Friday, July 30, 2010

July 2010 Minutes

The July meeting was held at Nicole Kelly’s home in Mohawk Vista California. She made us all feel very welcome, and her home is beautiful! Most of us ate lunch on the deck overlooking the pond, meadow, and the  beautiful view of Sierra Buttes in the distance. Thank you Nicole for sharing your bit of paradise with us.
The meeting was called to order at 11:00 am, with introductions following. The June minutes were then approved.
Treasurers Report: Doris mentioned the member list is done, 3 dues were paid, there was $30 in donations from the fiber donation, and two spindle kits were sold $10. $2 was donated by Nancy for the Weaving Study Group. Doris purchased the wheel maintenance DVD while at Black Sheep Gathering, thus saving the expense of shipping and tax, for $35. This leaves the guild with a total of $2303.04 in our account. There are 39 paid members.
Weaving Study Group: There was no meeting in June. The group meets in members homes, thus giving those members a chance to work with their individual loom. If there is interest, a meeting can be scheduled for July 24th. Please contact Nancy Prior if you would like to host a meeting on that date.
Old Business: Guild business cards are available, please see Virva if you want some. Heidi is working on the brochures for the guild.

Scholarship Fund: No updates at this time.
This month the raffle consists of 3 books donated by Marilynn Clarke
Newsletter: Sharon has requested a reprieve from the newsletter duties. Mim offered to take it over. THANK YOU! Please be patient while the transition takes place.
Fair Report: Jen had lots to share regarding the state fair. The format of the fair will all be the same as we are used to, though there is changes being made to the content of the fair attractions. Nothing will change in regards to our tent, set up, or entry to the fair. Becky Pennington has offered to judge the fleece and fiber. This news was met with approval from the members present. Entry forms are available online for free, the printed fair booklet is $3. There is a box to check if you are entering as a novice spinner. A spinner is considered novice if she/he has been spinning for 24months or less.  Postmarked entries must be submitted by July 30, and online entries have a deadline of August 6th. Set up will be held the Tuesday before the fair, with placement of items inside the tent to happen Wednesday morning before the fair opens. Fair dates are August 25th thru 29th. Please bring samples/items for display, and REMEMBER TO LABEL all items brought in for display to so they go home with their owners! There was some discussion regarding the wheel donated by Eileen Hickey Webber. Would the guild like to award the wheel to the top novice spinner, or would fiber be a better award? Perhaps the wheel could be awarded to the spinner for 1 year? Carolyn also suggested a drawing for spinning lessons and the loan of the wheel. Amy mentioned she would contact Eileen to ask what she would like to see happen with the wheel. Discussion was tabled until the next meeting.
New Business: Amy made a motion to add the DVD and book the Gentle Art of Plying to our library. Motion was approved and passed.
The August meeting is scheduled to be held at Hazel Ryland’s home in Carson City. Marilynn suggested that would be a good time to invite Diana Ballard, a local textile artist,  to share highlights from her trip to Japan. Marilynn offered to check with Hazel to make sure she is up to having the guild meeting at her home.
Show and Tell:
Mim: A hat knit by Laura Cunningham from her sheep, Booger, Capistrano fiber roving spun up into yarn, and yarn from her Shetland flock.
Amy: Blanket from Sharon’s sheep, Robbie, and a sheep named Isabella.
Toni: Spindle bought from KCL Woodworks purchased while at BSG
Doris: Roving from Rose and Danica, spindle bought from KCL Woodworks while at BSG
Eileen: spindle bought from KCL Woodworks while at BSG
Nancy: Silk warp / alpaca weft scarf, scarf from alpaca / silk, and a Canadian Saxony wheel made by Alden Amos.
Attendance:
Toni Strassburg, Sue Gottsacker, Nancy Prior, Jen Overby, Doris Woloszyn, Eileen Jacobs, Carolyn Thompson, Virva Porcelli, Perry Louie, Melanie Carr, Marilynn Clarke, Susan Wilson, Therese James, Amy Shannon, Nicole Kelly, Mim Bullard, Pat Green (sp?)
 Directions to Hazels house:
Coming from Reno, South on 395. Take Exit #43 onto N Carson St/ business route 395. Turn left onto Arrowhead Rd. pass through 2 runabouts. 257 Arrowhead Rd.is on the right

Hazel adds to the directions, once on Arrowhead Drive, go a 6th of  a mile turn right on to Shady Tree Lane, and turn left on to driveway BEFORE my house which is the only one on the left side.ie, there is sage brush then the drive way, if you go past my house you will end up in the Cottonwood Mobile Park

What's been happening in July?


