Klamath Spinners and Weavers Guild: February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

KLAMATH SPINNERS’ & WEAVERS’ GUILD NEWS MARCH 2015

By Sharon 541-891-0817 ballen004@yahoo.com

Website: www.KlamathSWguild.blogspot.com

If you have an ad you would like to be put in the newsletter, please send it via email or snail mail by the end of the previous month before the issue you would like it in. Your ad will be in the newsletter for 2 months. Thanks.

Klamath Spinners’ and Weavers’ News Guild annual dues are $10/year. Starting in September of 2015, dues will be going up to $15/year. Dues are due in November and can be given or sent to our treasurer, Karen Williams, 1700 Fairmont St., Klamath Falls, Or 97601.

We had another great meeting last month. Thanks to Kathy Nelson for leading us and teaching us about card weaving. There were quite a few participants and some very creative, attractive and well done card woven bands.

Here is the Guild’s agenda for the 2014-2015 year.

March – A bring your current project work day. Please come and bring whatever you are working on: Backstrap weaving? Cardweaving? Knitting? Spinning? Felting? Whatever you are working on and have an hour or two of working to get it done! We will be discussing our guild business also during this meeting.

April – Art yarn- bring a yarn you have worked on and also bring your wheel to learn a new one at the meeting. May – Wet felting hosted by Susan Schuette.

June - Carding and Blending hosted by Sharon; bring fibers and carders and it is also the guild annual potluck.

Summer – Summer dye workshop July 14^th, a Nametag meeting for the Bend Retreat, TBA and possibly a Saturday summer meeting?

The back room at the Klamath County Museum has been reserved for our meetings once a month until June.

The Guild sometimes meets informally in the summer for dyeing or fiber working.

I have heard from a couple of people who cannot make it to Tuesday meetings, that they wish we would have a Saturday meeting. Would anyone like to have a Saturday meeting/get together in August?

News About A New Meeting Place

Danita and Brian Brown’s church building is looking like it could be a real possibility to be a good gathering place for the guild starting next September. The Brown’s Church committee met and all were positive and believe we should continue pursuing a move and then talked about details that would be discussed with Danita to see if we all were in agreement.

Danita and I met and discussed and agreed upon details. We believe we are all excited for the guild to move to their church building by September.

The committee would like to have the Guild vote on moving to the Brown’s Church Building at the March meeting. Please come and vote.

This Month’s Meeting

This month our meeting will Tuesday, March 10^th at 10am in the back room of the Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main St., at the corner of Main and Spring Streets. Please bring a current project you are working on and vote on the move to the Brown’s Church Building. We will also be discussing the Bend Retreat nametags and goodie bags.

For those of you in the Spinning Challenge

The Spinning Challenge was a lot of fun! Congratulations to everyone who donated fiber and to those who participated! There is talk of doing another challenge, this time everyone who wanted to be in the challenge would get some fiber and do what they want to it, for example, felt, spin or weave?

From the Guild Library by Karen Williams

Karen is taking a break this month, so this review is by Sharon
[Our guild is 47 years old in July 2015!]

This book is not part of the Guild Library, but you are welcome to borrow it. sharon

Francis L. Goodrich’s The Brown Book of Weaving Drafts by Barbara Miller with Deb Schillo

The Brown Book of Weaving Drafts is a historical, informative and inspiring book. The book was originally a collection of weaving drafts by Miss Francis L. Goodrich and spans the years between 1895 and 1945. She was the daughter of a minister. Miss Goodrich spent some time in Europe in her young life because of her father’s health. While there, she studied art. When she returned to the United States she had to make a choice between a life of producing art or a life of service. She chose the latter.

Miss Goodrich made it her purpose and mission to help the Southern Highland women in North Carolina and east Tennessee. She saw the poverty, but was impressed by the work by many women in that area. Her goals were to educate, enable the women to be proud of what they produced and to raise their standard of living. On horseback, she went from community to community, at first, meeting the women and taking note of their skills. Many women had weaving drafts that had been passed down through their families, some were spinners, some were dyers and some were weavers. Miss Goodrich collected the weaving drafts and dyeing recipes and connected the women with each other by founding the Allanstand Cottage Industries in North Carolina. It is now called the Allanstand Craft Shop at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

Miss Goodrich was not a weaver, but understood the drafts, learning the notations and vocabulary. She beautifully painted many of the weaving drawdowns, making her own graft paper and translating the scraps of handed down paper to what we know as a weaving draft today.

