December 2011 Minutes

Pray for Snow

December meeting minutes 2011

The meeting opened with introductions as we had a visitor, Ashley. Thank you for joining us Ashley!

Doris followed with the treasurer’s report. She had received two dues, and money from the raffle. Money was spent on flowers for Nancy Grundy, and the Heifer Project. She also got the un cashed check back that was intended for the space rental at the Living History event. The guild balance is currently $2603.85. There will be expenses due shortly for the guild liability insurance premium, and the deposit for the retreat at Davis Creek Park.

There was no weaving study report at this time.

Library report: Heidi is putting together some “learn to” kits using books from our library along with some of the guild equipment. This gives members the opportunity to try something new using tools WITH the instructions on how to use them!

Old business: Meeting places are scheduled as follows: January, March, and November meetings will be held at Sky Peaks Community Center. February, April, October, and December meetings will be held at Bartley Ranch. May is at Doris’ home, June, at Marilynn’s house. July will be at Mim’s house. August will be held at the arboretum at Rancho San Rafael Park. September will be the retreat at Davis Creek Park. Please check the website for directions for each meeting.

We will be attending the Living History Celebration at Miguel Ribera Park on May 19^th 2012 as guests of the Celtic group. Period costume is encouraged, but not necessary.

New Business: There is a loom for sale, an Oregon Trails 45 inch 8 harness with supplies.

Show and Tell: Libby - entrelac and trellis scarves. Susan - work from her Hazel Rose Loom, also discussion regarding a Mirrex Loom. Sheila - cowl. Janet - sock monkey. Toni - alpaca scarf. Carolyn - cross stitch bunny with hand spun yarn. Heidi - tote bag by Too Cute (made in Fallon Nevada) hand spun socks for her husband, baby hat and socks. Linda - Knitted bag pipe, knitted Christmas Tree. Sue - introduced her father, Alfred as a guest. Max - knitted string of lights (knitpicks pattern), mitered vest with her very own handmade buttons. Sharie - felted bag. Nancy - blue knit shawl, dyed skeins. Mim - handmade oatmeal soap.

After the meeting, we were treated to a game by Maxene and Sharie. We all ended up with bags of nice little Christmas gifts! It was great fun, and we appreciate both ladies for taking the time to treat us all to a nice surprise. A potluck lunch followed.

Those in attendance were: Toni Strassburg, Carolyn Thompson, Heidi Ericson, Linda Lindsay, Maxene Harlow, Sharie L. Jones, Nancy Prior, Connie Vann, Mimi Bullard, Virva Porcelli, Barbara Hunt, Libby Hejny, Mary B. Susan Palwick, Janet Schueller, Ashley Thibedeau, Doris Woloszyn, Eileen Jacobs, Janet Drozd, David Armer, Sheila Young.

Our next meeting will be on January 14th meeting at the Sky Peaks Rec Hall

Sky Peak Ranch: Sky Peaks in Northwest Reno.  A map is available here: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1520+SKY+VALLEY+DRIVE+RENO+NV+89523+(775)747-9555  You can access it from 4th street a little west of Truckee River Nursery or from a road you can enter on McCarran going south turning to the right like you wanted to reach Home Depot. At that stop sign, turn right, keep going for awhile through a light and go another few blocks and Sky Peaks is on the left. The community room is on the back or NW side.

November 2011 Minutes

November 2011 Meeting Minutes

The meeting was held at Sky Peaks in Reno. There were no introductions, as there were no new people present. The previous month’s minutes were approved without corrections.

Treasurer Report: Doris reported on some small transactions, with a guild balance of $3080.85.

Dues for the upcoming year are now due! Please consider continuing your membership for 2012, and give your check or cash to Doris. Dues for the year is $25.

Weaving study group: There was no meeting last month. If you are interested in working on your loom with some help and guidance, or would like to host a weaving study group, please contact Nancy Prior.

The guild library has added the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook to it’s collection. Thank you Marilynn, for your help in getting this publication into our library. Heidi Ericson is the person to contact if you would like to borrow something from our extensive library of books and videos.

Barbara Hunt brought in some really cool ( or rather warm really!) raffle items! The sweater was a much sought after item. Thank you Barbara, for continuing to provide us with the raffle, and we look forward to your selections each month.

Old Business: Meeting places for the 2012 year were discussed. With the exception of the months of May, June, July, August and September, the meetings will be held primarily at Bartley Ranch, or Sky Peaks. There was discussion regarding holding a meeting in the Carson City area. Please see the website for scheduled meeting locations. Discussion regarding the warping wheel and storage.

Discussion regarding the use and storage of the fair boxes. Much of what is contained can be used at the Celtic Fair. There was discussion regarding dispersal of those items that may no longer be needed by the guild.

New Business: Virva presented a need for sweaters for penguins. Sounds odd, but knitted wool sweaters are needed for penguins caught in oil spills.  If you are interested in knitting for a cause, please go to the website - skeinz.com.nz/newsletters  for instructions on how to participate.

There is an opportunity to participate in the Living History Fair to be held May 19^th, at Miguel Ribera Park. The event goes from 10 am to 4 pm, and set up is at 8:30 am. Costume may or may not be necessary. The cost is $15 per space. There is a planning meeting on November 17^th, that Mary will attend on the guild’s behalf. It was decided by members present, to send a card and flowers to Nancy Grundy. Nancy has been undergoing some health concerns, and we want to let her know we are thinking of her and wish her well. Marilynn Clarke will take care of ordering the flowers, and the card.

There was discussion regarding the Heifer Project. Those present voted to donate $500 on behalf of our guild for placement of fiber animals, with any leftover dollars put to use wherever  needed.

There is another alpaca spin off coming up. If you would like to participate, please contact Mimi Bullard for information. The learning tree for this month will be a question and answer period after the meeting.

Show and Tell: Virva; alpaca show info. She attended the Alpaca West Extravaganza in Grass Valley California. Said it was much fun, informative, and the camping and fairgrounds were really very nice. Max modeled her spiral jacket knit from a pattern in Vogue Knitting magazine with handspun yarn, a necklace made from vintage costume jewelry, a sweater for a client, presentation of the chevron skirt pattern she and Heidi have been working on, and a pair of flaming boots . Mim brought in dyed items. Mary: a pattern for a top down raglan sweater that is easily adjustable to individual size and type of yarn used. Nancy: a modular knitted shawl, hats and scarves, and a capelet, also skeins dyed with Lanaset dye. Amy brought in several skeins dyed with iron, coreopsis, Russian sage, leopard plant, red cabbage, tea, and dried fennel. Linda shared a really neat story and picture regarding her niece and her spinning lesson. Seems the young lady has really taken to the craft, and has produced beautiful yarn in a matter of just a few days! She also brought socks knit from a sock blank, and a card from the folks at the Celtic Fair. Sherrie brought core spun yarn, and yarn with beads. Toni: blended batts from BFL fiber she bought from Mim. Barbara shared her knit socks made with handspun kool aid dyed panda fiber bought from Mim. Gary and Belinda shared their recent experience at the Taos Wool Festival in New Mexico. Gary took some instruction on Navaho weaving, and brought in some beautiful sample weaving he has been working on. Janet modeled her vest knit from yarn that was given to her by her mother in law. She over dyed the yarn with kool aid for a very pleasing peach color.

Those in attendance at the meeting were: Janet Drozd, Eileen Jacobs, David Armer, Nancy Prior, Toni Strassburg, Amy Shannon, Linda and Mark Lindsay, Marilynn Clarke, Doris Woloszyn, Mim Bullard, Mary B, Maxene Harlow, Sharrie L. Jones, Barbara Hunt, Libby Hejny, Malinda and Gary Parks

Our Christmas Party is being held at the school house at Bartley Ranch
The Christmas party is a pot luck. Also if you'd like bring a wrapped Christmas Ornament for the ornament exchange and a White Elephant item for the Silent Action.

