NEXT MEETING:  May 3, 2023  6:30 - 9:00 PM

Our Guild meets in the Art Studio room in the basement.  Please remember to arrive between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., as TAF building doors will be watched to open for you during this time, and after that time, the doors are locked. 

Program:  Dyed Braid Mash-Up.  

Want to make a large item, but don't have enough of a hand-dyed braid to complete the project?  Do you have several braids that could complete the project weight-wise, but they are totally unrelated color-wise to each other?  Never fear!  The Mash Up is here!!!  Those wanting to participate will receive portions of three braids to spin and ply, making the Mash Up.  There will be homework: after you finish the spinning and plying, you are never done until you make a swatch (knitted, crocheted, woven) to see what the fabric will look like when used!  Be sure to bring your "Mash-Up" yarn and swatch to the June meeting for Show & Tell!!!

Agenda Items: from Diana

• Spinners needed to demonstrate at The Farm at Prophetstown State Park on Saturday, June 3rd, (estimated to be) from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  (This is based on last year's timing; the event is not yet listed on the Farm's event page on FB; if I find out otherwise, I will let you know.)  Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early for set-up!  Names of demonstrators needed today!
  
  
• Upcoming Fiber Festival:
• Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival in Franklin, IN, June 2 - 3
  This and other Fiber Fests are listed on the "Demonstrations and Fiber Fests" page on the right side of this blog.
  
  
• Helpers needed for Teaching Spinning Event at The Farm on June 25th
• Volunteers to wash some wool
• Volunteers to flick some wool
• Volunteers to attend the day of the event to teach flicking, handcarding, and drop spindle spinning
• Volunteers to bring wheel and allow students to try out wheel (will be limited trials).
  

Show & Tell

• How did your fractal spin from last meeting turn out? 
• What did you buy at Greencastle that you MUST share?
• What other items have you spun or knit or crocheted or woven to show us?

New Page on this Blog

Check the "Photo Page" in the right hand side. Click on it and it will take you to our show-it-off page:  photos of work done by our members, photos of interest, and anything else we participate in.

 

NEXT MEETING:  April 5, 2023  6:30 - 9:00 PM

Our Guild meets in the Art Studio room in the basement.  Please remember to arrive between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., as TAF building doors will be watched to open for you during this time, and after that time, the doors are locked. 

PROGRAM:  Fractal Spinning

Fractal spinning takes the idea of repeating patterns at different scales and applies it to yarn. Once it is spun up, the finished yarn will have two (or more) different scales of the color repeats found in the dyed fiber. Usually we accomplish this with two plies: one ply is at a large scale, and the second ply is at a smaller scale.

This exercise uses a braid dyed with several different colors. If you have your own braid, you can bring it to use. Otherwise, Diana will have some to hand out, hopefully enough, she says.

Show & Tell

As always, we want you to share what you have been working on.

More From Wabash Woolen Works

From Diana:  I was contacted by Lisa Gilman, owner of Wabash Woollen Works, where several of us took a natural dye course last fall.  There were several unpurchased dye skeins from that class, enough for her to make the following sweater pictured below, which she wanted me to share with the group.  It's wonderful how natural colors always seem to go together.  (She also, of course, wants to know if we have any interest in additional classes ... )

Community Outreach

We frequently demonstrate spinning at various events throughout the year (Prophetstown State Park, the county fair, the Feast, etc.).  Our first requested demonstration isn't until the first Saturday in June.  However that same month, our group has promised to again hold a basic spinning class event on Sunday, June 25th.  That is two months away.  But Diana could use help this year with washing fleece from The Farm, and ordering and preparing "drop spindles" for the class ahead of time.  Not critical yet: but heads up on the upcoming request.  

For a listing of upcoming events around our area, both for Guild participation, and Fiber Events, go to the "Demonstrations and Fiber Fests" page on the right side of this blog.

Yea! Spring is on its way. . .

Slowly

 

NEXT MEETING:  March 1, 2023   6:45 -  9:00 PM

Our Guild meets in the Art Studio room in the basement.  

  Our room will be double-booked for the next 2 or 3 months, including this month, hence the slightly altered meeting time.  So please arrive 6:30 and 6:45 (instead of the usual 6:15 to 6:30) (doors will be watched from 6:30 - 6:45 to let people in), and the meeting will start at 6:45 p.m. 

PROGRAM:  SPINNING ALPACA FIBER

Do Alpaca smile? Why, yes they do. 

Mostly because they are a happy, docile animal that gives us a soft,

 pleasant-to-wear fiber. We all love them!

At the meeting we will be spinning a blend of 70% white Huacaya Alpaca and 30% white wool of unknown  breed, but it was pretty soft. Everyone will get about 3 ounces. So bring your wheels for this all-spinning meeting.

Your spun Alpaca blend fiber could be used for the dye-day we will have later in the year, or for whatever project you desire. Being a blend with wool, it's a very good knitting yarn because the wool gives it some elasticity and holds better as a finished project. Pure alpaca will sometimes "grow" in length, the wool helps it to not do that. 

Spinning Daily recently sent a download for an e-book about Alpaca and how to spin and use the fiber. You can go to the download here

As always, bring your show & tell, especially the oil bottle bags we wove last month.

