Spinning on the River - April 2009
Note from the President
Hello Spinners,
April is membership month. Dues are $10. Members have access to the library,
are eligible to receive guild purchased samples, are able to rent equipment
and have priority in registering for guild sponsored programs.
I hope you all are having fun with fiber this spring. I just got back from
class in Oklahoma and I'm full of spinning energy. I attended a 100
color dye class. The instructor encouraged us to bring the class home to our
local guilds. If at some point people are interested in an acid dye class
we have the information to set it up. Each company has their own version of
the primary colors so you could do many sets of colors.
This month we will be playing with silk again. Sandy will bring a crock pot
for us to soften cocoons. If you want to reel silk please bring something
to wrap it on to take it home with you such as a stiff piece of cardboard.
When people are done reeling thread we will use the rest of the cocoons to
stretch into hankies. I have a frame with the nails placed one inch apart
around the edge that works well. If you have a frame 10 to 12 inches square
put nails at least in the corners. I also have samples of the various types
of silk available to crafters and those who want can have small samples to
take home. Please bring your own bags and labels if you wish to identify them
for your future reference.
We will be acid dyeing on silk hankies. If you didn't sign up and have
your own hankies you would like to dye please bring them. I have a few more
sets of hankies if anyone has decided they would like to join in the dye fun.
They are $10 a 50 gram bundle and will be distributed on a first paid, first
served basis. Please get in touch with me if you are interested- mary@memphisfiberarts.org
If anyone is interested in the May 16th Nature dye class please contact me
ASAP @ mary@memphisfiberarts.org Supplies need to be ordered to set up the
class. We currently don't have enough to hold the class. The cost is
$95.
If you have library supplies checked out please remember to return them.
They are checked out on a one month basis, due at the next meeting. If you
see something on the library list let me know before hand and I'll bring
it to the meeting.
I hope to see you all Sunday!
Mary
Minutes from March 15, 2009
April is Membership renewal month. Dues are $10.
Members attending: Joann Glover*, Maxine Gray*, Susan Harrington, Patricia
Holmberg*, Mary Lessman*, Laura Linneman, Lisa Loftis*(new member), Dominique
Mallet*(new member), Jackie McNamara*, Sandy Parkinson*, Kaaren Reid*, Will
Roach*(new member), Sylvia Sachs*, Karen Saunders*, Angela Schneider, Nichol
Treuil*, Jane Watson*, Melissa Weipert, Marie Witte*
*paid for year 4/2009-4/2010
Welcome Guests: Brenda Harrower and Leslie Thompson
Business:
The North Mississippi Fiber Guild’s Nuno Felting workshop April 11th
is full.
Coldwater Alpaca’s Open House is April 18th from 9 to 4. An Angora rabbit
demonstrator is being requested. Please bring your rabbit(s) and fiber to
spin.
Middle Tennessee Fiber Fest is May 22-23
This year’s workshop will be Nature dye with Mary Lessman
Announcements:
Brenda Harrower (Ravelry “nosewiggle”) brought beautiful grass
baskets made in Ghana, West Africa. She is also the Spin-o-lution dealer in
Vicksburg. The Mach 1 is the wheel Patricia uses and Brenda spun on the Bee.
The May meeting will be on short fibers and spinning techniques. The guild
will provide cotton roving donated by Kaaren Reid and kindly cared for by
Angela.
Show and tell:
-
Lisa brought her newly made PVC pipe loom and two beautiful
skeins. She also is the proud owner of the new Deliberate Spinner book by
Judith McKenzie-McCuin
-
Melissa was skeining a royal purple 2 ply on the new skeiner
Brenda brought.
-
Nichol “The Saleswoman” brought several bobbins
and rovings of gorgeous fiber (Alpaca and wools) she got last year at the
Middle Tennessee Fiber Fest, encouraging everyone to go and enjoy themselves
this May.
-
Karen Saunders brought her bike wheel spinning wheel for
sale. Several spinners tried it and liked it.
-
Jackie McNamara brought 2 skeins of yarn, one spun on
her Traddy and another on a Louet. She likes spinning on the Traddy and
the yarn from the Louet.
-
Marie Witte brought the crochet bath set she is working
on, gorgeous turquoise yarn and a wooden spoon layered with colored wood
like her spindle.
-
Will impressed with his Ashford drop spindle skills.
-
Dominique brought samples from the wool in shades of purple
and periwinkle she dyed yesterday. She had matching nail “polish.”
-
Maxine brought super fine 15 micron merino for all to
pet and silk noil roving she had dyed in an indigo vat.
-
Patricia brought Brenda
-
Jane brought wool from Kate Lowder with a picture of the
donating sheep. She is smitten with Ramboulliet.
-
Angela brought a beautiful basket woven at the North Mississippi
Fiber Guild workshop. She also brought the original acrylic yarns she unspun,
carded and blended and spun to match a commission.
Program:
Our program was an introduction to Silk. The various preparations available
to hand spinners were available for examination. Mary brought 2 skeins of
silk, one spun from hankies and one spun from silk roving that had a fiber
length a bit over 1 inch. Maxine brought her sample of Cocoon Strippings and
Sylvia brought carded Sari silk (http://www.paradisefibers.net/Sari-Silk-Blending-Fiber-p/3819.htm).
