by Barbara Nichols (aka Frankie)
The snow is melting around here really quickly. Almost before my eyes the snow is shrinking away from the house and soon I will begin to see green shoots everywhere. As a matter of a fact, I'm sure if I raked the old grass where you can see it through the patches of snow I'm sure I'd find green shoots of grass already trying to grow. I have been watching the birds arriving daily and I can't wait to get out on my deck. Like you I am looking forward to spring with all its wonderful activities.
Once again I called for submissions and once again I got a better response so I believe that calling for submissions is a really good idea. I do have to make an apology to those who submitted this time. In my call for submissions I said I would accept all articles under 200 words however that was a typo... I really think that articles and reports should be kept under 2000 words... so I apologize for that mistake.
This edition of our little newsletter comes to you on the eve of our upcoming spring conference in Saskatoon Lake. We will be looking at dolls and poppies. You will find all the information you need to make this conference a great one right here on our pages. You will also find information on the upcoming fall conference in Valleyview when we will be trying silk dyeing techniques with our friends out there. Our reports are as always included and I hope some of you will remember to send a few pictures with your reports in later editions.
Spring is a great time to feel our spirits lift from the long hard days of winter and there are two articles this month to inspire a laugh or two. Be sure to look for our Spinners Quiz submitted by Rene as I'm sure you will find good laughs throughout. And Joan has once again sent us a submission for our regular column Potpourri... so I hope you enjoy that.
I'm still always looking for submissions regarding articles to do with weaving. If you would like to submit something then please do... if you have done something interesting on a loom and you have taken pictures then we would all be grateful to hear about it. Since we have some felters in our new guild in Valleyview perhaps some felting articles might be interesting too.
I hope you enjoy this new edition of Threads Along The Peace and as the days get longer and the evenings draw out into wonderful expanded time, I hope all your weaving, spinning and felting projects find their way to completion.
President's Message
by Marion W.
Happy Easter to all you fellow Spinners and Weavers! Thank goodness it looks like Spring is finally here at last. We have had a wonderful winter, but that extra sunshine sure feels good to these aching bones of mine. I have had more aches and pains this past winter than ever before which is due to my osteoarthritis. I am sure it has nothing to do with ageing!
I finished my first mohair afghan and am quite pleased with it. I have a Shetland wool warp on the loom right now and am using different wools for weft on each afghan in my quest for stash busting. Our new home is finally completed to the point where we are moving our household. What a chore that can be. I have some major stash busting to do in the near future. My husband has been remarkably kind with only a comment or two about it each day. (Trust me, that is good in my books as I have now seen it all up close and personal.) So you know what I will be up to for the next month or two -moving, moving, moving!
I hope to see you all this Spring at Lake Saskatoon. Take care...
REPORTS
Beaverlodge
(nothing at this time)
Fairview
by Doreen V.
We have been a busy lot in the Studio at the Fairview Fine Arts Centre. Verla finished her rug and then trucked off to the States for two months. We are going to rethread the loom because the pattern didn't come out the way we thought it would, so we have to make a change. That's the fun in weaving! Loretta and Brittany are weaving wool scarves with an open weave. Loretta has finished one and has fulled it--is it ever beautiful! She's had several compliments and people inquiring where she got it; people are genuinely surprised by her response, "I made it myself!!" Loretta is using a 4 harness table loom and Brittany is using the rigid heddle loom. Brittany is just about finished her tapestry weaving that she started at a fall conference. We are continuing to finish the samples and hope to have them completed for the spring conference. Ellen has finished her baby blankets and Doreen "birthed" her yardage in January. It now needs to be finished as a jacket. We have a potential new weaver and we're hoping to cause that relationship to bloom! Brittany and Loretta are offering a weaving block to the Artists at School program this year. Their fibre arts program will be in addition to the water colour and clay components of the program. We have nominated Maisie Noullett as a Life Member of the Fairview Fine Arts Centre. Maisie has been such a great part of our weaving: she gave us our initial instruction and has continued to offer her help and expertise as we continue to weave, trying different patterns and methods. She's always available to help us figure out how to read a pattern and then accomplish that on a loom. We are so grateful for her patience and talent and look forward to her continued sharing of this expertise. Looking forward to seeing you all again at the Spring Conference. Happy weaving.
