Hilary submitted a couple more great shots of the Spin In in Linden Gardens in the summer.

Margie adds:

A couple of weeks ago our guild drop in was bustling with activity.  Klaudia was teaching a felted slipper workshop, Dianne was teaching gals how to make fingerless gloves with bell bottoms and beads, and some were learning to weave.  

Some of the beautiful slippers.  Missed getting a picture to post of Marianne sitting soaking her feet with her slippers on in a tub of hot water. 

 Quite a few of our gals went to the Ponderosa Spin in the first part of Oct.  Another great day!  I was most impressed with the blankets the Salmon Arm guild did.  They wove several blankets on their warped loom then did a process called waulking to full them.  I came home researched  this process on my internet and was most intrigued with it. It  is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing and thickening of the yardage.  In Scottish celtic tradition this process was accomplished by waulking songs which women sang to help set the pace.  Women would weave a yardage about 70 yards long, sew it into a circle and then place it on a long table and begin a very rythematic exercise of fulling the wool.  Apparently in Roman times fulling was conducted by slaves working the cloth by standing knee deep in tubs of human urine.  Urine was so important to the waulking business that it was taxed.  Stale urine, known as wash, was a source of ammonia salts & assisted in cleansing and whitening the cloth.  There are video's on-line as well.  

 

Gail & Barb enjoying the luxury of an alpaca fleece.  Won't post your comment Barb..might get you into trouble.

 

Gudie displaying her felted necklace.  When I asked her what they were she said, " Gudie's balls."  How could I not have known that was what they were called?  You are such a delightful, inspirational person Gudie.  

Teaching my daughter-in-law to knit on the knitting machine.  Little man Hunter is just waiting for an opportunity to help.  Hoping soon that knitting machines will make a revival in the fibre world.  There are so many of them under the beds waiting to be brought out and become productive once again.  They are a challenge to learn to knit on but once figured out they can create garments in a fraction of the time it takes to hand knit.  If anyone is interested in knitting machines try to get Singer models as they are still being made and parts are still available.  Every knitting machine that has been stored needs a new retainer bar, the bar that holds the needles in postition.  These are made of foam strips and after years of storage the foam becomes crunchy and falls apart.  Danielle was excited about the scarf that took her fifteen minutes to knit. 

Last summer when I was dying skeins of wool in my back yard I was throwing them onto the ground when they came steaming hot out of the microwave.  The next day when my husband was out in the yard he called me to come out and see what I'd done to the grass.  My skeins had burnt the grass but the result was the almost perfect picture of an alpaca my random tossing had created.  So glad I took the picture to prove it.  Might have to submit this unusual happening to Spin Of magazine. 

Guild News

Plans are underway for the Oliver & Community Craft Fair scheduled this year for November 15th and 16th.  The guild will have a booth showcasing the many and varied products of our talented members.

Marg H. is coordinating a Spinning Retreat in Osoyoos on March 21/22 2014.  The estimated cost for the retreat is $255.00 and will be held at Walnut Beach Resort.

Margie's visit to Tonasket, WA

Update from Margie  (my apologies for the tardiness of this post)

Last Sat. we woke up to a dull, glumy day and we decided it was a good day to leave home and do a road trip.  About 10:00 a.m we headed south and ended up in Tonaskat, Wash. for lunch.  The purpose of our trip was to find the new yarn shop Marg H. told me about at guild, Bell, Hook and Spindle.  And right on main street is the most inviting window display in one of Tonasket's old, heritage buildings. 

Lindy Weber is a very upbeat, delightful gal & within a few minutes you feel like you've known her forever.  She is a quilter, knitter and just recently has started to spin fibre.  Tea is on all the time and her sitting area beckons you to sit awhile, relax and have a cup of tea.  She is certainly an asset to the little town of Tonasket.  Her husband is into restoring old spinning wheels and a room in their little shop is set up to display them.  