October 2011 Minuets

October 2011 Meeting Minutes

Meeting started at 11 AM, with introductions. There were two ladies present as guests, Rachel Roden, who found out about our guild at the Celtic Fair, and Susan Pelwick. We are very glad you two found us, and we welcome you to our guild.
The September meeting minutes were approved with only a minor correction regarding the Gold Country Gathering Alpaca Show being held in October in Grass Valley, Ca. A big THANK YOU! goes out to Jo Van Winkle who took care of the minutes for September in my absence.
Treasurer Report: As of 10 -7- 11, we have $209 from the retreat, $100 refund from Davis Creek Park, $20 from a new member, for a total of $2927.44. There are currently 45 paid guild members.
Weaving Study Group: Nancy Prior heads up our weaving study group. Interested members meet at a designated home, and are invited to bring their own looms of any kind for individual help. If you are interested in hosting a weaving study group, please contact Nancy Prior to set this up. There is no weaving study meeting currently scheduled at this time.
Raffle: Marilyn Clark brought in a beautiful Mum she purchased at Dry Creek Garden Company in Reno. The mum was put up for silent auction after the meeting. Thank you Marilyn! If you are interested in donating anything for the raffle, please contact Barbara Hunt, as she is currently our (very successful) raffle  coordinator.  There was also discussion about the great deal on the mums at Dry Creek Garden Center!
Old Business: Discussion regarding the Celtic Fair. Our guild was awarded a $200 honorarium from the Celtic Celebration, and there is a standing invitation for our guild to participate next year! From the sound of the discussion, many of our members had a great time participating. There seems to be more to the story regarding the ‘Pirates’, and the fact that we need more of the drop spindle kits was discussed. The spindle kits that were available were quite popular, and sold out.  Mark Lindsay spoke regarding signage and a request for more vendors for next year’s event. If you have suggestions or questions regarding next year’s Celtic Celebration, please contact Mark or Linda Lindsay. 
Sharie Jones had checked in to the availability of the Valhalla Historical Site at Lake Tahoe. The cost, $500 per day, with a $500 deposit was discussed. It was determined that the cost of using the site might be too expensive for our guild to manage alone. Discussion  followed regarding some sort of multi guild event, something along the lines of the jamboree the guild used to host in Carson City.
Doris Woloszyn brought up the fact that it is almost time to reserve the group camp area at Davis Creek Park for next years retreat. This was approved by those present.
There was discussion regarding the equipment list. It was made up by Doris, and soon will be added to the website. It was agreed that an additional list of supplies for each item of equipment will be provided too. It was agreed that the warping board would be added to the equipment that goes with the looms. The warping board was purchased by Heidi Ericson and donated to the guild. Thank you very much Heidi! If you are a member of the guild, and would be interested in borrowing a piece of equipment from the guild, such as a spinning wheel or loom, you may do so for free as long as you are a paid member.
Discussion of officers for 2012. It was decided that many of the current members will agree to continue with their positions if agreeable to the membership however if you are interested in acting as guild president for 2012, please let Virva know. Elections are coming up!
Don’t forget the guild library is available to members. If you are interested in something from the library, please let Heidi Ericson know. She will assist you with this. Marilyn has suggested adding the Fleece and Fiber Source book to our library. She has a copy, and all in attendance agreed it would be a great book to add to our library. The cost will put our library budget of $100 over by $5 but it was decided the overage was within reason. Marilyn Clarke will contact Sundance Book Store for our guild library copy of the book. Thank you Marilyn!
Meeting places for 2012 was discussed. Dates for both Bartley Ranch and Sky Peaks are tentative. There are a few months where we will be meeting at member’s homes. According to Brian, the park ranger, if we have booked Bartley Ranch and they end up renting the building, we will be given 2 weeks notice in order to find another place to meet. It was decided that the Christmas or December meeting will be held at Bartley Ranch. This will be a pot luck meeting.
New Business: The Gold Country Gathering Alpaca Show is being held in Grass Valley, California on October 22nd and 23rd.  If you would be interested in going and would like to carpool, please let Virva know as she would be going.  The Red Rock Community Center is holding a fundraiser on October 22nd, and is looking for vendors. If you are interested in participating, please contact Mim Bullard. Red Rock is north of Reno approximately 30 miles. Spin Off magazine is offering a spinning weekend in Southern California November 3rd through the 5th. Info can be found on their website. SOAR, or the annual  Spin Off Annual Retreat will be held once again at Granlibakken Resort at Lake Tahoe in 2012!
There was discussion regarding the boxes of stuff used during state fair. Virva is currently providing a home for them in her garage, but would like to find those boxes a new home. Suggestions were made to inventory the contents, eliminate what is no longer needed.
The learning tree for this meeting was two ended knitting, demonstrated by Mim. Thank you Mim!
Show and Tell: Doris: Books and programs from her recent trip to Colorado and the Border Collie Sheepdog Trials. Ribbons won for sheep fleeces from Monterey Wool. Black Sheep, and Mendocino Wool Shows. Good job! Congratulations! Toni: hiking story. (as promised, the mailing address for El Dorado County Search and Rescue is PO Box 721 Placerville, Ca. 95667). Sue G: Beautiful tatting accomplished while attending the Celtic Fair. Susan: Christmas Story resulting in a creative gift by her husband of the penlight and  Bobby’s whistle…yes, I was paying attention : ) Linda: Sock blank socks made from the Wilton dye happy face dyed blank. Mim: Two ended knitted hat. Virva: Dyed roving from the retreat in September. Max: Drop stitch scarf and hat from a blank dyed at the September retreat, circular jacket beginning, Knit Swirl book (Happy Birthday Max!). Sharie: Entrelac book (Happy Birthday Sharie!), Panda sock yarn dyed at September retreat. Mary: Roving for a knitted earflap hat, beautiful roving of different colors, knit sweater beginning. Heidi: Kool Aid dyed sock blanks. Nancy: Lanaset dyed green and yellow roving.
Attendance: Toni Strassburg, Janet Drozd, Eileen Jacobs, Rachel Roden, Doris Woloszyn, Nancy Pryor, Heidi Ericson, Marilyn Clarke, Judy Wells, Mary B, Sharie Jones, Maxene Harlow, Virva Porcelli, Mimi Bullard, Mark and Linda Lindsay, Connie Vann, Sheila Young, Susan Pelwick, Sue Gottsacker, Carolyn Thompson
Here are the directions to our next meeting at Sky Peaks:

Sky Peak Ranch: Sky Peaks in Northwest Reno.  A map is available here: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1520+SKY+VALLEY+DRIVE+RENO+NV+89523+(775)747-9555  You can access it from 4th street a little west of Truckee River Nursery or from a road you can enter on McCarran going south turning to the right like you wanted to reach Home Depot. At that stop sign, turn right, keep going for awhile through a light and go another few blocks and Sky Peaks is on the left. The community room is on the back or NW side.

September 2011 Minutes

CSSW  Minutes  9/10/2011
Treasurer’s Report:
Doris reported that 2 people had paid dues and we have 1 new member,  bringing our total to 44. No money was spent this last month, our balance is $2573.44.
Weaving Study Group: Nancy needs someone to host the group on the 3rd or 4th Saturday of the month.
Old Business:
Celtic Fair, Oct. 1-2-Linda reported that since the Celtic Fair and the Guild were both non-profit, we could sell small ticket items at the Fair and hand out business cards. Large ticket items though, should be sold outside of the Fair.
They requested a biography of the Guild, so Linda will give them the one from our blogspot.
Period costumes are encouraged but not required. We will be in the same area as last year and Mark said the Heritage Society is there all night so we could leave our equipment, etc. overnight with no security issues.

The October meeting will be held at Bartley Ranch.
The November meeting will be held at Sky Peak.
It is undecided whether the December meeting will be held at Nancy Grundy’s house or Bartley Ranch.