Animal Ark invited Eileen Jacobs to demonstrate at there annual "Hunt for Facts"  on July 24th.  Eileen has been spinning wolf fiber since last year and knitting items to sell in the Animal Ark gift shop.  It is always better to have more than one person and Jo Van Winkle enthusiastically agreed to join Eileen in the demonstration.  Jo's daughter, Noelle, also joined them.  It was one of the hottest days the area has had but they managed to survive very nicely in the wolf cabana.  Although she cannot be seen, Rayna, a lovely white wolf, was located just beyond the windows.  When people realized what was being demonstrated they were amazed.  Jo and Eileen thoroughly enjoyed their day and it is hoped that Jo will continue with her interest in the wolf fiber.  Animal Ark has been very appreciative of our efforts.

Please send jpg pictures and a short write up of your July projects to Mim at: mimsfiber@gmail.com 

Classifieds:
FOR SALE:  Ashford Tapestry Loom - you can see the loom and it's features here:    Bench not included.  Used twice, asking $150.  Contact Allison at fiberist@sbcglobal.net

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

June 12th 2010 Meeting Minutes

The meeting was held at the home of Mimi Bullard in Red Rock. Introductions were made, many new faces were present too. Treasury report: nothing earned since last meeting, currently $2231.04 in the account, and nothing spent.

Weaving Study Group: Nancy and Toni met in Sparks to work on Toni’s loom. Next study group may be hosted at Gary Sue’s home on July 24th. Directions TBA. May minutes approved as posted. There is no fair report at this time. The handwoven/fiber entry form is available on line, and info was passed along at last months meeting. State fair is Aug 26 through 29th. Learning Tree will be fleece skirting and differences in fiber out in the barn after the meeting.

Old Business: Carson City farm days was well attended, and a nice thank you letter was sent to all involved. Please remember guild business cards are available. Please see Heidi or Virva. There was discussion regarding our old guild brochures. Info would need to be updated. Does someone have the files on computer in order to update brochures? Heidi is willing to re-do brochure if it is cost effective.

Thank you to Libby for last month’s Learning tTree. Virva spoke a bit about the Multicultural Festival. People were very interested in our guild. Spindle Retreat Camp: Everyone who attended said it was a great time and plans are in the works to make it an annual event.
Scholarship fund/Library: planning still in works to distribute funds to each. Eileen suggested funds for new books. Suggestions for new books made by Sherrie, Heidi, and Virva. Library offerings are on our website, with more to follow. New items include Alden Amos, Ann Budd, Rag Weaving. Connie suggested reading excerpts from some books for learning tree in order to create interest in the library. Please make a list of books you would like the guild to add to the library. There was no June raffle, however, donations to the guild for the free UNR fleece would be gladly accepted.

New Business: Linda Loken moved to Kelso, Washington. There seem to be many guild members going to Eugene Oregon to attend Black Sheep Gathering. New Western Heritage Festival being held today in Sparks. Jen, Gary Sue, Sherrie, all plan to attend. Tapestry weaving class June 12 and 19th at Nevada Museum of Art. Celtic Fair to be held Oct 2nd and 3rd at Bartley Ranch. Learning tree suggestion is going to be a question and answer panel regarding anything spinning, weaving, fiber related. Submit questions in writing. July meeting is to be held at Nicole Kelly’s home in Blairsden Ca. Toni will verify and get directions.

Show and Tell:
Carolyn: Baby blanket with sheep squares for new baby.
Mim: Sharon’s socks
Marilyn: Spun alpaca from Jeanette Miller’s alpaca
Heidi: Yarns from blending, sock yarn for Mim, finished circular shawl made from cashmere silk blend fiber.
Gary Sue: Wool from Marla, one of Doris’ sheep.
Nancy: Sock blanks, fleece bought on Ebay, wool for sale, silk warp / Webs alpaca silk scarf.
Doris: Shseep samples for 2010
Sherrie: Spun skeins from Mim’s fiber
Mary: Question regarding super spiral shawl from Meg Swanson’s Gathering Lace and announcement regarding a new job. Congratulations!
Meeting adjourned at 12:10 for lunch.

