Spinning on the River - April 2007
Editor's Note
Spring has Sprung! Or so we thought... I have cotton and dye plant seedlings
hiding out in the kitchen through the recent cold snap. Meanwhile, I've been
having a fibery adventure or two. At the end of March, Kaaren and I headed
over to Montgomery Bell State Park (almost to Nashville) for the 2007 SFFA
conference. We each took a 1-1/2 day workshop and enjoyed some shopping with
vendors of yarns, fibers, beads and tools. Kaaren took the spinning class
"Thick, Thin and Back Again" about textured yarns. If you see her
making slubby yarn, you can bet she means to! Meanwhile, I wove like a maniac
in "Plain Weave Revisited" trying out many exciting variations on
the simplest weave structure (pictures).
I've also been experimenting with a new-to-me technique making items for the
gift swap. How's that for a hint?! I can hardly wait to see what everyone
else has done. See you on the 15th!
Angela
Minutes for March 18, 2007
Members present: Angela, Joanne, Sylvia, Marie. Welcome visiting spinner
Carol from Philadelphia.
Angela guided a session of carding and making rolags with our handcards.
Everyone learned and improved their skills. The big surprise was how much
wool hand cards will hold - its less than you might think! Smaller batches
make for more efficient work and better results. We passed around our cards
so everyone could try different size cards, flat and curved back, coarse and
fine teeth with wools, cotton and angora.
Show & Tell:
- Carol brought her Journey Wheel and a sweater she's knitting from dyed
BFL roving.
- Angela was practicing on her new Navajo spindle.
- Marie had a Turkish spindle with some red singles in progress.
Angela
Dues Notice
April is dues time for Spinning on the River, $10/year. Checks may be made
out to Spinning on the River. Mary is now the treasurer. You may pay her at
the meeting or mail dues to her at 8654 Rhonda Cir S., Cordova, TN 38018-4333.
Do not use the old PO Box.
Natural Dye Class
Mary Lessman will be teaching a workshop on Natural Dyeing at the Memphis Botanic
Gardens. The date is Tuesday May 15th. Students will prepare dye baths using
natural materials. 25 colors can be obtained form one dye pot using a variety
of pre and post dips. Each student will leave with sample cards and recipes
for all dye pot colors. All dye supplies provided. Students are asked to bring
some basic supplies from home. 9 am-4 pm. Memphis Botanic Garden members, $55;
Non-members, $60. Prepayment must be received by May 8. Call 576-4100 to register.
Class size is limited.
Book Review- Spinning & Dyeing the Natural
Way
Author: Castino, Ruth photographs by Pickens, Marjorie
Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. New York, NY, 1974
The book chronicles her work teaching textile production to fifth grade classes.
The students start watching a sheep shearing, learn to sort and wash a fleece,
gather dye plants and prepare them for the dye pot, dye, card the fleece both
in the grease and dyed, spin and weave, crochet or knit the final yarn. The
entire process is captured in photos of the children. Color plates of the
surprisingly sophisticated final works are included. The dye plant chapter
has a section on easily found dye plants with color plates to use as a field
guide.
If there ever was a humbling read this is it. The children dive into the
work, obviously absorbed and having fun. At the end you feel if they can do
it anyone can. There is enough information to get a beginner started without
making things complicated. The emphasis is on wool although a chapter is devoted
to other plant and animal fibers. She even encourages use of milkweed and
cattail fluff blended with wool. As the spinner improves in skill other books
are available to expand the limited dye palate and better explain the technical
details. I feel this is a great book for encouraging shy beginners.
Mary
News from North Mississippi Fiber Guild
Rag Strip Weaving… The meeting in March was a lot of fun. Many different
kinds of material was brought and designs discussed. We cut our strips and
wove them over and under, with a variety of results. I remembered to bring
the camera and we have pictures this time of our projects. Now I am curious
as to what we use our material for!