Hope to see you all at the meeting.

From Daisy Art - Canvas Prints

 

NEXT MEETING:  February 1, 2023   6:45 -  9:00 PM

Our Guild meets in the Art Studio room in the basement.  Please remember to arrive between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., as TAF building doors will be watched to open for you during this time, and after that time, the doors are locked. 

  Our room will be double-booked for the next 2 or 3 months, including this month, hence the strike-thrus above for meeting times.  So please arrive between 6:30 and 6:45 (instead of the usual 6:15 to 6:30) (doors will be watched from 6:30 - 6:45 to let people in), and the meeting will start at 6:45 p.m. 

ALSO: If the weather does not cooperate and we get another snow-palooza, the meeting may have to be cancelled. So keep an eye on your email/blog for information.

February Program  "Weaving an Oil Bottle Bag for your Spinning Wheel"

A fun, easy activity even if you are not a weaver! We will use cardboard "looms" for the bags. Warps [the threads that go on the loom] will also be provided. All you need to bring is bits and pieces of some of your handspun yarns. Not super-bulky, but almost any grist will work beautifully. If you have a basket full of samples you have spun over the years, this is a good thing to use them on. 

BRING:   handspun yarn and a pair of scissors.

If you don't need an oil bottle bag, [you probably do, you just don't know it yet] bring your wheel to spin and visit.

SHOW & TELL

We always like to see what you are working on. Bring something to share.

 

NEXT MEETING:  January 4, 2023  6:30 - 9:00 PM

Our Guild meets in the Art Studio room in the basement.  Please remember to arrive between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., as TAF building doors will be watched to open for you during this time, and after that time, the doors are locked. 

  Our room will be double-booked for the next 3 or 4 months, including this month, hence the strike-thrus above for meeting times.  So please arrive between 6:30 and 6:45 (instead of the usual 6:15 to 6:30) (doors will be watched from 6:30 - 6:45 to let people in), and the meeting will start ~6:45 p.m. 

We have only one agenda item this meeting:  "Musical Spinning Wheels."  Well, ok, I'm not sure if anyone is bringing music, per se, but please bring your spinning wheel and your own fiber.  We will set everyone's wheels (those who do not mind others testing out their wheel) in a circle, and each person will start in front of their own wheel, start a single going clockwise.  After a few minutes, we will shift seats to the next wheel, try that wheel out, and continue around the circle until you are back at your own wheel.  This way everyone can try out several different wheels ... in case you are thinking of a first or second! or third! wheel.

After "musical wheels" we can discuss what we liked / preferred about each wheel and/or socialize and Open Spin.

 

NEXT MEETING:  December 7, 2022  6:30 - 9:00 PM

Our Guild meets in the Art Studio room in the basement.  Please remember to arrive between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m., as TAF building doors will be watched to open for you during this time, and after that time, the doors are locked. 

From Diana: 

Next Wednesday, December 7th is our holiday meeting, 6:30 - 9:00 pm.  As usual, doors will be monitored from 6:15 - 6:30 pm to let people in the building, then it's time for food, fiber & festivities!  (Well, ok, you're right: there's always a bit of a business agenda to deal with first.)

Meeting Agenda:

• Thank you to those who demonstrated way back in October at The Farm: Carolyn Ferraro, Sonja Robson, and Chloe Caldwell.
• TAF group dues are paid; 1st Wed of each month set for 2023 in Art Room; conflicts for getting into room in 2022. 
• 2023 Dues are due ($10).
• Brainstorm 2023 Group Topics

For the Christmas party:

Snacks: snacks! snacks! snacks!  Bring a snack to share.  (Cookies, candy, cheese tray, veggie tray, ... shrimp cocktails for 20 ... well, okay maybe the latter is a wee bit much ... )  (Anyone want to bring cider or other drink? Or should we just bring our own?)

Year End Show & Tell -- Share your learning journey in 2022 by bringing at least one item and tell why it's important to you this year (can be an item you've brought before).  Items can be a finished item, a skein or a single of yarn, a new spinning tool, ...

Gift Exchange -- "The Right Family" (get ready for mild chaos!)

If you want to participate in the gift exchange, bring 4 oz fiber, describe what the fiber is and from whom on a piece of paper, and put the fiber and paper in a random plastic shopping bag.  Then, when you arrive place that bag inside a gray Wal-Mart shopping bag (hope I remember them), so they will all look the same as they fly around the room ... er, are exchanged.  Reminder: Fiber MUST be ready-to-spin; no raw wool or unprocessed fibers.

Socialize / Open Spin 

Subgroup Agendas (after Gift Exchange, during Socialize / Open Spin time):

• R H Lindsay Order
• Set up for Beginning Spinners Lessons / smaller groups

 

NEXT MEETING:  December 7, 2022  6:30 - 9:00 PM

More info about the meeting will be posted later.

 BUT for now -- Here are some photos Diana took at the Feast and texted me and then they disappeared somewhere in the mystery that is my computer! 

They're back! -- 

Tippewa Spinners at the Feast of the Hunters Moon 2022