Threads Along The Peace: August 2010

From The Desk Of The Editor
by Barbara N. (aka Frankie)

If you are like me then you are in full summer mode. I have been enjoying the great outdoors on my deck and have been doing some dyeing which is so awesome to do outside rather than messing up your kitchen inside. I don't have a garden this year as once again our animals (sheep and alpacas) have been given space in the fenced garden area as Hubby continues to fence more of our land for them. People all around me are talking about the gardens they have planted and no doubt there are quite a few of you starting to enjoy the fruits of your labour. That's why I've been enjoying both chemical and nature dyeing... I have time on my hands! While you are thinking about your garden it is a good time to think about looking for plants that will yield a good dye. We have a great article from Faye E. and her experiments with dyeing with sunflowers. For those of you interested in weaving but not in spinning or dyeing there is an interesting article on finger weaving for a Voyageur Sash. Also included in this edition of Threads Along The Peace are our usual column like the reports from the different guilds across the region that made the deadline for this newsletter. We also have our regular column Potpourri, and of course you will find the much needed information on the upcoming Fall Conference and workshop with Jane Stafford being held in Fort St. John. So I do hope you take a minute away from back breaking weeding/harvesting and sit down with some lemonade or iced tea and enjoy this newest edition of Threads Along The Peace.

President's Message
by Renate G.

It is a busy summer with lots to do. The weather has been amazing but we sure could use some rain here in Fort St. John. We have had to do a lot of watering of gardens this year. Speaking of gardens, my flax patch is doing great. It is on schedule at about 30cm high and flowering. Gerry and I are heading off to Joybilee Farms in Greenwood, B.C. next week for their flax/linen day. We will see the process from garden to fabric. I can't wait to see and learn. I did get some cotton to germinate and after a setback (too much wind abusing the plants) they are now doing ok again. I have them in pots in the greenhouse for the summer. The dye garden is getting established with woad, weld, golden marguerites, madder (it overwintered!) and calendulas.

I am looking forward to the fall workshop and seminar and visiting with my fibre friends. It is very important that you check the schedule for the venue change. Remember that if you are not taking the workshop you can still attend the seminar/demonstration on warping with sticky yarns. It will be held at the Artspost (the address is in the schedule). There is a $10 cost if you are not registered for the workshop. Please attend the AGM and the general meeting on Saturday. This is where the important stuff gets hashed out and we need all the input possible to keep things moving smoothly and efficiently. And if that is not enough, there will be 3 or 4 vendors to help you not be too attached to your money. All in all, it's sure to be a good time.

Keep on spinning, weaving, felting, dyeing, knitting,..... there's nothing better than that.... Rene

Reports

Fairview
by Loretta S.

Greetings from Fairview Everyone!

The hot summer nights are turning into cool autumn evenings!?!…and has anyone seen the magnificent night skies lately? Brilliant stars with a smattering of spectacular northern lights, Wow! Combines are going great guns in the fields around Fairview, as with the rest of the dry Peace Country, we suspect. The cranberries are turning crimson, and the bounties of gardens are being brought in (if the gardens were watered).

As for the creative side at the Fairview Fine Arts centre, there have been the coming and going of the summer visitors through the gallery, however, the weaving studio has been pretty quiet, as everyone has been busy with summer activities. The first part of September the Weavers will be heading back to the looms, firstly to get our warps ready for the Jane Stafford conference in FSJ, and then taking a look at the bigger looms to plan where our creative flair will take us this fall and winter.

Right now we have a double weave warp on the 36” for either bags or pillows, the ripsmatta warp that is coming along nicely for runners or placemats, and a rug that is warped to have two totally different sides is on the 45’ rug loom. There are a couple Theo Moorman sample warps on the smaller table looms that are being finished up as well. In the planning stages are a blanket pattern for the 60 “ loom, a new rug warp for the 45’ (either a Theo Moorman or a color schemed warp), a plain throw warp ready to be tied onto, and a chenille warp to go onto the little loom that has had mug rugs on for awhile. We remember reading of a leno warp for chenille, that is supposed to lock in the thrums better than the plain weave warp, has anyone got any insight to this? We seemed to have lost the exact instructions, or where we read them, and would sure appreciate any info or insight from any of you ladies with regards to weaving chenille for weft with thrums. All in all, it promises to be a busy season in the Fairview weaving studio. With any luck, we will be able to get a few new members, and maybe a spinner or two!