The group is working on designing with gourds. We will meet at Betty Sanders
this summer to finish the gourds, so please continue to clean and plan your
design and how you want it cut. If you have questions, or need your gourd
cut, give me a call and Betty or I will help you out with it. Remember there
are all sorts of ways to decorate and use your gourd. You can paint, wood
burn, or cut holes for your warp and weave a design. Gourds can be cut for
decorative bowls and the top can be finished off as a supported candy or nut
bowl or ?. Cut the gourd apart and weave or make a hinge connecting the top
and bottom part together . I have seen gourds cut basket like with a hole
on both sides of the top part of the gourd cut out leaving the remaining part
as a handle. Depending on how you would like to decorate your gourd, needed,
supplies might be: raffia, natural or dyed; strips of leather, natural or
colored; beads, wire yarn, paint and whatever else you might think of. Look
on the internet or in the Library for added ideas.
A year ago, Sharon and I were asked to demonstrate at the Hernando Museum
for their annual fund raiser. We told them that we would be happy to do it
the next year, 2007. We were just informed of the dates and it falls on our
regular meeting date of April 14th. Sharon would like everyone to join us
on that day. Please contact Sharon to let her know that you are coming because
she will need a head count for a bar-b-que lunch which will be provided. Sharon
will be weaving and I will be spinning. If you would like to knit or quilt
or? Please bring your project and join in. I will need someone to help card
wool while I spin. We will be demonstrating and explaining our craft to both
children and adults. We will be on East porch of the log cabin and we should
be set up by 10:00 a.m. Everyone is welcome to come have a good time and participate.
This is an annual event to raise money for the Hernando Museum and is a great
community service by our guild. Please give Sharon a call if you need more
information. The Museum is located at 111 Ease Commerce, Hernando. Look for
the log cabin next to the Museum.
We will have 2 booths at Mayfair. Sharon will be having a booth next to the
guilds where she will sell. Contact Sharon if you are interested in selling
your items. We have purchased electricity so that we will have fans if it
turns out to be hot. Join in and demonstrate or work on a project, talk, walk
around and enjoy yourself. We will supply a fan, bring a chair and snacks
for yourself.
April 21 my two sheep will be participating in a Sheep to Shawl demonstration
at the Agricultural & Forestry Museum in Jackson MS. Shearing will begin
around 10:00 a.m. and the processing, spinning and weaving of the wool will
process during the day. If you would like more information, please call me.
Patricia
Our Flock is Growing
On March 16, proud Grandma Mary welcomed baby Zachary Ian Lessman, 7 lbs,
21 inches. Big sister Amelia just loves him!
Proud Grandma Joann welcomed her second great-grandchild, Dalton Philip Brown
on March 29. He weighed 6 lbs 13 oz, 20 1/2 inches. Beautiful and healthy.
His big sister is Makayla, age 4.
Meanwhile the first kid has arrived at Little Bit Acres. Patricia reports
that Princess had a beautiful little angora boy on April 10.
Spinners in Print
The Spring 2007 issue of Spin-Off magazine included organic yarns sent in
by readers. Angela sent in a cabled natural brown cotton made with a little
help from Mary - the cotton was grown in Mary's garden.
You have until June 1 to send in your preferred handspun sock yarn. Now there's
a challenge!
Demonstrators for the Zoo
The Memphis Zoo is looking for demonstrating artists and entertainers for
weekends at the Once Upon a Farm exhibit. Saturdays and Sundays are available
from June 23 to late July. Anybody interested in a spin-in at the Zoo? Contact
Angela or Kaaren.
Demonstrators for Arlington in April
Arlington in April is coming up Saturday April 28th from 10:00-4:00. Organizers
are looking for someone to demonstrate spinning, they may be able to offer
compensation. Interested spinners should contact Genny Hamblen, 867-9443,
jhamblin1 (at) comcast (dot) net.
Calendar
All meeting refreshments are Pot Luck.
Meeting - Sunday, April 15, 1:30-5pm
Program: Gift swap
Meeting - Sunday, May 20, 1:30-5pm
Program: tba