New Business:
It was agreed that White Elephant/free items that are not claimed at the meetings will be donated to the Assistance League as suggested by Janet Drozd.
Members were encouraged to attend the Nevada County Fair in Grass Valley, CA, held October 22-23. Some of our members are doing the judging and placing of the Alpaca samples for this event.
Re-election of the officers was discussed and the following members volunteered to continue in their positions.
Virva Porcelli-President
Connie Vann-Vice-President
Doris Wolosyn-Treasurer
Barbara Hunt-Raffles
Heidi Ericson-Library
Mimi Bullard-Website, Learning Tree
Nancy Pryor and Marilynn Clark will continue to house most of the Guild’s equipment.  Doris Wolosyn and Heidi Ericson will continue storing the Library and other items. Doris has a partial equipment list that will be put on the website and added to as needed. It was decided that a “contents” label would be put on equipment, such as looms, listing all pieces.
Nancy Pryor requested we purchase 200 more texsolv heddles to complete the Guild looms. The approximate $40 purchase was approved.
Sharie Jones reported that she stopped in at Valhalla by Camp Richardson in Tahoe and talked to the owner about our Guild. The owner was very enthusiastic about our holding an event there. Rental of the building is free to non-profit organizations or $500 for others. It could be rented for 3-5 days. Sharie and Doris will discuss all the details to be brought up with the owner. Sharie will get back to us with that information. The group discussed having a Guild Jamboree weekend there in late August or September. We were all very excited about this idea! Valhalla is a large building and has an Art room. The setting is gorgeous with beautiful views of the Lake and Valhalla does the advertising for events. The Guild will form a committee to invite other guilds, fiber groups and vendors to participate, as well as, handle all the other preparations needed.
Black Sheep Gathering, June 22-24: Doris reported that the Olympic Field Trials will again be going on during the time of the Gathering. This causes a room shortage in Lane County and Eugene, Oregon.  Please contact Travel Lane County at http://www.travellanecounty.org. 1-800-547-5445 for motel reservations.  Camping space is available. This area does not have water or electricity available and no campfires are allowed, so cooking must be done on stoves. There are showers available in the County buildings.
The Foothill Fiber Guild is holding their Spindle Retreat May 30-June 3. More details on this event later.

Show and Tell:
Mimi showed a beautiful hat she knitted from her Shetland sheep, Marin, and talked about the “two end knitting” she used.
Libby Hejny showed the beautiful Irish Linen bag her friend brought her from Ireland. It has lavender embroidered on it and is filled with Mimi’s lavender.
Mary B. shared a book , Sock Knitting: Teach Yourself Visually
Sharie shared a story about the top she is making, she hackled merino and alpaca fibers with a cake fork while on vacation in Ohio. Not only beautiful but very inventive as well!
Nancy showed her famous  “fish stringer” with helix scarves and Weave-It loom items displayed on it. She shared that she came by weaving honestly, as she showed us the exquisite covering that her Great-Great-Grandmother made. She spun the wool and then wove it on a 6 heddle loom that her Great-Great-Grandfather probably built. They came here in 1849 from Kentucky.
Sue Gottsacker showed her beautiful tatted doily and shared  tatting books.
Virva opened a discussion of next year’s meeting places. She asked if we wanted another “DVD Day” at the library also. Final meeting places and information will be posted later.
In attendance were: Virva Porcelli, Libby Hejny, Barbara Hunt, Mary B., Sharie Jones, Jo Van Winkle, Mimi Bullard, Linda and Mark Lindsay, Connie Vann, Marilynn Clarke, Doris Wolosyn, Janet Drozd, Eileen Jacobs, Heidi Ericson, Carol Lee Lopez, Nancy Pryor and Sue Gottsacker.
The Silent Auction was concluded at 2:00 and many of us went home with wonderful treasures! Thank you!

August 2011 Minutes

August 2011 Meeting Minutes
The meeting started a bit late with introductions. There were a few new faces present. Thank you to all of those who decided to visit, and we hope to see you again.
July minutes were approved.
Treasurer Report: Doris took in money for dues for two members. Nothing was spent since last month leaving the guild with $2456.44. We have 42 paid members. There are six spindle kits ready for sale. One was recently sold. Thank you goes out to Nancy Prior for putting the spindle kits together. Heidi Ericson has promised a donation of some medium wool roving for use in the kits. Motion was made and approved to give Doris ok for future purchase of materials needed for the spindle kits.
Weaving Study Group: Members met in July at Doris’ home. No weaving study group planned until September. If you would like to host a study group meeting, please contact Nancy Prior.
State Fair: Seems that many counties are canceling their county fairs due to lack of funding. Nevada’s University Co-operative Extension personnel are being scaled back or in some cases eliminated, so this will have bearing on future 4-H, or ag related programs. There was talk of California county fairs, with a consensus agreeing that Nevada county California fair was the best so far in attendance.
Raffle: Barbara Hunt is presiding over the raffle and raffle items. She says she has lots of things currently ready for the raffle, and will let the guild members know if she needs more donations of items. Please keep in mind, if you have anything you think others in the guild might like - gift certificates you won’t use, skeins of sock yarn you bought and don’t like, roving or fiber you decided you don’t want to spin, anything really, let Barbara know so she can plan on adding it to the raffle stash. The raffle money goes directly into the guild account.
Old Business: Denise Quirk from the local Soroptimist International Reno was at the meeting to update the guild regarding the upcoming Cowboy Poetry Reading August 20, at Bartley Ranch Park. She said due to the lack of vendor participation, the Saturday marketplace has been canceled. This means the guild will no longer plan on setting up demos as a group. The poetry reading will still go on as planned, along with a company picnic, and guild members are invited to attend and to sit and spin. There are shade trees, but a larger group might warrant using a pop up shelter for shade.  Denise brought some really nice cupcakes as a consolation offering, and said she would let the guild know if there are plans for the same type of opportunity next year. Retreat at Davis Creek Park is coming up in September. Please remember there is only 1 ranger available for the park, so things like toilet paper, soap, etc. might be in short supply. If you can bring such items along it might be a good idea. We plan on leaving our area cleaner than we found it. Also, if you want to be proactive and see trash elsewhere in the park, please pick it up. The ranger can use all the help he can get. Camping is encouraged, and is a lot of fun!  Entrance to the park has changed due to road construction. Enter the park on Parker Ranch Road - located in front of the Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory. Directions will be posted on the guild blog. The meeting Saturday September 10 will include a potluck, silent auction, and white elephant sale. Please bring ice! If you want to bring firewood, that would be nice too. Fire pit use will depend upon park guidelines.  Auction items include things donated by Pat Ecdall, and will be advertised prior to the auction. Please bring your alpaca challenge items and last year’s dye day items to share with the guild. Learning tree will be dye day hosted by Mimi Bullard. She will provide dye. If you want to participate, plan on bringing black plastic bags, baggies, vinegar, kool-aid, syringes, yarn or fiber, plastic wrap, jars, buckets.
Celtic Fair is October 1 & 2nd. There was discussion regarding vendor opportunities at the Celtic Fair. More info will be available later.
New Business: September 4th will be the Sample of the Sierra event. It is held at south Lake Tahoe, on Ski Run Blvd. There will be vendors and demos, some of which will involve members of our guild. Reno Fiber Guild is offering a workshop. Extreme Warp Makeover will take place October 7 - 9. Cost is $260, and you must bring your own loom. Location is Wolfrun Golf Club in Reno.
Goats were being offered for sale on the yahoo list.
There is an opportunity to work with children in a fiber animal related manner. If you would like to teach the kids about fiber prep, spinning, knitting or crochet, please contact Linda Blackwell at horsesforthespirit@gmail.com
Show and Tell
Mim- dyed skeins, scarf, and e reader bag done with expert assistance from Carrie and Jo, also hat from Sharron’s pattern. Jo- donated yarn backpacks knit and fulled. Marilynn- dye class scarves dyed with rusty bits, skeins dyed with iris flowers and alum mordant. Nancy- display skeins on fish stringers and pvc piping. Sharie- carded roving made on the drum carder she bought from Nancy, Woolie Winder, Turkish

Our September meeting will be at Davis Creek Park on September 10th. There is some road construction at the Bowers Mansion turn off.
So for those of us who come from Reno take the Parker Ranch  Road turn off just before you get to the Chocolate Factory

• Make a right and go under the new freeway - then left on the frontage road - it ends at the road going into Davis Creek - then right on that road and you're there
• Linda says "no promises - but I'll TRY to mark the 395 turn off"
• For folks coming from Carson there's no change - all the construction is on the north end of Washoe Valley
  (original directions for those coming from south of Bowers Mansion)

Driving Directions:  Take 395 south from Reno or north from Carson City to the turnoff to Bowers Mansion. Turn west (the only way you can turn) and shortly (quarter mile maybe) down the road you will get to Davis Creek Park. It will be on the right. After you pass the bathrooms, proceed through the dip and the road to the group area is on the right.  We will also have a sign up.  The retreat will be in the "RV Group Camping" area at the north end of the park

July 2011 Minutes

The July meeting started with introductions and the approval of the June minutes.

