May 2015

PCSW Fall Retreat

September 16 - 20, 2015

Blueberry Bible Camp - Prespatou Rd.

Fort St. John, BC

TAPESTRY WEAVING WITH ELAINE DUNCAN

    5 day Retreat style - Sept. 16-20

For those taking in the full 5 days - Elaine will give 2 days of direct instruction followed by 3 days of mentorship while participants work on projects.

 

     2 Day option - September 19-20

 Elaine will offer 2 days of Instruction to these participants while continuing to mentor the 5 day participants.

Description of the Workshop: 

This tapestry workshop is primarily directed at those wishing to learn to weave tapestry, but also those who have woven tapestry but need a refresher course.  We will warp the looms, and proceed to work through a sampler of tapestry techniques including joins, colour blending, and building shapes.  I will supply tapestry bobbins and copper pipe looms, as well as providing yarns for warp and weft.  Power point presentations will be shown for inspiration, as well as for techniques.  Students should bring their own scissors, tape measures, rulers, a large eyed blunt needle and a small spool of topstitching thread in beige or white.  Coloured pencils, drawing materials, paper, etc., would be helpful for working out designs.  If students have their own looms and bobbins that is fine too. 

The copper pipe looms and some bobbins will be available for sale. 

 

2 DAY SPINNING WORKSHOP WITH MARJO WHEAT - September 19 and 20.

This 2 day workshop will include 1 day of instruction on spinning for consistency.  You will learn about fleece preparation, twists per inch and consistent drafting and plying.  The second day will be spent on adjusting knitting patterns so you can use your wonderful hand spun yarns and you will have the opportunity to do some crock pot dyeing.

All fees include Instruction, accommodations and meals.

            Member          Non Member    

5 day = $540               $590

2 day = $230               $280

 

Breakfast and lunch will be provided by host group.

Evening meal will be catered Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

 

Members and non-members are welcome.  Maximum group size is 12 participants.  Please send a $200.00 non-refundable deposit. Please register as soon as possible.  1358@telus.net for more information.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE - July 15, 2015.

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Items seen at Leola's Studio,  4705 Trans Canada Hwy., Whippletree Junction, Duncan, B.C. in early March. 

 

 

Yarn spun by Leola at Blueberry Retreat in February.  Finished shawl was featured on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was kindly invited to attend a Tapis Meeting at Anne's home in Victoria on April 1.  It is wonderful to be in a room full of weavers, all sharing weaving and life experiences.  This is a tapestry weavers' group but as you see the show and tell was not limited to tapestry.  This group will meet again in September.  I received a very warm welcome.

 

Anne's rug - random stripes.







Anne is weaving a block - a - day tapestry. 

 

 

 

Anne's tapestry using her son's school drawing.

 

 

 

A sample of Anne's from an Archie Brennan workshop

 

 

Elaine's large weaving is a picture of Trial Island and the mountains across the strait.  The scene was easily recognized by others. So inspiring. Beyond my technical abilities to get it into one photo.

 

Olga's weaving. Lots of suggestions on how to finish the sky.
 

 



Karen's tapestry that will have beads incorporated in the weft.

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone has plans for summer spinning and weaving projects.  Keep in touch! All comments are appreciated!

 

Look for Peace Country Spinners and Weavers this summer. Dates and times to be announced.

• McNaught Homestead, Beaverlodge, in July.
• Dunvegan Annual Fresh Air Market, August 2 11:00-5:00.
• North Peace Fall Fair, north of Fort St. John in August.
• Hudson Hope Fall Fair in September.
• Dawson Creek.

Remember to find Peace Country Spinners and Weavers on Facebook.

Happy Spinning and Weaving!  Happy Spring!

 

 

 



April 2015 celebrating Fibre Fling

North Peace Spinners' and Weavers' Fibre Fling at Peace Gallery North, Fort St. John,
April 10-25, 2015.  Reception on Friday evening of April 10.  Weaving and spinning demonstrations will happen at certain times on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each week.

 

 

This is a sneak preview of the items that I have submitted for Fibre Fling.  These blankets are about 32 inches by 45 inches long.  This project started with a large bag full of Handicrafter cotton yarn that was indistinct and dull in colour and not colour coordinated in any stretch of the imagination.  Some were plain colours, some variegated.  They were dyed at the Dyeing in the Rain Summer Retreat which was so named as I was the only one who braved the rainy downpour and continued my dyeing under the canopy of the picnic table.  Procion dye allowed me to use hot water from the tap, carried outside to continue the dyeing process. 