Fort St. John
by Laura Lee Life
NORTH PEACE SPINNERS AND WEAVERS' GUILD
Despite - or maybe because of - the weather, we've been keeping ourselves respectably busy. Financial matters continue to be of concern so earlier this year, we decided to apply for a B. C. Arts Council Innovations Grant to support a major workshop. Sadly, we did not qualify, although their representative indicated an alternate grant we could apply for in the fall. A while ago we decided to make "cozy bags" (rice or oat filled bags for use as hot or cold packs) and scented sachets (mainly lavender so far) to sell as a fund raiser to support the F.S.J. Arts Council and, coincidentally, our studio. Since the March meeting they are now on sale at the studio, with plans to display them when we take part in public events.
The studio looms are puttering on. The green forest bag warp is finished and off the loom, but there is nearly an equal amount of surplus warp from this project (our studio team got really carried away on this one!) and will be put on the loom once we figure out what we want to make with it. Current plans are to use "honeysuckle" threading. Marjo and Sue have been confirmed as the Fiber Acadamy committee. The Inkle Pickup class has been postponed; January's class was "Painting With Wool", conducted by Jill, and in February a class on Chinese Knots was conducted via Skype - an innovation offering some interesting possibilities for future workshops. The March classes are on beginning Tablet Weaving. The Intermediate Study Group is working on a Friendship Coverlet group project - each member will make enough squares in Shadow Weave for an exchange, then will make a coverlet with their share of the squares. We're all looking forward to seeing the results; they are enduring mounting pressure as the squares were to be finished by the end of March!
Our biggest event was our annual Blueberry Retreat - 5 days of visiting and working on projects while enjoying the ambiance of Blueberry Bible Camp's facilities. A few members just drove out for the day on Saturday. The unanimous opinion was that, as usual, we all had a great time. More than one spinner commented that they came back home relaxed and fully focused on putting in regular time spinning. That is a great bonus! We have already booked Blueberry for next year, so it is not too soon to plan to join us. Congenial visitors are welcome; variety adds to the fun.
A few items of interest came up at our last meeting, March 17th. We have had a comfort blanket project going for some time now, making afghans for members going through a bad patch. Frankie showed us a mohair blanket she is knitting, courtesy of the donation of a "bundle" of mohair yarn by Hudson's Hope's Marie Goldie. Many thanks Marie for your generosity. We also decided, as we have 6 members enrolled in the Master Spinner program, to donate $500 to Olds College's Centennial fundraiser for the purchase of more spinning wheels and looms. We may not need them, but lots of students do, and the improved efficiency in the college classes will benefit everyone.
So now we've made it past the Spring Equinox. It's a long way from spring here, no matter what more southern conventions say, but the daylight is lasting longer and the pussy willows - some of them - started budding weeks ago. So I guess we're going to survive winter after all!
Hines Creek
(nothing at this time)
Hudson's Hope
by Barbara Nichols (aka Frankie)
Hi to all of you and I hope you have all had a happy and cozy winter. Spring is here at last though as I say it I'm thinking I had better knock on wood. Still each day I am happy to see the wonderful birds returning and was really happy to see a flock of geese in a farmers field as I was driving along the highway..... I felt like singing.... they're baaackkkk!
Here in Hudson's Hope things remain slow with our little group. There are four of us and we never seem to be able to get together all four at the same time. Usually it is Carol and I though I do try to get the other ladies involved too. Carol continues to work on four ply socks and spin merino most often. I have been trying to get her to break out and try something a little different. But to no avail yet. Though I did just get an email from her asking me if I would help her pick out a lambs fleece for a simple wool sweater... so who knows I might get her to try something a little different yet. Jane is still working on learning how to use a drop spindle but is making progress.
Meanwhile I'm so busy that I never seem to stop. Our Shadow Weave conference here in Hudson's Hope last fall has inspired a group of us to study Shadow Weave structures. I decided to join that group and I'm now starting to regret the decision... not because I don't like Shadow Weave for I am truly excited to have a loom and be weaving again after so many years of not weaving on anything other than pin looms, but just because time really is not on my side for getting my level 5 homework finished in time to go back for level 6. This past week I threaded my loom for a Shadow Weave block project. The goal is to weave a block in a Shadow Weave pattern and make it 15" finished.... that's after it's been washed. We, in the group have all chosen the same cotton and different patterns and we will all make eight blocks and trade them when we are finished. The background is blue but we are all using different colours in between. My colour is magenta, and it looks very pretty with the blue.