Treasurers Report: This last month we collected $50.00 in dues, $32.00 from the last raffle, and sold one spindle kit for $5.00
Heidi our librarian bought 4 new books for the guild for $76.06 The total in our account is $2406.44 and we have 40 members at this date.

Library Report: Heidi added 4 new books and with gifts we have several books on dyeing One of which is "Harvesting Color".
Weaving Study: group met on July 16th at Doris's home
There was no raffle this meeting. Reminder: if anyone has fiber related odds and ends please bring them to the next meeting to add to our raffle items.

Old Business: Anyone wanting to participate at the "Cowboy Poetry" on August 20th please let Virva know when you can be there and  if you would like to help with different demo's during the day. Set up will begin at 8 am and it will be open to the public from 10:00 to 5:00. Marilyn and Jo have offered to bring their E-Z ups.  We can always use more shade so please if anyone else has more contact Virva.
Nancy and Doris will have more Spindle kits to sell, plus Nancy will have a table loom warped for weaving demos. Mim and Jo will demo felting in the AM.
Retreat: There will be a Silent Action in September at the retreat. Bring all items that will be auctioned to the August meeting so we will be able to decide on their opening bids and tag each item.. So far some of the items we will be auctioning off are an antique spinning wheel starting at $40.00, several boat shuttles starting at $5.00 each. two bobbin winders starting at $40.00.
Reminder for all pot luck lunches please remember to bring your own dishes and knives and forks.
New Business: Doris has all the paper work done to hold our space at Davis Creek Campground for this years Spinsters Retreat. She also turned in our Insurance for this year.
Noon September 9th - noon the11th are the days the guild has reserved for anyone who would like to camp. If you would like to come earlier or stay later you will need to contact the Washoe County Parks Department to make your own reservations.
Show and Tell: Linda had a sample of her Krokbragd weaving, Mim had yarn and felt from her Shetland fleece, Virva had some yarn spun from Shetland/cormo wool, Doris had some ribbons won by her fleeces she entered in a fleece show, Eileen had a bat of wool Shetland/Alpaca that she brought back from BSG, and Heidi showed off her goodies she brought back from this years BSG.
Attendance: Eileen Jacobs, Jo Van Winkle, Noelle Van Winkle, Doris Woloszyn, Nancy Pryor, Janet Schueller, Judi Hein, Heidi Ericson, Linda and Mark Lindsay, Virva Procelli.

Our August Meeting on Saturday the 13th will be held at Sky Peaks Rec Room. This is a brown bag lunch.

Sky Peak Ranch: Sky Peaks in Northwest Reno.  A map is available here: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1520+SKY+VALLEY+DRIVE+RENO+NV+89523+(775)747-9555  You can access it from 4th street a little west of Truckee River Nursery or from a road you can enter on McCarran going south turning to the right like you wanted to reach Home Depot. At that stop sign, turn right, keep going for awhile through a light and go another few blocks and Sky Peaks is on the left. The community room is on the back or NW side.

Minutes June 2011

June Meeting Minutes 2011

The June meeting was held at Sky Peaks. Meeting opened with introductions and approval of April 2011 minutes. We would like to thank Melissa Tounsend for joining us today. Treasure Report: We have two more paid members, 0 dollars spent last month, leaving the guild with a total of $2395.50. The guild currently has 39 paid members. The invoice for the new books was received, and the new member list has been updated.
Library: Heidi will update the book list to reflect the new additions to the guild library.
Weaving Study Group: If you are interested in hosting a meeting, it would work best for Nancy if the meeting was held on the third or forth Saturday of any month. Please contact Nancy Pryor if you are interested in hosting a meeting.
Nevada State Fair: Update on livestock portion of the fair - looks like it will be held in Winnemucca. The check from our guild to the Nevada State Fair fund is still pending at this time.
Raffle: If you have something you think others in the guild might like, please consider donating it to our raffle.  All proceeds go towards guild.
Old Business: Cowboy Poetry reminder - August 20th at Bartley Ranch. We will have two 10 x 10 spaces. Set up will begin at 8 am. Demos and spinning will be held from 10 am to 5 pm. Demo assignments were discussed. Please bring your dyed fiber from last year’s retreat, along with your alpaca fiber challenge project for display. Also, please remember to bring a chair with you!
Minimum bids were discussed regarding the donated equipment to be presented for silent auction at our annual fall retreat at Davis Creek Park. A motion was made to save out 3 shuttles for use with our guild looms. Motion approved. The rest of the equipment will be auctioned.
Reminder re: Celtic Fair, October 1st and 2nd at Bartley Ranch Park. Guild received a thank you from the UNR cooperative extension regarding the guild participation in Farm City Days this past April. Thank you to Connie Vann, for heading up last month’s meeting. A note from Doris regarding the pregnant ewe that was due in March - she had two spotted lambs! Congratulations Doris! (and mommy sheep!)
New Business: It was decided that there will no longer be pot luck lunches during guild meetings. Every meeting will be brown bag with the exception of our Christmas and fall retreat meetings. If you are hosting a meeting at your residence, and would like to have a potluck, that would be acceptable. Please assist Virva with the coffee set up and clean up so we can continue with coffee at meetings.
The guild blog will be changed to reflect the new officers. Please re submit your classified ads if any. All current classified ads will be removed. You must be a member to post an ad for a sale item.
Mim might need one more person to assist with the judges choice fiber for the upcoming alpaca show. Please contact Mim for further details.
A discussion was held regarding the Black Sheep Gathering to be held in Eugene Oregon this June. Members who attend should plan on sharing their experience with the members who were unable to attend please. Discussion was held regarding Sock Summit 2 to be held in Portland Oregon in July. Again, if you attend, please share your experience with the guild. Discussion regarding retreat activities. Retreat is held at Davis Creek Park.
Sadly, it was brought to our attention, that Delux Yarns is closing. The store is located on Wells Ave. in Reno. 50% off inventory. Today’s meeting learning tree is all about entrelac knitting with Barbara Hunt. Next meeting’s learning tree will be about lavender wand construction with Mim Bullard. The meeting will be held at Mim’s ranch in Red Rock.
Show And Tell: Carol Lopez shared info regarding the spindle retreat. She said it was a fantastic time, and nobody went hungry! Our sympathy goes out to Virva Porcelli and family. Her mother in law passed away just after celebrating her 97th birthday. Sharie Jones showed us her ingenious storage spools made from pipe insulation and fiber board - very creative! Nancy Pryor had a friends Clemes drum carder and a vintage sheep pattern for sale. Virva Porcelli described the annual sheep shearing event held at Mim’s ranch, and shared her alpaca blend helix scarf. Barbara Hunt shared her entrelac socks and a blanket being made out of left over sock yarn. Meeting was adjourned at 12:25, with learning tree to follow after lunch. Thank you Barbara for the entrelac instructions. It was fun to watch how different members absorbed the knitting knowledge! ( p.s. I got it Barbara! This secretary is knitting up her own entrelac scarf! )
Those in attendance were: Janet Drozd, Libby Hejny, Barbara Hunt, Sharie L. Jones, Doris Woloszyn, Janet Schuller, Carol Lopez, Amy Shannon, Melissa Tounsend, Connie Vann, Sue Gottsacker, Nancy Pryor, Mimi Bullard, Toni Strassburg

Our next meeting will be at my house, Mim Bullard, and for the Learning Tree we will be making lavender wands. This will depend on the lavender and if it's ready to harvest.

