October 23, 2020

NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28th, 6 p.m., ONLINE

UPCOMING 2020/2021 MEETING DATES

Online meetings start at 6 p.m.  Zoom link is open around 5:30 p.m.  The link will be sent to guild members within a few days of the meeting.  If you don't receive the link, please contact Wendy L.

October 28 - Janine Bajus - Berkeley local who does Fair Isle knitting and leads fiber tours of Italy and the Shetland Islands.


November 18 - Jillian Moreno, "Why I Knit With Handspun"

November 21-22 - 4 hour Zoom workshop with Jillian Moreno (Saturday 2 hrs, Sunday 2 hrs), "How to Work With Painted Braids", $80

December 16 - Zoom Party / Mini workshop?

January 27 - Deb Robson

February - Maggie Casey?

YEARLY DUES

If you haven't already, send a check to treasurer Pam M. today. Individual membership, $25. Family membership, $30. Pam's address can be found in the roster that was sent to guild members for the 2019-2020 year. 
 
Starting next month, the mailing list will be matched to the new roster so unless you've paid your dues, you will be removed from the mailing list and will not receive the Zoom call information.

MEETING MINUTES (Linda B.)

TREADLES TO THREADS GUILD

ZOOM MEETING

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

6:00 p.m. 

President Wendy L. started the meeting by introducing our speaker for the evening, Carolyn Greenwood, checking in from Utah. Greenwood Fiberworks is her business, focusing on their own hand-dyed products. Carolyn discussed the best way to use color to produce your best product. With hand dyed products, she refers to “solid” colors as semi-solid, to make sure people understand there may be tonal shades of the same color in the skein. She also offers a “variegated” yarn. These can have splotches of color all through, or stripes of color which will pool in a project. Ask to see the skein or braid opened to see how the dye variegation might affect your project. “Speckled” yarns will have flecks of brighter colors through a carrier color.

Carolyn then showed examples in both crochet and knit, of how the structures of a desired fabric can dictate the type of yarn color used. The more structure desired in the fabric, the less color variation is needed to show off the fabric. Simple fabric patterns show off the yarns used.

Carolyn also shared the new normal of her business and the latest color called “Northern Lights”.Follow her on Instagram and Facebook. 

The guild meeting started at 7:15 p.m. Treasurer Pam reported from Sea Ranch that we have about 40 members and sufficient funds to have our Zoom speakers this year; however, please remember to mail your year’s dues to Pam.

Lambtown coming up has Zoom speakers, Zoom Sheep to Shawl demos and judging, vendor presentations and Q and A with the speakers. Please participate if possible.

Please check the blog posts from Lisa for information between meetings.

CNCH liaison Joan A. says the area 3 meeting in 2022 does not have a venue yet. She welcomes names of potential spinning teachers. Carol C. reports that all contracts for the 2021 July meeting on the campus at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will have cancellation clauses.

Future Meetings: October 28, 2020 Janine Bajus with Fair Isle knitting.

November 18, date change for Thanksgiving, is Janine Moreno

December may be a mini workshop in lieu of our in person holiday exchange.

Please send Wendy a picture of your Show and Tell up to 24 hours ahead of the meeting, but we can still hold things up to our camera.

Reba volunteered to co-host the Zoom meetings to give Wendy a hand running Zoom. The meeting closed at 7:45 p.m.

Linda B.

FROM THE EDITOR

After the summer hiatus, I was surprised to login last month to find a totally new interface for editing the blog. I think I've figured most of it out but please let me know if you notice anything amiss other than the occasional extra divider line here and there.

I plan to step down as newsletter editor by June 2021 at the latest, and now would be a great time for someone else to take over, learn the new interface or select a new software interface or web site template, and make the newsletter their own. If you're interested, let me know.

Special thanks to Vilija for checking all the long-term links to make sure they still work!

Lisa W.

SHAGGY BEAR FARM

Wendy at Shaggy Bear Farm has a new online shop! Click here to visit the shop.  If you're participating in Livestock Conservancy's Shave 'Em to Save 'Em program, Shaggy Bear is a great resource.

To read more about the farm, including all the various breeds, click here.

Wendy at a show - her booth is always so much fun to visit!

