Big Apple across from Perry's Nut House). Enjoy turkey, gravy, mashed potato, vegetable, rolls, beverages and dessert.

Join them in their celebration of God's loving kindness. They want to pass it on! For more information, phone 207-338-5575.

	Job Fair video (click to play)

The Belfast Regional Job Fair, a free event, will take place on March 7, 10 am to 2 pm, at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center. Regional employers are looking for qualified applicants. Dress for success and bring your resume.

Over 50 Belfast area employers and service providers, including Front Street Shipyard, the Belfast Co-op, Mathews Brothers, Penobscot McCrum, Colonial Theatre, will participate, as well as over 40 more employers in varied fields such as truck driving, lumber processing, banking and health care.

Free space for area employers is available; please email David Grima at david.m.grima@maine.gov.

This event is a collaboration of the City of Belfast, Our Town Belfast, the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, the Belfast Creative Coalition, Workforce Solutions and the UMaine Hutchinson Center.

	Maine Guide Nancy Zane

Wild Child
The Belfast Free Library offers Everyone Needs a Wild Child, a series of programs designed to get kids and families outdoors, Wednesday evenings in March, 6-7:30 pm. The series begins March 1 and will be presented by outdoor educator and Maine Guide Nancy Zane.

Wild Child is a four-session, hands-on interactive series developed to get kids and families outdoors. Introducing kids to outdoor activities can increase self esteem, promote health and wellness, and give kids an opportunity to connect with the natural world on a personal level.

Feminist Film
In celebration of Women's History Month, on Tuesday, March 7 at 6 pm, please join BelFem and the Belfast Free Library for the film She's Beautiful When She's Angry, about the women's movement of the 1960s and '70s. The screening is free and open to the public.

The screening will be followed by a story-share for those who participated in women's marches, then

	Still from feminist film, She's Beautiful When She's Angry

and now. Nicolle Littrell and Lindsey Piper of BelFem will facilitate the discussion.

Bogs and Fens
The Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition invites you to a free presentation by Dr. Ron Davis, founder of the Orono Bog, on Thursday, March 16, at 6:30 pm in the library's Abbott Room. In New England, at least 25 bogs and fens can be visited on boardwalks to see carnivorous plants, orchids and uncommon bird species. Davis, author of a new book on these peatlands, will explain some of the unique features of these beautiful and fascinating ecosystems, in a talk illustrated with his outstanding photos.

Art Exhibit
Taking Notice, an exhibit of oil paintings by Betty Schopmeyer, will be on display in the Kramer Gallery  for the month of March. Schopmeyer says she "calls these paintings Taking Notice to celebrate what painting has given me over the past few years: a new way of looking at the world."

For more information, phone the Belfast Free Library at 207-338-3384 ext. 10, or visit Library Programs or March Events.

Belfast Adult Education is offering a series of career and financial and workshops.

WorkReady Workshops
Session 1: Refine Your Resume and Practice Your Interview Skills -- Tuesdays, 2-5 pm, March 14-April 11. Topics: Creating an Effective Resume,
The Interview: Strategies and Practice w/Mock Interviews, Job Search Basics and Key Strategies.

Session 2: Explore Your Goals and Develop Your Mindset -- Tuesdays, 2-5 pm, May 2-May 20. Topics: How to Set Goals to Maximize Your Potential, Personal Motivation and Challenges to Employment, Business Etiquette and Work Ethic,
Understanding Employer Expectations.

Financial Literacy Course
Money Matters is a Financial Literacy course of four sessions, meeting on Mondays, 4-6 pm, March 20-April 10.

For more information, visit Belfast Adult Education or phone 207-338-3197.

On Tuesday, March 14, 6-8 pm, you're invited to a reception to support Waldo County Woodshed. We all know how expensive it can be to keep a home warm through a Maine winter. Now is the perfect time to make sure our neighbors' woodpiles are high enough to get by till spring. The Woodshed is a great volunteer-run organization which provides temporary heating assistance, and they'll need to restock soon.

The event will be at The Ocean House, 2 Cross St., Belfast. If you can't make it, you can donate to the Woodshed online, at their GoFundMe page. You can also mail donations to P.O. Box 401, Belfast, ME 04915.