This is a log cabin pattern using thick and thin yarn.  The thin yarn is plyed crochet cotton dyed to match.  This yarn is not as soft as the Handicrafter cotton because of the greater twist but it works.  Nice to use some of my Mom's stash.

The first warp was enough for 2 blankets and one small bath mat.  I then tied on to make another set of blankets and tied on twice more to make 2 individual blankets, making a total of 6 blankets.  Having a limited number of balls of each colour made it hard to plan further than how I did it, that is my excuse for such inefficiency. 

The last two blankets are quite different than the first two.  The last blanket is the best!  I had run out of yellow.  I had 3 balls of red, green and white which I dyed a golden yellow.  The red and green did not significantly change colour with the dyeing, and the red being a primary red, did not match the fuchsia pink but I decided to be brave and bold and try it anyway.  This blanket is the most exciting and pleasing to me.  Hence it is not for sale, nor is it in the show.  This project again showed me that I get bolder in my designing as I go along.  Some of this is a result of necessity of using what is available, but it is all good experience.  Perhaps one should take it one step further and design another blanket as a result of all of the former experiments and see what results. 

The dyeing was a lot of work and considering how much water was used and the time involved, other than from the point of view of recycling a bag of yarn that would not be otherwise used, it is probably just as economical to buy the yarn pre-dyed.  Although I am not sure the colours would be quite as exciting.  Loved this project.  These woven pieces of fabric can be used for lap blankets, baby blankets, picnic blankets, large table runner or whatever.  Come and see them at Fibre Fling along with the many other exciting items for sale.

I also wove two blankets of variegated pink and green Handicrafter cotton that I did not need to dye.  Again I used thick and thin, using the plied crochet cotton.

The Shadow Weave table runners' pattern is from One Thousand-Plus and Patterns in 4, 6, and 8 Harness Shadow Weaves by Marian Powell.

 

The warp is forest green and raspberry 4/8 cotton and white mercerized cotton.  The weft of the first two was navy blue 4/8 cotton and mint green mercerized cotton.  Other variations of weft were forest green, light green and raspberry 4/8 cotton and acrylic yarn of mixed colours.  The variations got bolder and bolder as I progressed.  The use of acrylic yarn made the runner more springy. Shadow Weave is fun to weave as there are so many variations.  Using 4 shades of colours in one project is most satisfying to me as it makes the fabric richer in depth of colour.  Four of the six runners will be on display at Fibre Fling.

 

The first hat was dyed as follows:

Keeping a few yards of yellow yarn aside without cutting, the dry ball of yarn was placed in a dye pot with black dye.  Every 30 seconds a strand of yarn was pulled off the ball, pinching it between fingers to remove excess dye and placed in water to rinse.  This was repeated without cutting yarn until a third of yarn was dyed.  More dye was added, the process repeated and again dye was added at the two/thirds mark.  The yarn was rolled into a skein while still wet and steamed for about 20 minutes to set the dye. The skein was hung to dry, then rolled into a ball, ready for knitting.  The hat was hand washed and left to dry on a form to retain shape.  

The second hat was made with the darkest part of the first dyed skein and the lighter part of a second dyed skein.  Hence the distinct colour change.

PCSW Spinning Day at Cheryl Peebles' Studio and Gallery, 10244 99th Ave, Fort St. John,

April 11, 2015. $15.00 registration fee and no host lunch.  Non-members are welcome.

Remember Theo Moorman samples for exchange due at the Spring meeting.

PCSW Beginner's (and refresher) Tapestry Workshop with Elaine Duncan at Blueberry Camp, close to Prespatou BC, 45 minutes north of Fort St. John,  September 2015.  Five day or 2 day workshops.  As an alternative to tapestry, a spinning workshop will be held during this retreat. See Spring newsletter for details. Non-members are welcome.  Registration begins on April 11.  1358@telus.net for more information.

Happy Spinning and Weaving!  Happy Spring!

March musings 2015

 

The Weaver

 

My life is but a

weaving between my

Lord and me. I cannot

choose the colours;

He worketh steadily.

