As mentioned in last month's blog, Treadles has no Program Chair this year. Hence, no one has come up with a program for this month. We will still meet and have Show & Tell, bring your wheel to sample a surprise fiber and watch a video yet to be determined! You could also bring your swap fibers and get in a good hour of spinning on your shawl project. If something better pops up, you'll see it at the meeting!
ADDENDUM: Program Info
We’ll watch a presentation about the Imperial Stock Ranch and the clothing that Ralph Lauren designed for this years Olympic athletes.The “Lauren” brand emblazoned on his clothing may be something for us who care about American grown wool and the people who produce it, a proud thing to wear after all.
A quote from the website:
“Ralph Lauren is an iconic American brand,” observed Jeanne Carver, who along with her husband, Dan, owns the sprawling Imperial Stock Ranch in Oregon’s high desert. “They are a global leader and influencer. For them to choose American fiber and to connect the story of family farms to their brand has had a powerful impact on influencing others to follow that lead.”To view the video yourself: www.interweave.com/home/articles
Then type in "American Wool wins for U.S. Olympics" It will take you to the article and the video.
COMBO SHAWL SWAP PROJECT
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| Megan's already spun combo |
If you were not able to participate in the actual swap, you can still do your own thing by collecting 8 ounces of fiber from your own stash of braids. If you're not quite sure how this all works, take a look at the podcast ww watched at at the meeting: On youtube look up "PassioKnit Spinner - Bonus episode 2 - Mixing fiber for a sweater combo spin"
MINUTES: JANUARY 31, 2018 7:00 P.M.
THURMAN CASEY LIBRARY, WALNUT CREEK, CA
by Linda Burton
President Reba Siero called the meeting to order with 24 members present. There were no visitors or guests.
Member’s announcements: Will Taylor distributed flyers for the Sacramento Weavers and Spinners Guild Open House and Sale, February 10-11, 2018, at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center, Sacramento, CA. Hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Linda Van Heertum has fabric covered notebooks for free in the back. Pat Eisner has small portions of white fibers for free as well. Vilija had yarn to donate.
Treasurer: Pam Murdock announced the treasury has $7800 approximately. Please recommend speakers or equipment or something else that could benefit the guild members. This is the intention of our treasury. Pam reported she had sent our membership list in to CNCH after our last formal meeting in November, 2017 along with a check.
CNCH Liaison: Joan Anderson reported on the H.A. Convergence in Reno, NV, July 6-12, 2018.
There are some classes open still. Our guild’s addition to the H.A. goodie bags will be the tube of lip lubricant. Vilija has designed the label and it will be printed and attached to the tubes by a commercial company. It was mentioned that T2T has not formulated and entered a Sheep to Shawl team, yet. Joan said that the 2019 venue for the CNCH conference has been secured. It will be at the Sonoma State Campus near Rohnert Park, CA. Housing and meals, free parking, etc. make for an attractive site. This will be Joan’s major contribution to the 2019 planning. Joan will attend the upcoming liaison meetings.
Annual Dye Day needs to be pulled together. We usually had a May date. This may be moved to an early June date.
Spinning at the Winery, 21st Anniversary: Will Taylor shared that Retzlaff Winery’s event coordinator, Salome, has reservations about our use of facilities the first weekend of June. Will and Kate conferred with her and it became apparent that the winery lost income due to our event instead of a June wedding reservation. Will offered more money by increasing the facility fee from $5/person to $10. Salome hinted that an increase would not be necessary if we would move the date, with an open date of May 19, being mentioned. Discussion followed and the date seemed acceptable. Vendors and CNCH web site will be notified so people get this change information early. Don’t forget the T-shirt challenge (Vilija has more, if needed) and the great raffle donations that bring so much into T2T’s treasury.
Future Meetings: We are lucky to have our last Wednesday of the month here, February, March and April, unless something changes unexpectedly.
Program: Participating members each brought 6 individual one ounce nests of wool that were placed in a single layer on a table. Participants made a circle and moved around the table continuously, taking 2 nests at a time until each had the number of nests equaling what they brought. Much laughing ensued. We watched a 30 minute podcast, passioknit spinner podcast, bonus episode 2, for instructions on how to mix our nests into spinnable colorways.