Those of us who are heading to Ft St John in September, are looking forward to spending three great days learning all we can about plain (but not so plain) weave and sticky warps. See everyone when we get there, and have a great rest of the summer!

Weaverly regards from the Fairview Guild!

Fort St. John
by Faye E.

The bounty of the August vegetable harvest is upon us and the bounty of the biggest and most plentiful saskatoons I have picked in 30 years!

On July 12 our beloved friend Anita passed away peacefull at the age of 87. She started to spin after a full working career and dedicated much of her free time to the betterment of Hudson's Hope. She became a proficient spinner and she loved to dye with natural dyes, such as bed straw, woad, and marigolds. She was known for her hand knit hand spun patterned sweaters and shawls. The woad in her garden is going to be harvested in the fall, with her full permission. her cheerfulness, courage, and strength of character and indomitable spirit were an inspiration to us all. We miss her. her memorial service was postponed until September 4th at 1 p.m. at St. Peter's Church in Hudson's Hope due to illness of a family member.

At the end of April, one of our new members hosted a spinning meeting at her home. She had not met all of us yet, but was brave enough to open her home and we had a good spinning time and a lovely communal lunch.

Frankie held a meeting at her home in Hudson's Hope in May. Rene showed the gifts she had woven for her sisters. Lovely tea towels and scarves.

In June, we held a dyeing day at Charlie Lake at Mary's cabin. It was a beautiful hot day and we relished our time under the tall trees, with a good home cooked feast provided by the creative hands of each of the members who attended. We dyed with Osage orange, Alder bark, Horse tail, Indigo, Walnut, Stinging Nettle, all with good results.

The first weekend in July, Norma, Krista, and Lynda demonstrated spinning in one of the gardens of the fort St. John garden tour. the fourth weekend of July, Frankie hosted a retreat at her home in Hudson's Hope here after named the Anita Retreat in memory of Anita's passing. Marion W., Loretta S., Norma, Faye, Marnie, Frankie and Krista with Marion J. and Jill stopping by for afternoon visits completed the roster. The major theme of the retreat was dyeing and Loretta is now an experienced dyer. Faye learned how to card weave with Loretta's guidance to watch card weaving on You Tube. There were Qi Gong exercises under a very round moon each night. Lots of fun and great food.

The warping of the forest green acrylic bags is slowly progressing at Artspost. Faye continues tying on the second batch of cotton blankets, to be woven by Norma and Faye.

We are planning on spinning at the North Peace Fall Fair in August. Individual members try to enter as many of the categories for weaving, spinning, felting, and knitting as possible. It is an annual event that promotes finishing of UFO's.

We look forward to the Fall Conference. We look forward to seeing everyone! What a grand summer!

Hudson's Hope
by Barbara N. (aka Frankie)
It has been a sad summer here in Hudson's Hope, with the death of one of our friends, Anita McWilliams. Anita had been battling cancer for several years and recently her illness took a turn for the worse. We watched, over the last several months, the decline of her health and energy. She had been spinning and knitting on one of her lovely Icelandic sweaters, right up until about two weeks before her death. She was a true inspiration to all who knew her. The spinners here in Hudson's Hope have decided to name their summer dyeing retreat The Anita Retreat For Spinners, Weavers and Dyers in honour of her memory (The Anita Retreat). Anita was always enthusiastic about nature dyeing and of course spinning. Spinners and dyers from Fort St. John, Fairview, Sexsmith, and Hudson's Hope got together on the forth weekend of July and had a wonderful time doing all the things that Anita enjoyed. Dyeing was, of course, at the top of the list, but some were spinning, weaving, and knitting too.... it was a real pleasure and I'm sure Anita was looking down on it all with a smile on her face.