So for those of you who would like to do a road trip visiting Lindy in Tonasket is well worth the short drive across the border.  

Editor: (Her shop closed as of Oct 2015; Please see Comments)

The little room with a display of restored wheels.

Margie and Lindy

Some of Lindy's spun yarn.

Welcome everyone to the 2013-14 season of knitting, spinning, weaving, felting, soup days, show & tell and lots of other interesting activities sponsored by the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers Guild.  We've had a good turnout and some new members in the first few weeks of the season.

Margie S. updates us on news and photos of summer activities.

Summer went fast and we are back into the routine of guild every Thurs. which I look forward to.  Belonging to our guild not only inspires me to keep on knitting, weaving and spinning it gives me that much needed time to meet with other gals and have a great time of sharing and chatting.   

The cottages that our guild crafted for the ANWG conference held in Bellingham, Wash. were set up for display at the Summerland Art Gallery.  The display generated a lot of interest in our guild and the craft of felting. 

A new yarn shop has opened on Salt Spring Island.  Pat, the owner, is the mother of Carolyn who owns the Electric Tree Yarn shop in Kamloops, B.C.  They were vendors at our first Fibre Fest in Summerland.  Pat said it was the best vending experience they have ever had.  She said it was like we were having a big tea party and all the vendors were our invited guests.    Sock yarn I bought at her little store.  Colors I would only buy on S.S island and I will probably only wear when I holiday there.  Not sure what that little island does to you but I love it!

 

Pictures of our spin-in at Linden Gardens which was held on August 22nd.  We had  great turn out and a beautiful day, great company and as always a very good lunch.

 

Many of us meet at O.K Falls on July 18th for a day of spinning.  I took pictures and couldn't find them.  Searched on my lap top for days in my very unorganized picture files.  The other day I was checking my I-pad and there they were.  I didn't know how to transfer them to my Iap top and was told by Marg H, our computer consultant at guild, that if I just plugged my I-pad into my computer it would prompt me.   Well, mine didn't  prompt me but the files came up on the screen so I transferred them to my Documents and I haven't been able to find them since.  So, until a later date there will be no pictures of our O.K falls spin in and sorry girls but there might never be.

 

There is a new fibre shop called Bell, Hook and Spindle that has opened in Tonasket, Wash.  Hoping Marg H will check  it out on her next border crossing visit and report to the guild.  

 

Sounds like a few of us are going to Kelowna's spin in on Oct. 5th and quite a few are looking forward to the annual one at Chase, B.C.  I'm going to Kelowna's so will take some pics for the next blog post. 

 

submitted by Margie S.

 

Open House April 25th

We had a busy and successful Open House with lots of samples of the creativity by the guild members and lots of opportunity for our guests to observe all the techniques in action.

This is the finished purse Betty was working on in the April 10th posting.  Lovely job!

These are some examples of what was on display at the Open House.


A woven ( 2 different pieces) with  bias knitted edge woman's jacket - Gail E.

Rug weaving, inkle loom weaving bag.

Various projects.

Nell's exceptionally complex and sophisticated weaving.

Interesting sideways knitted sweater.

The Challenge Project

From time to time Jen. A presents our guild gals with a challenge project.  For this one, girls who wanted to participate, picked a picture from a calender Jen had and then went home to create a project.  These are a few of the completed projects; very creative and well done.  They are going to be show cased at Medici's coffee house in Oliver this summer.  Please check back & we'll post when this is happening.  I am looking forward to a lunch date there and being able to enjoy local art.  Thanks Medici's for promoting Okanagan art. 

Update on Cotton seeds

I am so excited!  The cotton seeds I picked out of Marianna C's sorting procedure last week, sprouted in water on my kitchen cupboard.  As soon as I seen the little signs of new life I planted them in an egg carton and they never slowed down.  You can almost see them grow. Maybe, just maybe, I can call myself a "cotton picker" this fall.  

