Spinning on the River - March 2009

Note from the President

Hello Spinners,

Our new year starts in April and dues are due. It is still a bargain at $10.

Last month’s program was about angora. I hope you were able to play with it and are ready to enter your 50 yard skeins in the exotic or blended category at the Delta and Mid-South fairs this summer. This month is another candidate for the exotic or blended category-silk.

A suggestion was made to stretch the silk program into more than one day. In March we'll talk about the various forms of silk for purchase, spin some silk caps and decide if you want to continue the following month to play around with it.

The April meeting will be more silk fun if the group is interested. If you want silk samples purchased for distribution at the April meeting I would like the approval via vote to do so as it would be more than $50. In addition I will buy bulk hankies and some dye if we have at least 10 people interested in dyeing hankies. A fee of $10 will be due at the March meeting in order for me to order. At the April meeting, while the cocoons are softening we can dye. The cocoons then should be soft enough to reel and stretch into our own hankies.

We can talk about things you can bring from home to take reeled silk and stretched hankies home with you and what supplies you will need for dyeing.

If you are interested in Library offerings, be sure to let me know so I can bring them to the meeting for you. Our holdings are listed on the web site.

I am looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

Mary

Minutes from February 15, 2009

Members attending: Patricia, Mary, Laura, Nicky, Carol, Jackie, Sandy, Dana P, Kaaren, Sylvia, Karen, Nichol, Melissa, Marie
Welcome visitors: Lisa Loftis and Debbie Sellmansberger

Announcements:
Brooks Museum of Art: Pieced and Patterned Southern Quilts February 21-May 17
Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza: First weekend in December at Mt. Magazine State Park $90 per night for room, contact is Ann Bean (Jane Watson)
Middle Tennessee Fiber Fest May 22-23 http://www.3creeksfarm.com/farm-blog/middle-tennessee-sheep-wool-and-fiber-festival/ (Nichol Treuil)
Nuno Felting Workshop: Saturday before Easter Cost is $100 at Coldwater Elementary School

Workshop 2009:

Proposals were for spinning for Orenburg Lace, Novelty Yarns and Natural Dye
We voted on the numbers who might attend each workshop. You could vote as many times as there were workshops.

Orenburg Lace Spinning: 7
Novelty Yarn: 14
Natural Dye: 13

Jane Watson will check on availability of her art room and Mary will check on a place for the dye workshop. Jackie offered to host the dye workshop instructor at her home.

Show and Tell:

Program: Angora
Sylvia brought things she has spun from angora. Butterscotch, Blanch and Meriwether supplied fibers.
Mary brought a skein of 2 ply angora and samples of the different grades of angora fiber.
Patricia donated combings from her colony of rabbits for anyone who wants to try spinning and blending.

Remember one of the Fair categories is blends so you can start spinning up your fair entries today!!

Thanks to everyone who brought treats for the pot luck.

Mary

Treasurer's Report: January 2009

The donation to the church came from the PatsyZ workshop.

Member Gallery

The March meeting of the North Mississippi Fiber Arts Guild on will be a celebration of Natural Fibers.

2009 has been designated as the International Year of Natural Fibres by The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in Rome.

But what does this mean to the spinner, knitter, weaver and fiber artist and all around fiber enthusiast? Good question. I thought it would be fun for us to bring past and present projects made from natural fibers and yarns we have to our meeting. We can use them to show and discuss the qualities and properties that we have found in using these fibers. It would be very interesting to compare the yarn to the the finished projects. So lets get together have a good time and share our knowledge.

Also, Brenda from Wooden Spinner will be here. She is bringing the new Spinolutions wheel, the "Bee". A lightweight travel wheel with great ratio's, that folds to fit under an airplane seat. Also she will have her African woven baskets that are wonderfully flexible and fun.

Looking forward to seeing you
The meeting is Saturday, March 14 at the Higher Ground coffee shop in Hernando, MS.

Patricia

Handy Links

The glass spinning wheel in action: http://216.139.225.143/blogs/soar/archive/2008/06/03/while-you-wait.aspx

Festival listing from Lisa Loftis: http://www.spinweave.org/news/festivals.html

Source for the Cotswold Nichol brought to the February meeting: http://highcastlecrafts.com/

Calendar

All meeting refreshments are Pot Luck.

Meeting - Sunday, March 15, 2009 1:30-5pm
Program: Silk

Meeting - Sunday, April 19, 1:30-5pm
Program: More Silk

2009 dates, room 113, programs TBA
May17 - Please note this date the room will be 112
June 14 - Please note this is the second Sunday
July 19
August 16
September 20
October 18 - Birthday Party
November 15
December 20 - Christmas Party and White Elephant gift exchange

Workshop - Weave a Lacy Summer Scarf

day weaving workshop at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Learn how to set up and weave on a simple frame loom called a rigid heddle loom. No weaving experience is necessary to take this class. Students will weave a delicate lightweight summer scarf using a fine cotton yarn. Students will weave on Schacht rigid heddle looms provided by the instructor. Fine cotton yarn will be provided. Each student will have a finished scarf to take home at the end of the class. Sunday, April 26th from 10 AM to 5 PM. $60 for MBG members, $65 for non members. Register through the Memphis Botanic Garden 901-576-4128.

Offered by SotR member Felicitas Sloves
Website: www.memphisweaver.com
Store: www.memphisweaver.etsy.com
Blog: www.memphisweaver.wordpress.com