Donna S. (that would be our Donna S. with 2 Ns, not our Dona S. with 1 N!) recently received an order and shared the photo of some beautiful yarn and braids from Shaggy Bear:



ICELANDIC AND ICELANDIC/FINN X FLEECES SALE

I met shepherdess Susan Chappell at a natural dye workshop up at Warner Mountain Weavers in Cedarville many years ago, and we've stayed in touch.  The fleeces from her family farm near Susanville are lovely, and she is currently downsizing and having a 'clearance' sale of Icelandic fleeces and Icelandic/Finn X fleeces..  I can personally attest to the beauty of the fleeces from Sunnyside Farm, and to the yarn made from them.  Sunnyside Farm is a Fibershed producer.

She will discount even more for multiple fleece purchases and for unskirted.  That being said, Susan is known for her skirting skills - the fleeces are very clean!  Options are available for mailing or for pickup at an agreed-to location.

Icelandic wool is lustrous and dual-coated, with a fine inner coat and medium outer coat. The two coats can be separated into two very different fiber types, or incorporated together with lightweight, warm and weather-resistant features. Natural colors range in various shades of whites, tans, browns, blacks, and grays.

Finnish Landrace wool is single-coated, with a medium-fine crimpy, elastic fiber that has a very soft hand and a luster unique to medium-fine wool types. Natural colors range in various shades of whites, browns, and blacks.

Happy sheep at the farm













The many colors of sheep at Sunnyside Farm

Sunnyside Farm Icelandic-Finn Cross fleeces













Here is specific information from Susan:



Sunnyside barn where everything Sheep happens!  Providing refuge for the flock from high desert weather extremes; shelter during lambing, shearing, and other sheep health care activities; and storage for equipment, feed, and all those lovely fleeces that come off the sheep each year.

I have 25 nice Icelandic lamb raw fleeces, averaging 3 lbs unskirted (usually 2 lbs heavily skirted):
 
8 black/black mouflon (some may have a few bits of gray/white included)
4 moorit (brown)/moorit mouflon (some may have a few bits of beige/white included)
1 gray
1 badgerface/mouflon (mostly oatmeal/champagne in color)
6 badgerface (multi-colored:  mostly oatmeal/champagne but may include white, black, gray and/or brown)
5 white/mostly white (some may include bits of brown or black)
 
I also have 13 nice Icelandic adult raw fleeces, averaging 3-4 lbs unskirted (usually 2.5-3 lbs heavily skirted):
 
4 black mouflon
3 moorit (brown) mouflon
3 black badgerface
3 mostly white (may have a few bits of black/brown)

Contact me for information on Icelandic/Finn crossbred yearling (hoggett) fleeces, which haven't been inventoried yet.
 
Great value pricing, with discounts on unskirted and/or multiple fleece purchases.  For more information please contact Susan via email at chappell@frontiernet.net

Lisa W.

INTERESTING ARTICLES/LINKS

Article by guild member Robin Lynde - Clasped Warp Weaving On A Rigid Heddle Loom

From Vilija  - A Portrait of a Market in India Run Solely By Women - not specifically related to spinning or weaving, but an interesting article.  Apologies that you may need a New York Times subscription to access the link.  Another NYT article from Vilija:  Shearing Sheep, and Hewing to Tradition, on an Island in Maine


From Vickie M. - Wool-derfully sheep art sent from my NY guild. Check the heads out.














LongThread Media Podcast (this link directs to their latest podcast, which is 'Norman Kennedy Spins Tales of Waulking')

From Mary B. -

















Weave a Breadbag - doesn't have to be on a rigid heddle loom!  Great holiday gift idea, especially if it contains a loaf of freshly baked bread.

A $7 Spinning Wheel (and instructions to build your own)

Pleasants Valley Agriculture Association - information, donate to fire victims, and volunteer to help.

Botanical Colors Feedback Friday - video archive and information on upcoming presentations.
  

UPCOMING FIBER EVENTS & NEWSLETTERS

Handspinning News - Shiela Dixon's monthly blog, includes events

Mielke's Fiber Arts Newsletter - news for fiber artists

FiberEvents - a calendar of wool festivals, fiber festivals, knitting, crocheting & craft gatherings/events in the U.S. and the world

Clara Parkes' Knitter's Review - knitting and fiber events


ITEMS FOR SALE

Megan C. has processed fleeces for sale, including Shetland, BFL, Alpaca, Polworth, etc. Contact Megan directly for more information.

ONGOING FIBER-RELATED CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Contact the business to find out their current situation due to COVID-19.

Black Rock Ranch (Stinson Beach)

Crockett Fiber Arts Studio (Crockett)

Fibershed (various locations)

Fiber Circle Studio (Cotati)

Meridian Jacobs (Vacaville)

West County Fiber Arts (Sebastopol)

Windrush Farm (Petaluma)