 

Oftimes He weaveth

sorrow, and I in foolish

pride forget He sees

the upper, and I the

underside.

 

Not 'til the loom is silent

and the shuttles cease to

fly, shall God unroll the

canvas and explain the

reason why.

 

The dark threads are as

needful in the Weaver's

skillful hand, as the

threads of gold and

silver in the pattern

he has planned.

 

VerseMarks by J-MAR

 

Felted picture by Rene from Christmas gift exchange

 

 

 

 

On Designing by Anni Albers- a book review written by Editor TATP.

 

Anni Albers' twelve essays, bound together in a book called "On Designing," puts into words the experience of the craftsman and artist.

 

She talks of the use of materials, to know one's materials, the need to experiment, to learn its limitations and its strengths, to immerse one's self in the material, to not be tied by any preconceived ideas about the material, to use one's intuition.

 

      To circumvent the No of the material with the Yes of an inventive solution, that is the way new          things come about - in a contest with the material.  It is this knowledge that rules are the nature   

      of Nature, that chaos is senseless, that is thus transmitted to and through a work that is art.

Function is a very important part of the design.  The designer should be anonymous in a good design.  No personality in the design.

     The good designer is the anonymous designer, so I believe, the one who does not stand in the
     way of the material; who sends his products on their way to a useful life without ambitious
     appearance.

Our crafts and our art are a personal reaction to the political and economic stresses and strains of our time.  Her essays are written between the First and Second World Wars and some after World War II.  She refers to nervous disorders being on the rise at a time when we have become more divorced from hands on creating.  She talks of the process of taking something that Nature has produced and taking it through all the steps of production to finished project.  We somehow need and thoroughly enjoy this process - something that the spinner knows, who purchases a raw fleece, washes it, cards it, spins it and knits, crochets or weaves it.

She talks of fabric in our homes, how this softens our environments which would possibly be otherwise stark and harsh.  For example, carpeting, curtains, placemats, tablecloths.  Function is very important, easy care qualities, keeping out light, privacy, sound barriers.  Use of colour, a less permanent and less expensive use of colour that can be more easily changed.  The fact that the fabrics wear out is welcome as it enables change which helps our mental health.  She says that too often we fall into the trap of having too much, too many decorative features, that make the rooms too busy.  We keep things too long that we made for short term use.

She discusses art versus craft.  She believes that art exists for its own sake.  Art is not functional.

     Only in work having no immediate purpose - in art work - do we try to practise
     her (Nature's) way of shaping things and thus give up our inconsistency.

     Art is constant and it is complete.

At the beginning it was a little difficult getting used to her language and how she describes the art and craft experience.  She puts into words what we, the craftsmens' and artists' experiences.  Her forthrightness in describing 2450 craft items as useless and with little artistic value is an elitist attitude but I have had the same reaction to craft items at sales.  She believes that craft MUST be functional.  I enjoy her description that art can be useless, it does not need to be functional.  Art has other redeeming values, of vision, expressing human values and reflecting Nature's laws of harmony, rhythm, and relationships.

Using today's standards this is an old book but the ideas are not dated.  The theme of art versus craft is a constant current debate.  The essay about double weave seemed a little out of context with the rest of the essays but it carried on the theme of craftsmen using their material for its best use.

I liked this book and found it thought provoking.

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We are saying farewell to Linda this month as she prepares to move to southern BC.  We miss her already but we shall stay in touch.

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North Peace Spinners' and Weavers' Fibre Fling at Peace Gallery North, Fort St. John, 

April 10-25, 2015.  Reception on Friday evening of April 10.

PCSW Spinning Day at Cheryl Peebles' Studio and Gallery, 10244 99th Ave, Fort St. John,

April 11, 2015. Pre-registration is required.  See Spring newsletter for registration form.  Non-members are welcome.

 Remember Theo Moorman samples for exchange due at the Spring meeting. This exchange is open to participants of last year's workshop.

PCSW Beginner's Tapestry Workshop with Elaine Duncan at Blueberry Camp, close to Prespatou BC, 45 minutes north of Fort St. John,  September 2015.  Five day or 2 day workshops.  As an alternative to tapestry, a spinning workshop will be held during this retreat. See Spring newsletter for registration forms and details. Non-members are welcome.  1358@telus.net for more information.

Happy Spinning and Weaving.  Happy Spring!