Directions:
Mim Bullard is in Rancho Haven: From Reno, drive north on Hwy 395 to the first Red Rock exit, after the Stead Blvd exit. Drive 20 miles to the Sierra Ranchos Valley, and take the first left (after Jeanette Miller’s alpaca ranch ) onto Arabian. It’s a dirt road but has a county sign. Drive up into the valley and turn left on Rancho, then continue several hundred yards and turn right on Thoroughbred. Mim is about two miles up and on the right – 455 Thoroughbred Circle. If you are coming in from California, the north Red Rock exit is 13 miles past the exit for Hwy 70 at Hallelujah Junction and only turns right. Continue four miles from the State line, past the volunteer fire house and turn right on Rancho, at mailbox central. There is a cell signal at the mail boxes. Mim’s number is 775-969-3249. You must use 775. Drive about two miles and turn right on Rancho, then continue several hundred yards and turn right on Thoroughbred. Mim is about two miles up and on the right – 455 Thoroughbred Circle.

May 2011 Minutes

May Meeting Minutes 2011

May’s meeting was held at Doris Woloszyn’s home in the foothills of Sierra Valley California. Thank you, Doris, for the hospitality. The studio provided a cozy atmosphere for our meeting. Connie Vann, our VP, headed up our meeting as Virva was not able to attend. Connie did a great job! The meeting was short, and that gave us time to visit with the ewes and their lambs.
Introductions were made, and the minutes from April were approved.
Treasurer Report: We now have 37 paid members, earned $19 from the last raffle drawing leaving the guild with a balance of $2345.50 on account.
Old Business: The donated loom was repaired. It and the shuttles, bobbin winders, etc. will be put up for silent auction at our retreat in September.
There was discussion regarding the cowboy poetry event to be held in August. Those demonstrating for the event were confirmed.
The date for the upcoming Celtic Fair was confirmed. It is October 1st and 2nd at Bartley Ranch in Reno.
New Business: June learning tree will be a demonstration on Entrelac knitting with Barbara Hunt. Thank you Barbara! A catalog was passed around regarding a weaving and basket works event to be held in Idlewild California July 4th through the 8th , 11th through the 15th 2011. Cost is $655 for the workshop.
Once again spinners are needed for the judges choice portion of an upcoming alpaca show being held in October in Grass Valley California. Spinners interested will be provided with samples of alpaca fleece along with information regarding the criteria involved in the judging of the fleece samples. Score cards are also provided. You as the spinner are asked to spin a sample of each fleece and judge it according to the instructions given. Though it can be time consuming, it is a great opportunity to become more familiar with spinning alpaca. Please contact Mim Bullard if you are interested in being a judge. If you want to participate, please plan on devoting a few weeks during August and September to this commitment. As an incentive, the alpaca organization does compensate for each sample judged.
The learning tree portion of our meeting consisted of an impromptu lesson on Navaho plying on a hand spindle by Sharie Jones. She learned an ingenious method of spinning a single then following it with the plying immediately after. This resulted in a sort of instant gratification as once you were finished with spinning your fiber, it could be removed from the spindle already plied! What was really impressive, was the fact that Sharie has only been spinning for a relatively short time, and here she is showing what she has learned. Mim also gave a demonstration of Navaho plying on a wheel. She made it look so smooth and effortless. Thanks to both ladies for sharing their knowledge.
Show And Tell: Sharie - Kool Aid dyed Entrelac hat, ‘helix’ scarf died with food color and cabbage. Mim - Shetland fleece samples, short story regarding photos taken for Edible Reno Tahoe, a local magazine about restaurants and sustainable food sources in our area, done while she was having her annual sheep shearing at her ranch.
Meeting was adjourned at 11:45 pm.
Attendance: Toni Strassburg, Marilynn Clarke, Connie Vann, Janet Schueller, Vicki Johnson, Janet Drozd, Nancy Grundy, Carol Lopez, Eileen Jacobs, Doris Woloszyn, Peggy Horan, Mark Lindsay, Nicole Kelly, Jo Van Winkle, Mim Bullard, Sharie Jones, Linda Lindsay.

Our next meeting is June 11th at Sky Peak Ranch

Sky Peak Ranch: Sky Peaks in Northwest Reno.  A map is available here: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1520+SKY+VALLEY+DRIVE+RENO+NV+89523+(775)747-9555  You can access it from 4th street a little west of Truckee River Nursery or from a road you can enter on McCarran going south turning to the right like you wanted to reach Home Depot. At that stop sign, turn right, keep going for awhile through a light and go another few blocks and Sky Peaks is on the left. The community room is on the back or NW side.

April 2011 Minutes

April 2011 Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 11:00 am at Bartley Ranch. Introductions followed.
Minutes from the last meeting are up. Please check for any errors.
Treasurer Report: Five dues were paid for a total of $125, last month’s raffle netted $37, we paid out $300 as a donation to Nevada State Fair, paid $20 to Pat Ecdall for repair to donated loom, leaving the guild with $2301.50 in account. There are currently 36 paid members.
Also, we are in need of supplies for the spindle kits. Doris is going to work on getting our supplies when members of the local woodworking club order theirs, so that  we may get a discount due to ordering in bulk.
Library: Heidi brought books from our guild library. They were made available for checkout prior to the end of the meeting. She also shared four books that she felt we as a guild needed in our library. She stated that with exception to a couple of new purchases, most of our books are fairly old, and felt we would benefit by adding some books on new techniques and ideas. It was decided that the guild would spend $100 yearly on new books for our library. It was voted and approved.
Old business: There is some donated supplies, tapestry loom, and bobbin winders that will be put up for silent auction at our annual fall retreat.  Research is being made in order to decide what the starting bids should be on each item. Donated items are being stored at Doris’ home.
We will be attending the Cowboy Poetry event at Bartley Ranch in August. The marketplace will be open from about 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday August 20th. Please let Virva know if you can donate some time that day to participate in demos, or just to sit and spin. Upcoming events also include: Farm City Days April 14, 15th Fuji Park in Carson City; Spindle retreat in Dobbins Ca. May 19 - 22; Celtic Fair September 24, 25 at Bartley Ranch Park.
There was a brochure passed around regarding a location in Soda Springs California, that might be used as a location for a retreat or other guild function.
Raffle: Barbara needs more items for the raffle. If you have anything you think would make a nice raffle prize, please let Barbara know. All proceeds from the raffle go to the guild.
New Business: It was decided that in lieu of a hospitality person, those interested may take a place setting from the box, and bring it to each meeting that involves a pot luck lunch. Black Sheep Gathering is coming up June 23 - 26th. Is anyone going to go? May meeting will be held at Doris’ home. It will be brown bag. Plan on bringing a chair, hat, and sunscreen. See the blog for directions. Learning tree - please check with Mim and take a look at the list to see if there is anything you want to see addressed.  Discussion followed regarding what some of the members would like to see for learning tree. Nevada Museum of Art is holding a beginning tapestry weaving workshop. The fee is $75 for materials, or $10 if you provide your own loom. Workshop dates are May 14 -15th and May 24 - 25th. Please check their website for more information.

