Hello spinners!
I've returned recharged from one of the biggest fiber shows around (read about it below in the Report from Convergence). My head is swimming with ideas about weaving, dyeing, and so many other crafts. I found a great deal on a couple of books and picked up a copy of Peter Teal's book "Hand Woolcombing and Spinning: A Guide to Worsteds from the Spinning Wheel" for our guild library.
My favorite class turned out to be the one that I expected to be the most familiar - understanding spinning size and twist. I found it helpful to closely examine this most basic aspect of spinning. So, bring some fiber and a spinning implement, be it a wheel, spindle or your handy new twisty stick from last month. I'll share some of the info from this most educational seminar.
Meanwhile, the newsletter is pretty short this month. I know you're out there spinning and experimenting. Please send in your fibery adventures, news, and pictures of your latest efforts for future newsletters.
Happy Spinning,
Angela's notes
Spinning On The River Guild members present: Mary, Dana, Andrea, Kimberly, Marie, Joann, Karen, Angela, Kaaren. Brigitte popped in for a brief hello, as did Sylvia with pups Nidgett and Princess. Dana and Joann provided yummy snacks.
Mary reminded everyone that the Mid-South Fair is Sept 21- Oct 1, 2006. She encouraged members to enter skeins in the handspinning categories: wool, cotton, exotic, blend, novice, and project. The premium book with information for entering can be found on their website: www.midsouthfair.com.
The members decided we will have a September meeting on our usual day the 17th and members can also go to the fair the following Sunday for the fleece judging and spinning demos. We also demonstrate in the children's barn Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning. Please let mary know if you are going; she will get tickets.
Goat Days in Millington is coming up September 8-10. We have a booth Saturday and Sunday.
Our guild bookmarks have been produced in the past on a home printer or copier. The print runs or rubs off and looks terrible, in addition to being labor intensive. Mary asked for permission to get them professionally printed. The guild members present unanimously agreed.
We discussed the snack rotation, and the difficulty with the current system of going by name. Starting next month, snacks are a free-for-all. Members may bring snacks at any time at their own discretion. We'll have whatever shows up for the day.
A future program will be alternative fibers - as in polyfil, steel wool, cosmetic puffs, dryer lint, etc. While they may not make the best yarns, they will stretch our spinning skills!
Librarian Sandy reminded everyone that there are books available from the guild library.
Show and Tell
Mary was spinning Karen's gift swap roving on a spindle she bought in Romania
a few years ago. She told the story of the spindle.
Angela wore a new top she knitted and crocheted along with a shawl that Mary
also brought from Romania. She was spinning recent dye experiments: bright copper
onion skin, sunny yellow magnolia stamens, warn blonde magnolia petals, and
plain white elm bark that must have spent too much time in the pre-soak.
Karen was working on a gauge swatch for a baby sweater out of her handspun yellow
and white merino. She showed her new "Fancy Kitty" spindle, that whirls
around like a new year's noisemaker. Everyone had a good time trying it out.
She was also knitting some mystery yarn (recycled silk?) she picked up on a
recent business trip out west.
Sheila was knitting on a cotton dishcloth.
Joann showed an impressive collection of new vintage knitting needles she bought
from a fellow camper on a recent trip. She also got a knitting bag that had
been all over the country with its former owner.
Marie has been busy crocheting booties, a diaper cover, and a tiny blanket for
a friend's preemie. The tiny items are too big at the moment.
Kimberly spun up some grey alpaca blended with her own chinchilla angora. She
also spun up her gift swap rovings - bright pink from Karen and Big Bird yellow
from Dana.
Our resident midwife Andrea hasn't had much time for fiber because she's been
busy, busy, busy helping to welcome new babies.
Dana brought her weaving projects to show she has met her fibery new year's
resolution! She wove potholders to learn the overshot weave structure. She made
a little loom out of mat board and used a needle to weave a small purse out
of her own handspun yarn.
The program was lap spinning. Everyone tried drawing out a little roving and spinning it by rolling on their legs. Once we reached an arm's length, Angela passed out twisty-sticks (a short dowel with a hook on the end). Spinners wound the yarn on the stick and rolled it to spin more. She read from the book The Loving Stitch: A History of Spinning and Weaving in New Zealand, which described the practice of hand-rolling wool on the thigh and knitting with it.