Anyone who wished to try spinning silk could peel their own cap from bells
donated to the Guild by Marcie Patrini from our guild fiber stash.
FYI-the silk brick weighs 168 grams-that would be about $30 worth.
The stack of hankies I had with me weighed 14 grams.
Some website that may be of interest:
http://www.treenwaysilks.com/
http://www.wormspit.com/
http://gossamerstrandsfiber.blogspot.com/2006/05/cheryl-kolander-silkworker.html
peace cocoons
http://www.hjsstudio.com/index.html
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/FEATsilkhankies.html
http://www.paradisefibers.net/
Mary
April Program: More Silk
We will continue playing with silk. Mary will purchase hankies for those
who prepaid. The Guild will provide dye, cocoons and supplies. Sandy will
bring a dye crock pot. We will do some reeling silk, make some hankies and
dye hankies. The dyed hankies will be taken home to set the dye.
Those who aren't getting silk hankies can bring some wool to dye, please
keep it to a couple ounces. We aren't providing a way to set the dye
so you will need to bring containers to transport your wool.
Supplies you need to bring:
-
Gloves
-
Heavy card stock to wrap your reeled silk on. A card about
3 x 4 inches will be adequate for a sample
-
Container to carry wet hankies and wool home in. The dye
won’t be set before you leave.
-
A frame 8 x 8 to 12 x 12 with nails in the corners for
stretching cocoons. You can share these with friends. Once the hankies are
made they need to be removed before they dry as they will shrink a bit.
Mary
Treasurer's Report: January 2009
| December Balance: |
$1114.64 |
| Deposits: dues |
$140.00 |
| Deposits: Silk supplies |
$130.00 |
Debits: Silk supplies |
-$233.04 |
| Current Balance: |
$1151.60 |
My Trip to Oklahoma
I made several discoveries on this trip. I have a latent truck driver gene.
I was able to drive the entire trip (about 500 miles) in one day by myself.
Someday I'll be able to conquer the TPI beast. It is possible to make a lopi
style yarn that is functional and not impossibly perfect. All yarn is good
as long as it fulfills the purpose for which it is intended. (That includes
sitting in a basket looking beautiful if that is why you spun it.) I really
really like dyeing yarn. Color and its component percentages is fascinating.
People are infinitely interesting and post challenges that keep me thinking
outside of my usual comfort zone. I want to grow up to be Ms. Garmin. Oklahoma
has wild weather and was unusually dry. The national forest I drove though
on my way to the cabin was on fire 4 of the 7 days I was there. A different
fire came within 10 feet of the program sponsor's home.
I had a wonderful time spinning. I find I don't spin a lot of yarn in class.
I spin enough to try out the concepts presented and ask questions. When I
get back to my room is when I spin. I brought spinning along to relax me before
bedtime. I got a lot spun, none of which was for any particular purpose other
than to relax. My cabin had a nice porch visible to most of the cabins. It
turned out to be a great gathering place. I brought my charka out to offer
to the other spinners if they wanted to try it. It turns out several had charkas
but hadn't done much if any spinning on them. I was able to get several women
excited about spinning cotton. I feel part of the joy I could share was from
our Patsy Z cellulose workshop. The women I was in class with were supportive
and creative. I learned so many things that had nothing to do with the class
and made several new, fast friends.
I also took a wonderful dye workshop. Our Level 1 instructor, Ellen, set
it up so everyone would have 100 color samples from 3 primary dyes. We had
20 participants and 10 dye pots. The groups were different although there
was some overlap. Ellen graciously gave encouragement to everyone to copy
her workshop and share the information with their guilds and groups.
We had a style show where the group's creativity was very evident.
Our instructors are knitting machines. The handspun, hand knit, hand woven
and hand felted garments were inspiring.
I hope everyone has the opportunity to attend a workshop sometime in their
spinning career. The camaraderie and incidental learning is not to be missed.
Mary
Upcoming Events
Friday, May 1st is Pioneer Day at Crosswind Elementary School
in Collierville. The 4th grade classes visits several stations during the
day learning about and trying activities related to pioneer life: square dancing,
butter making, tin punch art, and spinning to name a few. Mary and Angela
have been the resident spinners for several years with occasional appearances
by other guild members. There is an opening for a new demonstrator for these
eager young students, who knows, you may run across a new spinner-to-be. This
event runs from 9am to 2or 3 in the afternoon. Contact Mary or Angela or reply
to this message.
Cathy Stauffer of Coldwater Alpaca Ranch is holding an open
house on Saturday, April 18. She has vendors and demonstrators lined up. She
is currently seeking a demonstrating weaver. If you’d like to spin,
that can probably be arranged also. Contact Cathy Stauffer [thestauff (at)
hotmail.com]
Halls, TN is holding their 16th annual Health & Heritage Day
on Friday, May 8th. They are interested in having a spinner among their demonstrators
as well. This event runs 9am-2pm. Halls, TN is about a 1-1/2 hour drive north
of Memphis on Hwy 51. Contact Joni Cook [jcook (at) lccoa.net]
Calendar
All meeting refreshments are Pot Luck.
Meeting - Sunday, April 19, 1:30-5pm
Program: More Silk
Workshop - Saturday, May 16, 2009
Natural Dyeing with Mary Lessman
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 of June
July 19
August 16
September 20
October 18 - Birthday Party
November 15
December 20 - Christmas Party and White Elephant gift exchange