Show And Tell: Sharon - dual purpose scarf, Doris - 2 week old lamb, Sherrie - felted slippers, Heidi - puppies, birthday book regarding variegated yarn, Janet - mittens with Buddy on them, Sue - lace tatted butterflies, bulletin regarding tatted butterfly info, Jo - wolf fur bracelet, Connie - Black sweater from alpaca challenge fiber mixed with sheep wool from Doris and Wayne, also blanket with multicolored hand painted yarn, Mim - fiber, Barbara - shawl.
Attendance: Toni Strassburg, Janet Drozd, Eileen Jacobs, Jo Van Winkle, Gail Hock, Lois Leeming, Carrie Austin, Connie Vann, Nancy Grundy, (who we hope is recovering from her surgery!) Sue Gottsacker, Mim Bullard, Barbara Greene, Virva Porcelli, Sharon Campbell, Barbara Hunt, Libby Hejny, Doris Woloszyn, Marilynn Clarke, Sharrie Jones, Heidi Ericson

Doris Woloszyn’s in Chilcoot, California.  Hwy. 395 north from Reno, past Bordertown into California.  Exit 395 at Hwy. 70 to Portola/Quincy, turn left on Hwy. 70 going west for about 2 miles.  Turn left on Scott Road after crossing Long Valley Creek, before going up Beckwourth Pass.  Scott Road is dirt, and after 4/10 mile to the railroad crossing you’ll pass 2 homes(stay left on main road, not right up the hill), the railroad tracks and creek will be on your left.

Below is directions for Connie's poncho. I'll work on getting a picture to post with this pattern.

CONNIE'S DISHRAG PONCHO

Using worsted weight yarn and size 4 or 5 needles, cast-on 2 sts.  Knit across.  At beg of e/row, cast-on 1 st and knit across.  Do this until you have 20 sts on the needle.  To make a striped block, tie-on a new color of yarn, and cut-off the old color.  For next row, do NOT make an increase at beginning of row.  Knit across.  For remaining rows, bind-off 1 st at beg of each row until you have 2 sts left of the needle.  Bind-off last 2 sts, and tuck in tails.  Throw finished block into a bag for safekeeping.  To make a solid block, repeat above pattern, omitting the second color tie-on at the halfway point. 

To construct poncho, you will need 4 completed blocks, alternating stripes with solids, start sewing them into a triangular structure.  The first row will contain 1 block, the second row will contain 3 blocks, the third row will contain 5 blocks, etc., etc.  Keep the stripes going in the same direction throughout the piece, if possible.  Make 2 large triangles the same size.  Lay one triangle down on the floor, and lie down on the triangle, centering your body.  Lay arms out flat at a 45 degree angle from the body to see how much "wingspan" your poncho will require.  Mine reaches from the wrist bone to the collar bone on each side.  Next, construct 2 strips of blocks the same size and sew each strip to both the front and back triangles, joining the entire piece together, and leaving a neck opening that is 5 blocks long and 1 block wide at center-top of poncho. 

Knit 4 triangles in the same manner as you would knit one-half a striped block, and sew each triangle into the 4 inner corners of the neck opening, thus creating a more streamlined neckline.  Pick up 4 sts and leave 1 st behind around entire neckline.  If you don't end up with an even number, make one st.  Make a k2, p2 ribbing at neckline that extends for 8" and bind-off.  You may stripe the ribbing with colors from the poncho. 

To finish, tuck in all tails.  Then, slip-stitch an edging around the entire outer edge of poncho using silk ribbon.  Pick out a ribbon that has colors from your poncho.  The edging will give the poncho more stability and a more finished look.

Tip:  Use kid mohair for stitching blocks together. 
Tip:  Either do a color scheme, or your own free-form design.  Number each block the way you want it to appear when you lay it out.
       Decide how you want your rows to look before you sew the blocks together. 

Connie Vann

May 14, 2011 Meeting

April 2011 Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 11:00 am at Bartley Ranch. Introductions followed.

Minutes from the last meeting are up. Please check for any errors.

Treasurer Report: Five dues were paid for a total of $125, last month’s raffle netted $37, we paid out $300 as a donation to Nevada State Fair, paid $20 to Pat Ecdall for repair to donated loom, leaving the guild with $2301.50 in account. There are currently 36 paid members.

Also, we are in need of supplies for the spindle kits. Doris is going to work on getting our supplies when members of the local woodworking club order theirs, so that  we may get a discount due to ordering in bulk.

Library: Heidi brought books from our guild library. They were made available for checkout prior to the end of the meeting. She also shared four books that she felt we as a guild needed in our library. She stated that with exception to a couple of new purchases, most of our books are fairly old, and felt we would benefit by adding some books on new techniques and ideas. It was decided that the guild would spend $100 yearly on new books for our library. It was voted and approved.

Old business: There is some donated supplies, tapestry loom, and bobbin winders that will be put up for silent auction at our annual fall retreat.  Research is being made in order to decide what the starting bids should be on each item. Donated items are being stored at Doris’ home.

We will be attending the Cowboy Poetry event at Bartley Ranch in August. The marketplace will be open from about 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday August 20^th. Please let Virva know if you can donate some time that day to participate in demos, or just to sit and spin. Upcoming events also include: Farm City Days April 14, 15^th Fuji Park in Carson City; Spindle retreat in Dobbins Ca. May 19 - 22; Celtic Fair September 24, 25 at Bartley Ranch Park.

There was a brochure passed around regarding a location in Soda Springs California, that might be used as a location for a retreat or other guild function.

Raffle: Barbara needs more items for the raffle. If you have anything you think would make a nice raffle prize, please let Barbara know. All proceeds from the raffle go to the guild.

New Business: It was decided that in lieu of a hospitality person, those interested may take a place setting from the box, and bring it to each meeting that involves a pot luck lunch. Black Sheep Gathering is coming up June 23 - 26^th. Is anyone going to go? May meeting will be held at Doris’ home. It will be brown bag. Plan on bringing a chair, hat, and sunscreen. See the blog for directions. Learning tree - please check with Mim and take a look at the list to see if there is anything you want to see addressed.  Discussion followed regarding what some of the members would like to see for learning tree. Nevada Museum of Art is holding a beginning tapestry weaving workshop. The fee is $75 for materials, or $10 if you provide your own loom. Workshop dates are May 14 -15^th and May 24 - 25^th. Please check their website for more information.

Show And Tell: Sharon - dual purpose scarf, Doris - 2 week old lamb, Sherrie - felted slippers, Heidi - puppies, birthday book regarding variegated yarn, Janet - mittens with Buddy on them, Sue - lace tatted butterflies, bulletin regarding tatted butterfly info, Jo - wolf fur bracelet, Connie - Black sweater from alpaca challenge fiber mixed with sheep wool from Doris and Wayne, also blanket with multicolored hand painted yarn, Mim - fiber, Barbara - shawl.

Attendance: Toni Strassburg, Janet Drozd, Eileen Jacobs, Jo Van Winkle, Gail Hock, Lois Leeming, Carrie Austin, Connie Vann, Nancy Grundy, (who we hope is recovering from her surgery!) Sue Gottsacker, Mim Bullard, Barbara Greene, Virva Porcelli, Sharon Campbell, Barbara Hunt, Libby Hejny, Doris Woloszyn, Marilynn Clarke, Sharrie Jones, Heidi Ericson

The May 14th Guild Meeting is at Doris Woloszyn’s High Plains Woolies Ranch in Chilcoot, California. Brown Bag.

Driving directions (as provided by Doris in 2009, but I don't suppose it has changed): Hwy. 395 north from Reno, past Bordertown into California. Exit 395 at Hwy. 70 to Portola/Quincy, turn left on Hwy. 70 going west for about 2 miles. Turn left on Scott Road after crossing Long Valley Creek, before going up Beckwourth Pass. Scott Road is dirt, and after 4/10 mile to the railroad crossing you’ll pass 2 homes (stay left on main road, not right up the hill), the railroad tracks and creek will be on your left.