Anita McWilliams: May 18, 1923- July 12, 2010

With Anita's passing, Lizzie's moving on in the spring, and Arla's move to Charlie Lake there only remains two members of our little group but we will carry on and hope that new members come and join us. Carol and Frankie meet every second Tuesday at Frankie's house for a day of spinning and sometimes a little weaving. Hopefully we will get new members soon.

Saskatoon Lake
by Mae T.

Our group has spent a considerable amount of time planning projects for the "Stars Trail Ride" silent auction. We have decided on rag rugs and bath towels. On August 3rd we are having a dyeing session for the rag rugs which should be fun. Verna May has just completed the warp for the bath towels in soft tones of pink, blue, and beige. The warp for the rag rugs is orange and gold, in very subtle contrast, completed by Marion. We all have a project on a loom to keep us busy until our turn to weave the rugs and towels.

Bev is making multi coloured place mats.
Marion is working on tea towels with geometric design in ecru and brown.
Mae is making an afghan with Buffalo wool acquired at a garage sale. The warp is ecru wool hand spun.
Joan is making Christmas cards with the Star of Bethlehem pattern.
Shannon is working on a Theo Moorman project.

Enjoy summer.

Potpourri
by Joan Y.

I wanted to do a column on humour and laughter this time, so I got some ideas written on a pad, then sat down at my computer and began typing. It went along fairly well except for numerous spelling errors due to memory and vision loss, but I battled on till a good sized column was written. But alas, I did not remember to save it every 15 minutes as my computer coach had recommended, so with one little slip of a misplaced finger, it all went into oblivion.

So much for the ha ha, ho ho of a laughter club, and tricky spoonerisms I found etc. In case you aren't familiar with spoonerism, it's when you unintentionally transpose the first letter of two words or even parts of words. Perhaps you've heard about the minister who told the groom that it is "kistomery to cuss" the bride. Then there is the one about the long winded person telling her friends that she used to have a spinning wheel but wasn't very good at it. She inadvertently spoonerised the spinning wheel and came up with "winning spiel". Her friends thought, she's right there.

Just in case this turns into a spiel, I'll close off with "happy summer to all" and hope to see you in September.

WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave with Jane Stafford
Sept 17, 18, 19 2010 Quality Inn Northern Grand Hotel

*IMPORTANT*

Please take note that there has been a venue change. We were contacted by the college and informed that it is no longer available to us for this workshop. So after some panic and lots of work, the conference will be held at the Quality Inn Northern Grand Hotel at 9834-100Ave
telephone (250)787-0521.

They have been very accommodating and are offering a reduced rate for anyone wishing to stay there. The cost for PCSW participants is $119 per night, which includes a hot breakfast. Remember to mention PCSW when booking to get that rate.

Just a reminder that Jane Stafford requires all participants come to the workshop with their looms warped and ready to go. If you have a question or problem with a warp she asks that you contact her and get that straightened out before the workshop. Don’t forget all your weaving type equipment – scissors, bobbin winder (can share), bobbins, shuttles, notebook, pen, tape, filler yarn for between samples, etc.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me…..Rene

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Friday Sept 17^th

8:15-9:00 registration, morning snacks

9:00-12:00 workshop

12:00-1:00 lunch, on your own. There is a restaurant in the hotel or a few cafes down the road – a 2 – 5 minute walk

1:00-4:00 workshop

5:00 catered supper

7:00 seminar/demonstration – Warping with sticky yarns – held

at the Artspost 10320-94 avenue

Saturday Sept 18^th

8:15-9:00 morning snacks

9:00-12:00 workshop

12:00-12:30 lunch, provided

12:30-1:30 AGM and regular meeting

1:30-4:30 workshop

6:00 no host dinner at local restaurant

Sunday Sept 19^th

8:30-9:00 morning snacks

9:00-12:00 workshop

12:00-1:00 lunch, provided

1:00-4:00 workshop

Dye yarn with natural dyes? Why?
by Faye E.