SPINNING AT THE WINERY
An update for the coming 21st Annual Spinning at the Winery: Date change from the usual first Saturday of June to Saturday, May 19. Everything else remains the same. Put it on your calendar and try to get the word out about the date change.
Remember, this is our big event of the year, make something great for the raffle, volunteer to work at one of the jobs for the day, and still lots of time to create something great from last year's T-Shirts. Lots were ice-dyed, but any kind of "decor" or repurposing is encouraged. Three $50 prizes will be awarded. No criteria, do whatever.
NEW RESOURCES
Within the right hand column of this blog, are two new resources for us: California local, Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill. New, enthusiastic owner of the past Yolo Wool Mill. She will not only clean and card a fleece, but also spin it into either a single or 2-ply if you have a minimum of 10 lbs. to give her.
Also, Gist Yarn & Fiber. A small online shop for well sourced yarns geared toward weavers. The owner buys from smaller mills, sometimes family owned businesses that produce quality yarns, including 8/2 unmercerized cotton grown and spun in the U.S.
If you have a resource you like, let me know about it!
Also, events for the Calendar below!
DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR - 2018
- Feb. 28, Treadles Meeting at the Library
- Mar. 28, Treadles Meeting at the Library
- April 25, Treadles Meeting at the Library
- May 19, 21st Annual Spinning at the Winery
- Dye Day, date and theme [if any] still to be determined. Any input on this?
PAST MEMBER KARRIE is selling her Lendrum Wheel
Thank you so much for helping me.
Karrie
925-858-5137
Unless you are one who goes up to the mountains for some snow, most of us Californians don't have much need for mittens. But in cold country they are a necessity, and who says they have to be totally utilitarian. So maybe not as useful to us as hand knit socks, mittens are fun to knit and decorate. [Don't correct me for spellings - this is a British magazine!]
Traditional mittens from Sweden; an excerpt from the Selvage "Hibernate" issue, no. 08
by Cia Wedin, images Anna Kern
The Lovikka mitten originates from the Lovikka village in the valley of the Torne river, 100km
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| Lovikka Mitten |
Another beautiful mitten to be seen in Sweden is the traditional mitten of Sorunda; an area located in Södertörn, 50 km south of Stockholm. It’s crafted in a simple sleek design in white or black wool crowned with a single embroidered red or green flower. This special design has been passed down for centuries by women in Sorunda yet this sober, sparsely decorated mitten feels surprisingly contemporary. Today the survival of the Sorunda mitten is a major concern of The National Swedish Handicraft Council. Between 1981 and 1986 a crafts inventory was performed and as a result more than 2,000 handcrafted objects were documented in the households of the village, among them several antique Sorunda mittens.
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| Sorunda mitten |
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| Nalbinding - knotless netting |
The Sorunda mitten is made using a technique of knotless netting especially suitable for rounded forms, like mittens and socks. Using a 10cm-long brass needle, the maker starts with the wrist, making loops upwards until the desired length is reached, concluding with the thumb. The mitten is made much too big, then shrunk in lukewarm water with lots of såpa; a soft soap made from pine trees. When rubbed against a washboard, the surface begins to felt. In Sweden this process is called 'valka' and as a result, the mitten can be formed on the hand. The yarn has to be made of 100% pure wool for this to happen and once felted, wool resists water well. Even if it gets wet it will still keep your hands warm, and the mittens will withstand many years of daily use. The Sorunda mitten is modest but with its superb fit and simple decoration, it has the natural elegance of a well made, functional item.
The stunning landscape of Värmland is known for its beautiful lakes and deep woods. Situated on the northwest border, next door to Norway, Värmland is where to find the Dalby mitten. Dalby mittens are rich with embroidery, each maker creating her own personal pattern. A collector can easily detect from which valley in Dalby a mitten originates, and sometimes can even tell who crafted it. A Dalby embroidery always includes roses, violets and forget-me-nots, and more than 100 different patterns have been documented. The thumb is decorated with an embroidered rosebud and the edge of the mitten has a crochet ending.
END NOTE
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| Can I have four Dalby mittens to match my hat? |