For more information, find them on Facebook, or contact Ina Hollins at 207-323-3448 or inalowe@gmail.com.

At Belfast Clay Studio, the next session of classes starts the week of March 14. Register online at Belfast Clay Studio or stop in at the studio at 132 High St., Belfast.

Please join Vinolio for their monthly Wine and Olive Oil Tastings, on March 16, April 20, May 18 and June 15, at 4-6:30 pm. Each month they will sample a variety of wines, along with a new recipe using one of their fresh olive oils. The monthly tastings are always free and open to the public.

Taste of Vinolio: A chance to sample original recipes, prepared by Maura Salvatore, and using Vinolio Olive Oils and Vinegars. Upcoming dates: March 25, April 29, May 27 and June 24.

Vinolio is located at 74 Main St., Belfast. For more information, phone 207-338-8466.

A Shop Talk for Women's History Month will take place at Old Professor's Bookshop on Saturday, March 18, at 3 pm, titled Keeping House: The Hidden Economy of Maine Coastal Women, 1850-1900.

Historian and lecturer Nancy Alexander tells how traditional, gendered labor roles that initially brought prosperity to the region failed to do so by 1860, causing women to enter public labor and become adaptable earners. By the end of the century the financial wellbeing of families based on men's traditional labor showed relative failure compared to the successes of women and men who entered non-traditional labors. Alexander's findings apply to twentieth-century history of the region as well.

Shop Talks are the free public lecture series offered by Old Professor's Bookshop, 99 Main St., Belfast. For more information, phone 207-338-2006.

Come to a choral concert by the PenBay Singers along with the Mount View Chamber Singers. The PenBay Singers have chosen selections that set music to poetry. The Mount View Chamber Singers have chosen music from the 16th century to the present. They also plan to offer a variety of spirituals, hymns and folk songs.

Two performances are being offered: Saturday, March 25, 7 pm at Searsport Congregational Church and Sunday, March 26, 3 pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Belfast. Suggested donation for admission is $15. Accompanied children are free.

For more information, find them on Facebook or email PenBaySingers@gmail.com.

On March 26 at 11:30 am, Cold Comfort Theater and Rollie's Bar and Grill present John Cariani's "Almost, Maine" luncheon and show, at Rollie's in Belfast. Reservations required; visit Rollie's by March 23 to purchase tickets at $20.

Waterfall Arts invites artists of all levels from novice to expert to submit artwork for the 2017 annual Open Call Show on view from April 7 to May 12. The theme for 2017 is Home. Individuals are asked to reflect on what home means to them. Is home a physical space, warm and cozy; a place of conflict and tension; or something in between? Is home a psychological place, an invention of an ideal space or mental state, or a remembered landscape or habitat?

All artwork should be delivered to Waterfall Arts March 28 through 31 during office hours (10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Friday). Everyone is invited to the opening reception for Home on Friday, April 7 from 5 to 8 pm. For more information, visit Waterfall Arts, stop by at 256 High St. in Belfast or phone 207-338-2222.

Hospice Volunteer Training will take place Wednesday evenings, 6-9 pm, April 5-May 26, plus one Saturday, April 8, 9 am-3 pm. Train to help support patients and families facing terminal illness and loss. Cost: $35 (scholarships available).

Hospice Volunteers of Waldo County offers end of life and bereavement support to anyone in Waldo County at no cost. For more information please phone their office at 207-930-2677 or email hvowc1@gmail.com. To find out more about their work, please visit HVOWC.

A Summer Dance Camp will take place at Belfast Dance Studio, July 24-28. Instructors are Sunny Hitt, Ballet and Modern; Jenny Cobuzzi, Hip-hop and Jazz; and Shana Bloomstein, Composition + Choreography, Creative Dance Fusion. Times: Kids ages 8-11, all levels, 9-11:10 am (pickup by 11:30 am); Teens ages 12 and up, all levels, 9 am to 3:10 pm (pickup by 3:30 pm). Informal showing: Friday, July 28, 3 pm.

Early Bird registration is by June 15. Partial scholarships are available (apply by July 1). To apply for scholarships, to register by July 15, and for more information, phone 207-338-5380. For class descriptions and teacher bios, email info@belfastdancestudio.com.