Continue south on Scott Road for one and a half miles to a small bridge over Scott Creek.
Another 4/10 mile to a large Cottonwood tree and the 3rd home, this is where the county stops grading the road so it’s a little rougher. Another 2/10 mile to several buildings on hill with SPRAGUE sign, but stay to left and pass the driveway. Next 3/10 mile the road curves from left to right up a small hill. Stay to the right at the fork, going up the hill and look for my 404-185 sign on a “rock jack” fence corner. This is where you turn right onto my driveway.

My driveway is 4/10 mile, first straight with a wooden fence on the left and barb wire fence on the right, then at the next group of rock jacks curve right, down over the culvert and uphill to my house …cedar siding with a dark green metal roof and large wooden barn in back. Sounds complicated but there are very few places out here. I’ll try to put up some signs to help. Call 530-993-4296 if you have questions or need help.

Minuets for March 2011

SPRING in NEVADA

Carson Sierra Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting was held at South Valley Library March 8th 2011
Meeting started at 11 am with introductions.
Treasurer Report: Doris stated she was given 2 dues, we sold 5 spindle kits. The liability insurance, $519 was paid for the year, leaving the guild with a total of $2422.50 in account. There are currently 31 paid members.
Fair Report: The Nevada State Fair was canceled for the year 2011. The fair is working on paying debts for last year, and trying to avoid bankruptcy. The guild voted to donate $300.00 to the state fair to help. The vote was yes, so Doris will provide a check to Amy to give to the state fair board.
No Weaving Study  update.
Denise Quirk was present as a representative of the Soroptomist Club, to inform us about the cowboy poetry reading event to be held at Bartley Ranch on August 19th and 20th. They are expanding the program to include a marketplace, and have invited our guild members to participate. Discussion followed regarding participation. If you are interested in being a vendor at this event, please contact Denise for resale information. If you are interested in participating with the guild, please let Virva know.
There is some donated equipment, specifically a tapestry loom, bobbin winders, and shuttles that will be made available for silent auction at our annual retreat in the fall.
Don’t forget the spindle retreat in Dobbins Ca, May 19th - 22nd. It looks like many of our members will be attending and it sounds like fun.
New Business: Carson City Farm Days will be held April 14, 15th at Fuji park in Carson City. There will be an area indoors where members from the guild will be demonstrating for the children. Toni and Ellen will be outside in the barn area with a llama and an alpaca. The children love this event. They ask great questions, and are usually very attentive. You are welcome to come and participate. Lunch is provided. Plan on being there from about 8:30 am to about 1:30 pm each day. Bring your wheel, or something else you thing the kids might be interested in learning about.
In the latest issue (spring 2011) of Spin off magazine, Stephanie’s helix scarf project is featured. It is a great article, and includes a scarf that Nancy Prior knit up. Also available through the interweave store is the Aldon Amos dvd (ready for pre order), and Stephanie’s spinning cotton dvd.
The date for the Celtic Fair may be changed. As of now, it is September 24 and 25th, but this could change. Update will be made available as soon as we are notified.
Jeanette Miller of Sierra Nevada Alpaca in Red Rock is looking for homes for some of her alpacas. If you or someone you know is interested in owning a couple of alpacas, please contact Jeanette at 775-969-3871 for more information.
Show and Tell: Mim - Shetland hats spun and presented as kits. Sharon - fabric purchased in New York sewn up into a pair of pajamas offered up for the raffle. Melanie- mink yarn, bone needles, ufo hat. Sharie - color dye books Wild Color and Color in Spinning.
The meeting was adjourned with a demo of a McMorran yarn balance by Sharon, and the second dvd Gentle Art of Plying by Judith MacKenzie to follow.
Those in attendance at the meeting were: Toni Strassburg, David Armer, Melanie Carr, Denise Quirk, Virva Porcelli, Sharie L. Jones, Carol Lopez, Barbara Greene, Victoria Klasch, Amy Shannon, Libby Hejny, Janet Drozd, Marilyn Clarke, Doris Woloszyn, Peggy Horan, Carolyn Thompson, Sharon Campbell, Mim Bullard, Jo Van Winkle.
Our next meeting on April 9th will be a pot luck at:
Bartley Ranch:.  Drive .8 mile west from the intersection of McCarran Blvd and Hwy 395.  Turn left (south) on Lakeside Drive and continue .4 mile.  Bartley Ranch is at the north base of Windy Hill.  Turn left on Bartley Ranch Road and continue several hundred feet to the main parking lot.  Cross the covered bridge and turn right into the parking lot for the School House

 Toni sent in a cool story about her    "WINTER BLUES"
 
I got bored one day not too long ago because I think it was snowing outside and I could not go out and play so I decided to play indoors. It started with some roving I had been saving, bought at the SOAR marketplace back in 2006. I had finally spun it up. It was something put out as a special SOAR blend called Deep Waters, Dark Woods produced for Carolina Homespun to celebrate SOAR being held at Lake Tahoe. It turned out beautiful as singles, but I had some reserve about plying it together. I also wanted the 4 ounces spun up to go a bit further, so I decided to find something else to ply it with. I dug through the copious fiber bins upstairs in my wool room, and found some white tussah silk I purchased from Mim a while back. Just the right thing to pair with the mixed blend textured singles, but it was white. Who wants to spin boring old white when you can have say, blue fiber to spin? I dug out my big dyepot and the rest of my gear, and (CAREFULLY) set about mixing up a blue that would compliment and be reminiscent of the water at Lake Tahoe. Using Gail Callahan's Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece as a guide, I managed to put a nice deep blue in my white silk. I used a mixture of blue, violet, and black from a dye kit produced by Judith MacKenzie. After letting the exhausted dye bath cool, I removed the fiber and hung it along side the fireplace to dry. The next day I had blue silk to spin. I have since finished the spinning, and the yarn sits in a basket next to my chair while I decide what to make with it. I was a bit hesitant to dye fiber in the kitchen, but with the instruction from the book and attention to safety, it was a day well spent.  Toni

SILK BLEND BEFORE

SILK BLEND DURING

SILK BLEND AFTER

DEEP WATER DARK FOREST

FINISHED YARN

Faeries

This was sent in by Carolyn  "I came across these two little stories about spinners and thought they were cute and funny."

Woman spinning flax using a drop spindle and distaff.

MS Fr. 599, f. 40, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

15th c. France

Woman spinning flax using a drop spindle and distaff.

MS Fr. 599, f. 40, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

15^th c. France

Excerpt from a book entitled The Faeryland Companion by Beatrice Phillpotts 1999 Barnes & Nobel Books



Spinners and Shoemakers

  The Faeries had a great reputation for various skills.  Faery women were famous as spinners and dyers, while the Leprechaun was a celebrated shoemaker.

                Magical dyes were concocted from lichen, roots, bark, leaves and fruit.  A faery pool near Loch Lomond in Scotland, where the water was of a peculiar shade of green, was believed to be the site of a faery dying factory.  It was abandoned however, when their mortal neighbours came to investigate.  The faeries did not have time to remove their equipment and were forced to leave it at the bottom of the pool – hence its strange colour.

                The Scots had a faery patron of spinning called Habetrot.  In “The Three Spinners” by William Henderson in Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties, he describes how Habetrot helped a beautiful but lazy peasant girl to win the local laird for a husband by spinning for her.

                The girl was ordered by her mother to spin, but could produce only “a few feet of lumpy, uneven thread”.  She came across an old woman, who was the skilled spinner Habetrot.  She offered to spin the lint for the girl and promptly vanished.  But the girl spied her in an underground faery hall:  “…she saw a great cavern, with a number of queer old wives sitting spinning in it, each on a white marble stone.”

                The local laird rode past the girl’s cottage the following morning and was so impressed by the “smoothness and evenness of the skeins that the faeries had spun, that he proposed marriage to her on the spot.  She accepted but knew there would be trouble, because he “kept talking of all the fine yarn she would be spinning for him after the wedding.”  She asked Habetrot for help, and she invited them both into her faery cavern.  The laird asked why the spinners all had long lips and spoke with a stutter.  When Habetrot told him that his new wife would be just like them soon, because she loved spinning so much, he lost all his enthusiasm for fine yarns and forbade her to do any more spinning.