As of April 2006, the treasury balance was $274.65.
As of June 20, 2006, the balance is $424.70.
We currently have 17 paid members.
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Angela experimented with Rainbow dyeing. It started with a dye pot 1/3
full of water and a big squirt of dish soap. Three layers of raw fleece
and dye powder were added and gently pressed down into the water without
stirring. The water was no higher that the top of the wool. The whole pot
was simmered 30 minutes then the wool was lifted out and rinsed in hot water.
The result is 8 oz of clean, dyed locks in tints of yellow, peach and pink.
Spinners - please send pictures of your handspun projects for future issues. Your work just might inspire someone else. |
Convergence '06 - the biennial conference of the Handweaver's Guild of America was June 28-July 1st in Grand Rapids, Michigan - and what a Grand Convergence it was! This time I registered in full: four seminars, gallery exhibits, lectures, fashion show & reception and a huge market. I started off Wednesday afternoon checking out the dozen exhibits in galleries within easy walking distance of the convention center. The included tapestry, felt, tablet weaving, quilts and more. I saw the work of a few Memphis weavers, too. Thursday morning after the opening lecture, my first class was "Understanding Spinning Size and Twist" with Patsy Sue Zawistoski (you may recognize her name from the video in our guild library). That was my favorite class. After spinning for a few years, it was interesting to take a very close look at these basic properties of yarn. It's easy to overlook but so important to the final yarn. A class in woven transparencies introduced a weaving technique I've never considered before, and "An Ode to Woad" revealed the many colors possible from a plant viewed by many as a nuisance. I haven't recognized any growing in our area. It made me eager to try the indigo dye process with other sources.
Thursday afternoon I found the meeting of TWIST - the Tablet Weaver's International Studies and Techniques group - and I am so glad I did! Meeting these weavers was the highlight of the conference. We met a few more times and I came home with a flood of ideas and inspiration. Several of the members had samples of ply-split braiding. After seeing samples in person, that's moving up on the gotta-try-it list. The fashion show Thursday night was a display of beautiful, elegant, and outlandish handmade clothes. The clothes were on display for close examination for the next two days. The shopping in the vendor hall is almost a paralyzing array of fibery temptation. I picked up lots of dye materials for Mary, Andrea and myself so we can have lots of colorful fun an home. Looms and yarns were everywhere along with many kinds of spinning wheels, spindles, and fibers. I tried out Golding spindles and the elaborately carved "Spinner's Flock" triple-flyer wheel. You've probably seen the pictures in Spin-Off. This wheel is much prettier in person and it spins better than it looks, rock solid and effortlessly smooth. Too bad it's worth more than my car! I also tried out several smaller travel style wheels and a no-frills handmade great wheel that I really liked. Braiding, felting, sewing and embroidery were also very apparent among the exhibits and vendors. While shopping for dyes I indulged in a little basket kit. That was a project for the 4th of July afternoon. It was the first time I'd ever woven a basket. Fun stuff!
I also had two skeins in the "Grand Strands" handspinning exhibit. One was white Cotswold from Patty's ewe Sheba. The other was a 50/50 blend of Ramboulliet lamb from Sharon Criswell's flock and 3 colors of angora from Mary's bunny Blanche and the late Bud and Bosco. So thanks ladies for helping me get into the show. I plan to enter handspinning, tablet weaving and maybe some of the other shows for the next Convergence June 22-28, 2008 in Tampa Bay, Florida. See you there!
Meeting - Sunday, July 16, 1:30-5pm
Program: Size & Twist - bring spinnable fiber and a spinning tool: wheel,
spindle, or twisty stick
Refreshments: Pot Luck!
Meeting - Sunday, August 20, 1:30-5pm
Program: TBD
Refreshments: Pot Luck!
Hot Summer - Cool Sale!
July 15 to August 15
10% off all yarns, 25% off selected items
Brigitte Lang
www.rainbowfibres.com
1980 Exeter Road 753-9835