Having leafed through a new nature dyeing book, I recognized the range of colours: brown, tan, beige, ivory, olive green, dull green, yellow, gold, light gold....not particularly inspiring. Then I remembered last summer. It was about 2 weeks before the dreaded frost. I was dyeing as much as possible, using kale, chard, rhubarb leaves, anything in my garden that had an over abundance of growth, beyond the capacity of my freezer. My dear husband had made a special covered area as an extension to our garage for my dye workshop. He bought me a propane turkey fryer that normally is used on camping trips. It is perfect for dyeing- well almost perfect- it is aluminum.

I decided to use the petals of the sunflowers

to hopefully get a lovely sunny yellow. I always grow sunflowers and love them. I had never picked the petals before. It was a hot August day and I love being in the garden with all the abundant growth and the fruits of my labour. The scents of dill, and tomato plants and the ambience of being outdoors on a hot summer day, it is what we dream of all winter. As I picked the sunflower petals, I celebrated the beauty of each sunflower. They would be frozen in a week or two and then only useful as food for the moose. A cautionary note, I did get stung on my hand, by an angry unidentified insect, a bee or a wasp, I suppose. It was very painful. But once the pain subsided, I was back to picking sunflower petals, albeit, more carefully and wearing gloves. I picked a pound of petals. The fragrance of the petals is delicate and sweet. I had never noted their fragrance before. It made me feel a little silly. I thought I knew everything there was to know about sunflowers. It was a delightful discovery.

So I proceeded to steep the petals and I produced a light yellow coloured yarn. Not as bright as I had hoped. I also used the leaves of the sunflowers which produced a light green. Alum was the mordant used.

Recently I found this salad recipe from Homesteader Health Food store, using sunflower petals and it reminded me of my summer dyeing experience. I look forward to spending lots of time dyeing with my summer produce and also the many plants that grow in the woods around my home. I have a few ideas on how to produce deeper colours. I will keep trying. For me the experience of gathering the dye stuff is as important as the results.

Sunflower Salad
Sunflower petals are mild and sweet, adding colour and texture, while the dill and fennel flowers add their own distinctive aromas. Dill is also rich in sulphur.   
Dressing:  
3 Tbsp (45 ml) cold-pressed, organic olive oil  
1 Tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar  
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice  
1 Tbsp (15 ml) flax oil  
1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon mustard  
1 tsp (5 ml) chopped parsley  
sea salt and pepper to taste   

Thoroughly cook potatoes, peel if desired and slice. Mix dressing ingredients well and add the potatoes, onions and radish. Arrange endive on plate and place potatoes in the centre. Garnish with flowers and serve.

Finger Weaving For The Brave Of Heart
By Barbara Nichols (aka Frankie)

I really took an interest in braiding a few years ago when Rosalie Nielson came to Hudson’s Hope for a workshop with the PCSW on REP Weave…. Maybe some of you will remember that workshop. She introduced us all to the Maru Dai and Kumi Himo Braiding. Well, that sparked my interest and I went home and had my husband build me a Maru Dai right away. Since then I have been keen to learn other ways of braiding too. It was when I joined the Master Spinning program at Olds college that I got really curious. I started to see people who were braiding in other methods too. The one that really got me was Finger Braiding.

Now as most of you know I have no thumb on my right hand so getting into complicated braiding or weaving that involves fingers is huge for me. It was last spring (early spring) when I was looking for a pattern for finger braiding that I came across a great web site for finger weaving….. I had to investigate to find out if finger braiding and finger weaving were the same thing. It quickly came apparent to me that they are not the same thing but they are similar. It was with that in mind that I embarked on a learning curve that would get me into all kinds of trouble! I have been finger weaving ever since.

I thought for this newsletter and since I usually write about spinning and it’s related topics that I would write about finger weaving.

The following are instructions for finger weaving a simple chevron sash.

All you need for finger weaving is wool, a back beam which can be as simple as a dowel, and your fingers. It is important to use wool because anything synthetic will be too slippery to yeild satisfactory results. I used the front beam on my rigid heddle loom as it provided a nice stable place to tie on.