Attendance: Toni Strassburg, Linda and Mark Lindsay, Eileen Jacobs, Heidi Ericson, Sarah Rosenbloom, Cindy Conard, Jacquelyn Conard, Gary Sue Roberts, Nancy Prior, the mysterious “X”, Sherrie L Jones, Sue Gottsacker, Connie Vann, Marilynn Clarke, Doris Woloszyn, Jo Van Winkle, Carolyn Thompson, Mary B, and Virva Porcelli.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Whorled News, July 2010

The July 10th meeting is at Nicole Kelly's home in Mohawk, California. Meeting time is 11:00 and this is a brown bag lunch.

Driving Directions: From Reno, drive North on 395 to Hallelujah Junction (23 miles). Go left on Hi 70 to Portola (23 miles). Keep going West on 70, about 7 miles out of Portola, turn right on Mohawk Vista drive. Go less than a mile to Road 4 (paved)and take a right. Go 1/2 mile on Road 4, also called Mohawk Road in some GPSs, to a fork in the road. Take the LEFT fork and keep going STRAIGHT up the "paved" road, which is called Betterton Road. As you come up the road you will see a redwood house in the meadow to the right. Driveway is about 1/2 mile from the fork, 69980 Betterton Road. 530-836-4875.

The August 14th meeting will be at Hazel Ryland's home in Carson City. Driving Directions to follow.

NEVADA TERRITORY WILD WEST FAIR INAUGURAL YEAR


Mark your calendars. The 2010 Nevada State Fair is going to be unlike any other in years past. It will continue to offer the fun of the midway, along with livestock, agricultural and lifestyle shows and exhibits. In addition, it will incorporate the living history of how life was in the 1860s-1880s Nevada, acknowledging our pioneer statesmen and women who put our state on the map. Jen continues to work with the planning committee. More than ever, our fiber activities and mission will dovetail with that of the fair. Volunteers will be needed - stayed tuned.

BOOK REVIEW: Heidi Erikson

A short book review and a technique review all in one. For my birthday this year I got Abby Franquemont’s new book Respect the Spindle, Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool. I had met Abby at SOAR last fall and couldn’t wait to read her book. I wasn’t disappointed. It is a very good book to read. There’s a lot of good information without being over whelming.

The technique I just loved goes like this. Take your spun single that you plan to ply back on to itself and make a center pulled ball either with your ball winder or nostepinne then ply together. Sounds familiar doesn’t it. We’ve been doing this for a long time, but wait, there’s more. Before you use that center pull ball to ply, run it back through the ball winder making a multi strand ball. It takes a bit more yarn management to do this but it is very worth it. Now you can ply from this ball. It makes the final plying go so much more smoothly and quickly. In fact plying became a breeze. The reason it becomes easier is because as you ply from the outside and the inside of the ball it collapse in on itself and can get tangled very easily. If you run that center pull ball back through the ball winder, you can control the tension better. You can then ply faster and easier.

I had done something similar when plying finely spun singles of cotton or wool, taking three or more bobbins of finely spun fiber and wound them together before plying because it kept the singles under tension and therefore did not tangle or knot as much.
Here’s some pictures to show you what I did;





















First I spun up my single then wound it off into a center pull ballFirst I spun up my single then wound it off into a center pull ball.
Then I took the two ends of the ball and put them together on the ball winder. (Notice how I used my warping peg to hold the center pulled ball? I did this so if I needed to get up and walk away before I was done I could. Clever aren’t I ?)
Then I plyed. (I plyed from the inside out but you can also ply from the outside of the ball in. You could even drop the ball into a bowl at your feet.)




All Done!














BLACK SHEEP GATHERING: Becky Pennington

The last (also the first) time I went to BSG, I thought I was in heaven! I'd never been around sooo many like minded people! When I walked into the building on Friday morning, I was instantly euphoric! So much fiber! By Sunday, I was saturated with fiber, and I was actually ready to come home. Yeah, I know, weird right?
The time between Friday morning and Sunday evening was spent with new friends and old friends, spinning, gawking, buying and admiring all kinds of fiber and breeds of sheep. Mim and I even got to help a shepherd show her romeldales on Saturday morning! That was a treat! I haven't shown sheep in what... well long enough that I really had to think about what I was doing :) Too much fun!
I finally got to meet Michelle and her wonderful sheep! And Lois and her sheep attended, as well as Corrie and Kristy, and many many others!
Laura (from Walton, west of Eugene), Heidi, Toni, Robin, Linda, Sharon, Ian, Ilene, ...did I forget anyone? oh and Linda's significant other, from the Reno area were there as well. We all went out to dinner on Friday night. Taken from Becky's blog - for more, see here.