 |
| These are the colours that we will be using and then I found a picture of feathers that said to me that it wouldn't be too bad after all... think Joseph's coat of many colours! |
For the Shadow Weave project, I had to put a 21 ft warp on and I didn't have a warping board... so my husband was quite appalled when I got out some screws and the screw driver and put the screws in the wall of the sunroom. Thank heavens our house is a log house... logs are so forgiving. Back and forth I walked... the room is 24 ft. so my warp fitted just nicely. We figured out that I walked 1 kilometre making that warp, walking back and forth. Next the warp went on the loom. I had a dreadful time putting the warp on my loom... my poor back was so sore.... how do you weavers do it! Still, it is on now and I am hoping to get time to actually weave really soon.
Meanwhile I decided to sell my 32" rigid heddle loom and there was a warp on it from my hand spun yarn that has been on it for five years. I didn't want to just throw it away so I carefully transferred the warp to my 24" rigid heddle loom and there it sits with nothing woven on it yet. That was a job done in early March. I'll get to it eventually. I'm just not sure what I'll do with it.
Earlier in the winter I started knitting socks... with silk hankies and they are on hold but I thought I would let you have a look at them since I am knitting them without spinning the silk first.
I also finished another of my silk embroidery pieces. It is hand spun silk on black aida cloth. I spun four different kinds of silk... (Bombyx, Tussah, Cinnamon Tussah, Muga silk) and formed an owl... I liked it pretty good and this is one more thing to go into my homework books.
But once it's been marked, I will probably have it framed and put it up in the living room. I've discovered how much I like needlework which is a surprise because I had to learn how to do needlework without any help... Mom doesn't do any of this stuff... so I'm not sure where this comes from.... still there must be something genetic about it!
In addition to the weaving projects I have tons of knitting and spinning projects on the go... Level 5 of the Master Spinner's program plays havoc with my time so it is really hard to find the time to finish anything. I have recently been working on a pretty little purse made from my own hand spun cotton that I wove on a pin loom and it was embroidered (also with my own hand spun cotton) with irises since they are one of my favorite flower. I have the front finished
and the back just about finished and the handle will be woven either on an Inkle loom or made on the Maru Dai in Kumihimo braid from the same cotton using the same colours. I love it so far and can't wait to finish it but before I can use it, first it is heading off as one of the level 5 samples. Level 5 has been challenging this year as we are spinning many of the cellulose fibres as well as synthetic fibres. The synthetic fibres are not very inspiring... too squeaky... but they have to be done and do them I will. I have a 50 hour project coming up and am spinning cotton and bamboo in a 50/50 blend for socks... and this is the pattern I have chosen.
I hope it goes quickly as I really want to get this done now. I had planned on making a tablecloth from Ramie but it did not meet requirements and so I have put that project on hold for the time being.
So that's it from here... I won't bore you with more of the projects that never seem to get finished... shawls and scarves and comfort blankets are in tote bags all over the house... I keep hoping that one day I'll finish it all.... time waits for no one and so I will leave you all on that note and hope to see you all in Sexsmith.
Saskatoon Lake
by Mae Trelle
Spring is coming the rabbits in the yard are telling me so. They are changing colour so quickly it's magical.
Our projects are progressing. Marion has completed her mohair afghan. Beautiful. Using the same Shetland warp she is weaving a neutral four strand buffalo wool afghan. The two toned warp makes it look elegant.
Mae has at last finished the "Shubert's Serenade (with a few flats) shawl. Looks quite beautiful. She's now threading an afghan in shades of blue with one shot of red between the shades.
Gudrun is weaving variegated place mats in soft pastel shades. Very attractive.
Nancy is threading tea towels with neutral warp.
Joan is also threading tea towels. Joan's just completed afghan is beautiful. It is to be auctioned at the Stars Trail Ride in Sept.
Verna May has moved but will be back weaving next Tuesday. We have missed her.
Shannon is working on dolls. All very unique.
We are all looking forward to April's conference. Till then, happy spring!
Valleyview
by Josie M.