  Some faeries preferred using man-made wheels to their own and would steal into cottages at night to do their spinning.  Residents of the Isle of Man tried to prevent them from doing this, but usually failed, as in the following story from Sophia Morrison’s Manx Fairy Tales:

                “Some time in the night my brother wakened me with a:  “Shish!  Listen boy, and look at the big light in the kitchen!”

                “Listen!” I said, “it must be the Little Ones that’s agate of the wheel!”

                And both of us got very frightened.  In the morning we told what we had seen.

                “Aw, like enough, like enough,” my Father said, looking at the wheel.  “It seems your mother forgot to take the band off last night, a thing people should be careful about, for it’s givin’ Themselves power over the wheel.””

February 2011 Minutes

Meeting was brought to order by our president Virva.
Secretary Doris gave her report. We have 29 paid members and she will pay the insurance due in March.
Connie Vann has excepted the V.P. position.
Fair Report by Amy: The fair is in dire need of funds this year. It is not sure yet if there will be a State Fair this year in August. It was mentioned that if possible we will donate some money to help the fair this year. We should know more by the March meeting. We also talked about other venues for the guild to participate in this year. Should look into Wooster Highs "reskilling" day. There is a conflict with doing the Celtic Fair this year. It will be in September on the same weekend as the Retreat.
Sharie is collecting pictures of members and the projects they do. Please send her pictures of you with your fiber animals or spinning and knitting to collect for the fair displays.
Fair Challenge: Everyone is working with their fiber, black Alpaca.
Would anyone like to be in charge of "Hospitality"? If not Virva will keep the coffee pot and the rest of us please bring your own dish and eating utensils at all pot luck lunches. Plus we all need to help Virva clean up after each meeting.
Heidi reported that she has our brochure for all events we attend ready to print. 
New Business: The guild received a LeClerc Loom complete with shuttles. We will talk about an auction to sell  everything as a fund raiser for the guild.
It was brought up that on August 19th and 20th, from 12 noon to 5 that is a Friday and Saturday this year there will be a Cowboy Poetry get together. We are invited to spin and sell our hand made products. This would be a great venue to bring some fiber animals. Will try and see if Toni and Jeannette would bring their llamas and alpacas and maybe a few sheep. Virva will check to see if we need a business license to sell.
Raffle: Barbara needs stuff to raffle at the monthly meetings. All fiber related stuff please bring to the meetings. Sharon donated a pair of hand knit socks this month!
The Learning Tree was Q&A. We talked about blocking knitted items.
Show and Tell: Marilyn brought a skein of her black Alpaca fiber challenge fiber mixed with silk and wool and spun with beads added.
Melanie: showed us her pouch made with a medal ruler used as a closure, her new interchangeable knitting needles and her valentine yarn vase with crochet hooks. 
Heidi: hand spun woven scarf, and her alpaca/angora/silk noil
Mim: four felt scarves from fiber purchased at Black Sheep last year.
Barbara G: beautiful yarn dyed with food colors
Sharie: hand dye yarn, and first pair of hand knit socks, and first Navajo plied yarn
Sharon: had her hand spun hand knit shrug
Barbara H: had her "Stephine" scarf made with sock yarn
Connie: had a shrug also knit by her friend
Malinda: brought her first pair of knit socks
Attendance:
Mim Bullard, Sharon Campbell,Sharie L. Jones,Nancy Grundy,Janet Drozd,Barbara Greene, Barbara Hunt,Melanie Carr,Perry Louie,Doris Woloszyn,Marilyn Clarke,Virva Porcelli,Carol Lopez,Connie Vann'Amy Shannon Heidi Ericson,Judy Wells,Malinda Parks, Karen Starr
Our March meeting will be held at:

South Valleys Library:  will be held in the multi-purpose room.  Driving directions:  Exit onto Mt Rose Hwy from Hwy 395 and proceed west to the first stop light, which is Wedge Parkway.  Turn right and continue about a mile.  Turn right on Whites Creek Ln.  The library is bright yellow and quite visible. 

Brown bag and we will be watching the last half of our DVD " The Gentle Art of Plying"

New Items For Sale

January minutes 2011
Meeting was called to order at 11 am. Introductions were made, and there were three new people present.
From Amy: Please give her your email info for updates. She also explained differences between the email list and the yahoo group.
November and December minutes were approved.
Treasurer Report: Dues are due now. $25 for the year. Current balance is $2476.50. There were 44 paid members for 2010. Our biggest expense, $512 is liability insurance which is coming due for this year.
Weaving Study Group: Will meet at Badlands Motorcycle, 1554 Linda Way in Sparks at 10 am. February weaving study group would like to meet on the 26th. If you would like to host this meeting, please contact Nancy Pryor.
Fair Report: No info at this time.
Old Business: List of meetings updated on blog. Linda Lindsay’s pocket slipper pattern posted on blog. Fiber challenge: There is still bags of alpaca fiber available if you want to participate. All projects will be displayed at the Nevada State Fair. Please contact Nancy Pryor for alpaca fiber. She noted that even if you just spin a skein of yarn and don’t actually make something out of it, it is still acceptable as a finished project.
New officers are as follows: Virva - President, Connie - Vice president upon verification, Doris - treasurer, Toni - secretary, Mimi - learning tree and blog, Amy - fair coordinator, Barbara - raffle, Heidi - library. We are still looking for someone to take over the task of hospitality and perhaps handling publicity.
It was suggested that the guild equipment should be rounded up into one place each year to inspect it and make sure each item is in working condition. Have you read a new book or watched any of the new dvds?  A book or video review would be great information to add to the blog.  Please send your review to Mimi so she can post it to share with the rest of the members.
Today’s learning tree is part one of the Gentle Art of Plying. Part two will be shown after the March meeting at South Valley Library. Sharon has info regarding spindle camp. Camp dates are May 20, 21 2011. It is being held with members from Foothill Fiber Guild. Location is Lake Francis Resort near Dobbins (Grass Valley Nevada City area) California. There is an optional Thursday night, the 19th planned.  A head count for reservations and camping preferences is needed asap. Please contact Sharon for more information.
New Business: List of activities is located on the sidebar of blog. Sharie would like to make a guild collage with pictures from guild activities in the past. If you have photos of anything you would like to share, please let Sharie know.
Show And Tell: Virva, new sweater, yarn from Mim’s Shetland roving. Nancy, modular knitting pattern hats and sweater pieces. Amy, fingerless mitts with pattern on her blog Purple Fuzzy Mittens. Marilyn, shawl turned sweater. Heidi, merino/silk wrap and candy corn color dyed yarn. Mimi, itty bitty sweater ornaments knit from Shetland, alpaca, silk, merino, angora. From a pattern found on Ravelry. Judy, a ‘husband made’ wooden yarn swift. Carolyn, purse made of leftover yarn. Libby, dyed bamboo merino beaded scarf. Barbara, sock yarn from Mimi’s merino bamboo fiber.
Meeting adjourned at 12:05 for lunch and dvd viewing afterward.
Attendance: Toni Strassburg, David Armer, Carol Lee Lopez, Sharon Campbell, Victoria Klasch, Eileen Jacobs, Barbara Hunt, Libby Hejny, Barbara Greene, Janet Schueller, Carolyn Thompson, Janet Drozd, Judy Wells, Mim Bullard, Melanie Carr, Heidi Ericson, Doris Woloszyn, Sue Kelly, Marilyn Clarke, Amy Shannon, Nancy Pryor, Virva Porcelli


Check out the new items Allison has on our "Classified" page at the top of this blog. I also want to let you know that for the "Learning Tree" we will be having the "Questions and Answer" time after our meeting on February 12th. If there is anything you have been wanting to know bring your questions and will find an answer for you!

I will post the minuets for January as soon as I get them from Toni. Till then I hope your enjoying our beautiful weather.
Mim