BLACK SHEEP GATHERING: Mim Bullard

I'm having a difficult time finding words to start this post. So much has happened in three short days. I met many wonderful people and made some new friends. So many beautiful sheep and wonderful people (great meeting you Michelle!) were gathered in such a small space I found it impossible to meet them all in one weekend.
I'll start with the sheep: Romeldale, Blue Face Leicester, Churros, Jacobs, Gotlands, Lincolns, Wensleydales, and Shetlands. (Pictures of these sheep are on Mim's blog.) Argentina needed a traveling and quarantine friend so this little brown katmoget ewe with a soft silky fleece, came with. I've been thinking of naming the katmoget ewe Miryha after an awesome young lady (www.blarney.com) running a booth with Lori Lawson, Capistrano Fiber Arts Etsy Store, with the most beautiful dyed fiber and yarn. I could not get enough of their booth. I'd look and look at the other vendors around BSG then continue to come back to their booth to buy more roving.


At the end of the weekend I had six braids of roving from "Capistrano Fiber".





It was a wonderful trip. I only regret that I didn't find Kathy, Tina and Garrett before they left. Maybe next time because I plan on doing this again! Taken from Mim's blog - see more here.

BLACK SHEEP GATHERING: Sharon Campbell

We drove into Eugene and the Lane County Fairgrounds on Friday. It's been six years since Ian and I were here last and we were astonished at how much bigger the event has become, to the point that vendors are in Easy-Ups outside the main venue.
I can tell you that one of the thrills of this event is old friends. Caught here - Mike, Linda and Marianne. Linda is our friend who stepped away from her corporate life, sold her house and moved to Washington to be with her love - a guy that Ian and I both like a lot. Marianne is our guild friend from Burney in the mountains, who is working with the lady who bought Russell Groff's inventory and is one of the booths. I bought a brass sley hook embossed with Robin and Russ, because I've always worried that I'd lose the only one I have.
Okay - this is my favorite picture of all. I was shooting the picture when they said, let's get a stranger to shoot it so you can be in it. A woman overheard, and became our stranger camera angel. It's me, Becky, Laura, Michelle and Mim, pronounced Meem, long story. I don't know what to say, because our blogger roots are much deeper than this picture. Only Michelle had the presence of mind to wear her own work. Taken from Sharon's blog - more can be seen here.

A Note from your Newsletter Editor: As you can see, I seem to running out of ideas and steam after a considerable tenure in this position. Ask yourselves if this position might be the perfect place for you to contribute to one of the guild's many roles, all staffed by us as volunteers. If you're unfamiliar with blogging, training is available, and since I'm already doing it, you know it's not too complicated. Please mull this over. I will ask again.

CLASSIFIED ADS: Ads run six months unless otherwise requested

Loom for Sale: For Sale like new, Kromski Rigid Heddle Loom 24 inches $200.00 firm. Call Vivian Olds, 575-5516 (7/09)

Loom for Sale: 8 Harness Gilmore 42" Loom. Includes Bench, Removable top tray, shuttles, raddle & clamp and 12 yard warping board. I purchased this loom new, a few years ago from Gilmore. It is beautiful and in excellent condition. Original cost was $2187.00 not including the bench and other accessories. Need to sell, will consider all reasonable offers. You can reach me via Email. 1960bndonohue@msn.com Nancy Donohue (7/09)

Spinning Wheel: Ashford Traditional spinning wheel for sale. Spins perfectly. Single treadle, single drive, scotch tension. $250. Contact Allison Judge, fiberist@sbcglobal.net

Wheel and Loom for Sale: Single treadle Ashford Traditional with Jumbo flyer, $250. Eight-harness Gilmore floor loom with extras, like premeasured warps and plenty of shuttles, $450. Contact Gina Caudillo ginamonster@yahoo.com

Loom for Sale: Herald, 60" Jack floor loom, in excellent condition, with all supplies and at least 200 pounds of yarns, mostly rayon chenille and cotton. Back problems force me to part with this loom. Centrally located in Reno. Pictures available. Price is $600.00 for everything. Call Barbara at 775 825-7101 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 775 825-7101 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email me at lassenpines@shasta.com.

Spinning Wheel: Double-treadle Kronski Minstrel, asking $300. Contact Marilyn Clarke, peterjclarke@yahoo.com, 786-1709.