Spring is almost here. Many of us in Valleyview have started lambing or will be starting soon so with everyone so busy we have decided to have only one more meeting until the fall. Our last fibre club meeting will be on Saturday April 21st. The theme for the get together is “Free-time.” Our meetings are usually themed so that we can learn new things, share ideas and try out different fibre related activities. Since our last report we have had a spinning day, a 3D felting day and a weaving day. For our spinning day, members brought show and tell and sat around working on their own spinning projects on everything from spindles to an electric spinning wheel. Weaving day was interesting. Most of our members are new to weaving so Jody McLean brought several examples and gave us a demonstration on how to use a rigid heddle loom. Some of our members are interested in learning weaving as an extension to the spinning they are doing so it was very educational.
Our group believes that young people are important to the future of fibre arts and we are happy to still have two young members (under 16) that attend on a regular basis and a few others that tag along every once in awhile. Josie McKay is also teaching through the Prairie Art Gallery’s “Artist in the Classroom” program and has been taking felting courses to schools in Grande Prairie, Worsley, and Hines Creek. The students love it and are very excited by the magic of fibre and felting. Happy spring everyone!
Spring Conference Information
by Shannon Nelson
Spring Conference
DOLLS
Lake Saskatoon Hall, Alberta
April 28th
8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Registration at the Door:
$25 for members $30 for non-members
Days Events:
8:30 Registration and Coffee
9:00 Commence with Poppies Challenge
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Meeting
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Dolls Demo
3:00 Show and Tell
4:00 Final wrap up
Bring and Buy Table
If you have something to give away or
something to sell, put a sticker on it and
we will put it on the table (bring change).
Bring and Brag
What are you working on? Show off what
you have done over the winter!
RSVP by April 14th (for caterer)
Shannon at:
carlsholm@gmail.com
780-532-1472
Lake Saskatoon Hall– Township Road 722
From Grande Prairie:
1. Highway 43 West towards
Beaverlodge
2. North at Highway 724(
towards LaGlace)
3. Turn west(left) at Township
Road 722, hall immediately to
the left
From B.C.:
1. Highway 43 towards
Beaverlodge
2. East on Highway 59
(to Valhalla)
3. South on Highway
724
4. West(right) at Township
Road 722, hall immediately to
the left
Fall Conference Information
by Jody McLean
Fall Workshop Sept 29, 30 2012
Barbara Robinson is an experienced spinner, a Master Knitter and runs her own silk fibre dyeing business in Rossland, BC. Her dyed fibres are sold by Canadian and European retailers.
This 2 day workshop focuses on the cyan / yellow / magenta / black colour system. Using Washfast Acid dyes and with these primaries we will mix and apply 3-4 colours to each of 5 batches. You will learn how to apply your dye mixtures to your own protein fibres or yarns as well as Bombyx silk roving or yarn and the steam method of processing. Along with your dyed samples you will take home a succinct but comprehensive set of instructions for dyeing silk, wool, alpaca, mohair or other protein fibres and yarns as well as a colour mixing guide.
Cost of the workshop is 185.00
There will be of a 20.00 materials fee per person in addition to the cost of the workshop.
Maximum: 16 participants.
Please note: Each participant will supply 4 samples of protein fibre or yarn no larger than 25 grams each. Prepared Bombyx silk roving or 20/2 yarn for batch #5 will be supplied by instructor.
Please specify if you will be dyeing roving or yarn
Venue is the Debolt Community Center. aprox. 20 min. East of Grande Prairie or 20 minutes west of Valleyview.
Snacks and lunch will be provided Saturday and Sunday.
Campground is about 6 km from Debolt.
Accommodation available in Valleyview. Book well in advance.
Raven Motor Inn 780 524-3383
Western Valley Inn 780 524-4000
Horizon Inn and Steak House 780 524-3904
Pomeroy Inn 780 552-2338
Contact
Jody McLean
780-524-2809
Josie McKay
780-524-3677
Judith Isaac
780-978-4290
Articles
Pot Pourri
by Joan Y.
I'd like to entice all of you to sneak a few minutes from looming and learning, to laughing. Have a little fun with a pun or two.
I have fun with weaving, but I also have fun with words, so what better than playing with weaving words? To start with, take the basic word "weaving".
The other day a neighbour phoned our house asking to speak to me. My hubby answered, telling the caller that I was weaving away. "Oh" she replied, "I thought Joan was pretty good on her legs for her age."