April 11th Show and Tell

Another great day at guild, Thurs. April 11th.  The meeting started with a well run, short meeting and then show and tell.  I'd like to post all the articles our guild girls have created.  We are truly a busy bunch of crafters.  

Barb is very happy with this exquisite shawl she made.

Another view of Barb's shawl.

Detail of Barb's shawl.

The trellis scarf pattern,  from Interweave Spring 2013, knit in hemp yarn by Margie S. Loved the knitting part but have concluded I will never enjoy crocheting.

Marie R. wearing the beautiful, cozy shawl she wove our of her own hand carded, hand spun alpaca.

Betty B. knitting a very interesting hand bag.  Will try to get some pics to post when it is finished

Another busy drop in day at guild.   Next week is our regular monthly meeting and show and tell.  If we didn't have show and tell I'm afraid I'd have many more UFO's hanging around waiting to be finished.  I came home ready to finish the three scarves that need crocheted flowers on them.  I need to learn to crochet.  Donna A gave me a "30 second lesson" one day when she popped in.  Will it be enough!  You girls will know next Thurs. if I bring finished scarves or not.

 

Last week Marianna C. was sitting picking cotton seeds out of cotton balls she had grown in her garden last year.  I was interested in what she was doing and brought home a few seeds to try planting.  Soaked them all week and they sprouted so planted them in an egg cartoon until they are big enough to plant outside.  I'm sure we could grow crops of cotton in our valley.  Now wouldn't that be interesting to have a cotton field next to a vineyard.  Any cotton pickers amongst our group?  Not a profitable venture and it seems we do everything for money today and never just for the fun of doing it.  Marianna  is going to spin her harvest into wicks for her home made candles.   Apparently you can buy genetically altered seeds that grow colored cotton.   If anyone in our local cyber world has tried this let us know. 

Klaudia D crafted this happy tea cozy.

And then decided it could double as this happy, delightful little hat.  You are so much fun Klaudia D.

 Our loom projects are coming along nicely after a frustrating start for our loom mistress.  Thanks Linda for you patience and perseverance.  The gals who have signed up for this project appreciate you.

Marianne M and Dianne H enjoying working on a shared project

Marie enjoying her new spinning wheel.  Marie cards and spins all their own alpaca fibre.

 

 

 

 

 

Mark your calendar Saturday April 13th at the Quail's Nest

Another Update from Margie S.

Hélène, the most talented, crafty gal I know.  She is famous for all her itty bitty knitted animals, her yard yarn bombing, felting.  You name it...Hélène does it.  This eagle is one of her latest creations.  His name is Ben.  I'll never forget show and tell one Easter when she started pulling the cutest little bunnies out of a bag.  They kept coming and coming and she made the comment how they seemed to be propagating in the bag. 

Gail H, a friend of mine felted these dryer balls for me.  As we talked about how she made them on the drive home Donna told us a real easy way to make them. 

Scrunch up a ball of aluminum foil and cover with several layers of rovings.  Then tuck each ball in a nylon stocking and throw them in your machine to felt them.  Presto!  Beautiful dryer balls.  I took some to my daughter in Seattle and she thought I had made them for her cat to play with.  She's anxious to try them in her dryer and if they work will never buy another box of bounce.  If you want  them to smell just add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. 

Nature provides everything we need.  This pine tree became an ideal place to dry these felted scarves.  This picture should be submitted to Spin Off magazine. 

Karen B. Goes for the Challenge

On Thursday, I set out to complete a challenge from Jen to produce a work in fibre that looked like my calendar picture.  A tea cosy seemed exactly the right shape!  With help from Klaudia I was able to complete this project in one morning.  Our guild members are so full of enthusiasm, great ideas and helpfulness that almost anything is possible!
 

Here I am with all my equipment and Klaudia to help me felt a tea cosy

On a background of white roving, I began to layer my design.

The process involves a little soap, more hot water and lots of rubbing.

The finished product.