PROGRAM
Stephanie Gausted will demonstrate and teach us how to spin cotton on your wheels. Actual foot powered wheels, not Charkhas, so be sure to bring your wheel. Note: she says "large bobbin lead, single drive wheels are very difficult to spin cotton, as are jumbo flyers". So hopefully, you have alternatives. If you have a fast flyer or small whorls for your wheel, bring those, but its not necessary. Stephanie will have fiber for everyone.
At the August meeting, Mindy handed out many various samples of cotton fiber that Will & Kate donated for our year of Cotton & Linen emphasis. She will bring what is left over for those who were not there. It was a great collection and will be a great start to experiment with this wonderful fiber.
THE COTTON & LINEN CHALLENGE
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| The lovely yellow bloom of a cotton plant |
So some will say, especially if one is not a weaver, what exactly do I do with handspun, often very lumpy-bumpy cotton and linen thread? You can, of course, knit and crochet with it, even the "rustic" skeins that you get at first. But, as any weaver will tell you, the rustic threads make yummy handwoven kitchen towels!
After the first of the year, Treadles will purchase class time in Lou Grantham's weaving class at Heather Farm Park. One loom will be set up with a commercial cotton warp on which any one of you who spin up approximately 200 yards of cotton or flax can go in and weave yourself a towel.
It will be a simple treadling which anyone will be able to manage. If you have never woven before, one of us will be there to guide you along. At some point we will have a grand show case of all your handspun, hand woven towels. We hope this will encourage you give spinning cotton and flax a try and be a fun project in the process.
Upcoming dates for your calendar:
Sept. 14 and 15 Diablo Valley Quilters 2013 Show.
Tice Valley Community Gym, 2055 Tice Valley Blvd. Walnut Creek
10 am to 5 pm on Sat. and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday
Admission: $10 [good for both days]
Tice Valley Community Gym, 2055 Tice Valley Blvd. Walnut Creek
10 am to 5 pm on Sat. and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday
Admission: $10 [good for both days]
Oct. 5 & 6 Lambtown USA [see the link on the right side under events]
In a note from Cathy VandeVoort: We are hoping to get teams registered for the Lanbtown Sheep to Shawl on Oct. 5. There are some rule changes this year, no entry fee and teams can provide their own fleece. There is no breed requirement this year, and we are not limiting the number of teams to four because we want to encourage new teams to participate. Registration is due by Sept. 20th. Look up all the details on the website.
Oct. 13 Rogers Ranch Harvest Festival. We would like to have some one or two go there for the day and demonstrate spinning and /or weaving. There is also the opportunity to sell that day if you are interested in doing so and are producing much more than you can use.
Oct. 23 Cotton Picking Day! Firebaugh, CA
From Windfall Farms, "Join us on Wednesday, October 23rd to experience Central Valley culture and help us hand pick colored cotton at Windfall Farms with the farmers and SCP staff. The day will start at 9:30 am in a colored cotton field near Firebaugh. We will hand pick the colored bolls, pack them into bins and learn more about what happens to the fiber and how it grows.
For all the details please visit our Events page, http://sustainablecotton.org/events"
PlusOct. 29 Cotton Farm Tour Firebaugh CA
Again, from Windfall Farm, "Join us on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 for a one-day Cotton Farm Tour through the San Joaquin Valley to gain a behind-the-scenes look at the many sides of cotton production. You'll meet the farmers, see cotton being harvested and learn about Cleaner Cotton™. You'll visit a perennial hedgerow, walk through a colored cotton field, tour a running cotton gin, join us for lunch and take home samples of cotton fiber. Throughout the day, leading industry experts and professionals will present an inside perspective about the many facets of cotton cultivation and processing, addressing issues such as water use, cotton farming practices and the current state of the market for Cleaner Cotton™ fiber.
For all the details please visit our Events page: http://sustainablecotton.org/events'
Oct. 26 Ygnacio Valley Library Activity Fair. 12pm to 3pm. Again, we would like a few people to participate in this event. This is geared to the 45 - 55 age group to introduce what others in their area are doing for fun. They are trying to showcase lots of different spare time activities and would be a good place to showcase spinning/knitting/weaving and what our Guild is all about.
Oct. 30 T2T meeting Program with Kate and Will about cotton
Nov. 20 T2T meeting: Program about Flax/Linen
LOOMS FOR SALE
60" Glimarka Countermarch loom with a fly shuttle and a sectional beam. No bench, but it does come with an assortment of reeds, shuttle, electric bobbin winder and tensioner box. $2300. The loom is located in Richvale [20 miles south of Chico] Contact Jaci at 530-538-9474 Pictures on Craig's list chico.craigslist.org/art/4039996314.html
Caravan Tapestry Loom. An extremely well made and extra strong loom so it can be used for making small, cut-pile rugs as well as regular tapestries. Several weaving implements and tool shelf included. 60"H x 24"W Price: $350 Contact Ray VarnBuhler at 209-293-4169
IN OTHER LOCAL HAPPENINGS
What a comfy bed!
Junior zeroing in, of course, on my newly carded batts of cashmere and alpaca.