Then there was a friend who could not answer the phone because she was spinning. I asked her if she was getting dizzy yet, but she denied it. I guess she was just sitting with her wheel and it was spinning and getting dizzy.
My weaving room is over-stocked with yarn, and I am looking for ways to reduce it. When I offer it to my weaving buddies, they are very cautious because they know that I play with story yarns as well as fibre yarns. They can't be sure what kind of yarn they will get.
I asked a new weaver if her loom was warped. She was really upset by the question and replied sharply, "Certainly Not. It is a new loom and it is straight and true as can be."
Now I know some spinners and weavers who like to felt all their projects. Don't their fingers get tired of all that feeling and smoothing? Just thinking of it makes me feel felted.
To end this punny (or is it crummy) column, I suggest that when someone has trouble with a loom not woking right, they should check the lambs. I can just hear someone answering that with "no way! None of my ewes have lambs yet."
Dear weavers, spinners and felters, have fun with a pun as you ply your craft.
Spinner's Quiz
by Rene G.
Here in Fort St John we have a spinning day once a month, on the last Wednesday of each month. These days, hosted by various members, feature a gourmet potluck-style lunch, many laughs, some cries, lots of spinning (or knitting or handwork), women’s wisdom, women’s craziness, and generally just a fantastic, therapeutic time.
At a recent spinning day we started talking about words and their meanings. This led us to prepare a multiple choice spinning vocabulary test. I hope you have fun seeing how you score.
1. PUNI:
a) a puny pony
b) a male disease ie: He has a bad case of punis.
c) a tightly rolled rolag
d) something your pet leaves behind for you to clean up in spring
e) baby’s first ponytail
2. CHARKA:
a) shadow for eyelids ie: For the big party she carefully applied charka.
b) an energy centre
c) ocean going fish
d) a game played with beads
e) an Indian spinning device
3. NIDDY NODDY:
a) mischevious brother elves
b) a winding device
c) a type of oilfield pumpjack
d) an affirmative head gesture ie: I gave him a niddy noddy in passing.
e) a very tired knitting grandmother
4. LAZY KATE:
a) device for holding bobbins
b) underachieving Katherine
c) a cake-mix cake
d) a simplified medieval torture device
e) a worn out bra ie: I threw my lazy kate into the dyepot.
5. SPINDLE:
a) an unmarried, skinny older woman ie: I would hate to become a spindle.
b) a music box doll
c) a tool used to twist fibre into yarn
d) Microsoft’s answer to the Kindle
e) the latest version of GPS
6. SKEIN:
a) a net used to catch fish
b) loops of yarn wound around a support
c) back pain due to excessive spinning
d) a small wool producing country east of Portugal ie: The rain in Skein stays mainly on the plain.
e) a large fishing vessel
7. DIZ:
a) someone who catches their long hair in a spinning wheel
b) ph neutral soap
c) a distracted female
d) the colour in the dye pot you did not want ie: This dyepot is a diz.
e) a disk or oval with a hole in it used to draw combed fibre through to make top.
8. DOFFER:
a) a friendly greeting
b) an old man ie: The doffer next door came for a visit.
c) steel rod used to remove a batt from the drum carder.
d) a gardening implement used to rid the garden of cucumber beetles or the neighbour’s cat
e) a non-golfer
9. ROLAG:
a) sausage shaped bundle of fibres
b) the finest Cuban cigar
c) $10 watch
d) potluck leftovers ie: Who will take these rolags home?
e) the interval between race cars leaving the starting gate
10. PLYING:
a) a conversation with your mother in law.
b) selling yarn door to door ie: She had a great day plying her trade.
c) twisting 2 or more strands together
d) layers of various colours of roving
e) a technique for increasing your stash
11. ROVING:
a) the wanderlust to visit yarn stores ie: Six women went roving to Pam’s Woolly Shop.
b) collecting buffalo wool
c) a single Irish balladeer
d) weaving branches of willow
e) a continuous strand of carded or combed slightly twisted fibres
12. CRIMP:
a) your husband’s forehead when you walk in
with yet another bag of wool
b) a budget
c) small, delicious ocean creature
d) corrugation in wool fibre
e) a person who doesn’t share
ie: Don’t be such a crimp!
Answers, as though you don’t know: 1c 2e 3b 4a 5c 6b 7e 8c 9a 10c 11e 12d
Respectfully submitted by Rene G.