The Brown Book of Weaving Drafts has predominately overshot drafts which is what the women were weaving, to use as coverlets. There are a few drafts that are not coverlet drafts. There are photos of the original scraps of paper, the translated pages of the scraps of paper, the beautifully illustrated drawdowns, photos of some of the weaving samples and coverlets and finally the computer generated translations of the Miss Goodrich’s drafts.

There is also one chapter on dyeing and it is very interesting to read how the women dyed. The chapter starts off with a warning, but it is very interesting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in weaving especially, but also history and dyeing. It is humbling to read how folks did so much with so little. It is inspiring. The book also has many four harness drafts and much information. It would be a nice and valuable addition to any fiber artist’s library.

Weaving Guilds of Oregon (WeGO) and Association of Northwest Weavers (ANWG) news.

The Bend Retreat is Friday, September 11^th, Saturday, September 12^th and Sunday, September 13^th, at Mt. Bachelor Village. The workshop teachers will be: Sarah Lamb, who will be teaching a workshop on “Spin to Weave” and Robyn Spady who will be leading a workshop called, “Extreme Warp Makeover.” Sunday is a half day workshop by Robyn Spady and is called, “Tips and Tricks.” It is an additional $30. The registration for these classes opens March 1^st, 2015, and the workshop/classes are limited to 35 participants per class. The cost estimate is between $250/$265 per person and includes meals lodging and workshop.

Registration applications have been sent out. They will also be attached to this newsletter and will be mailed to those who receive the newsletter by postal mail.

• Anyone interested in taking the Heather Winslow workshop Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, April 22-24 in Medford (approx. $110) will need to send a deposit of $50 by Feb 10th. Contact info: Gloria Way gloway2010@gmail.com 541-621-8136. The workshop is on the Theo Moorman inlay technique for weaving.

Summer Workshop

We are still planning on having a Summer Dyeing Workshop in Langell Valley on Tuesday July 14^th. This will be a fun Day of dyeing roving and yarn with Aleatha and Amber, the force behind the Spinja Fiber Arts. Aleatha and Amber dye and spin fiber and yarn for various events like the Black Sheep Gathering and Knitters West. Come ready to learn and to laugh!

If you are interested please send your registration to Liz Hubbard at 37820 Jones Rd., Bonanza, Oregon 97623 as soon as possible. You do not need to pay for the workshop until June. It is $50 to Guild members. $75 for Non-members. We need 10 people to have the workshop! So far we have 7 people signed up.

Guild Postcard

Marisa has been working on the guild postcard and it is looking great! Thanks Marisa! Possibly we’ll view it at the March meeting.

Shops with Classes around the Area

Laize Dayz Yarn and Tea Shop, 2617 Pershing Way, Klamath Falls, OR 541-892-6856. www.laizedayz.com

The Websters, 11 Main St. Ashland, OR 541-482-9801. www.yarnatwebsters.com

Warner Mountain Weavers, 459 S. Main St., Cedarville, CA,530-279-2164. Email: warnertmtnweavers@citlink.com Open Thursday- Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

Middleford Yarn & Stitchery Shoppe, 30 N. Central Ave. ( new address), Medford, OR 97501. 541-734-8800. www.miyarn.com

Eugene Textile Center, 1510 Jacobs Drive, Eugene, OR 97402, 541-688-1565, www.eugenetextilecenter.com

Events

Tuesday Gatherings at Leap of Taste for Fiber Working and Tea Sipping, 9:30 am, 907 Main St.

Bring Your Own Craft evening at the Klamath County Library, the third Tuesday of the month which is Janurary 17th, 5:30pm.

1860s Days

There was a very good turnout representing the guild at the 1860s Days event at the county museum and well received by visitors.

Sandra, Kathy, Marjorie, Josie, Jaclyn and Karen demonstrated spinning, inkle weaving, inkle card weaving, and table loom weaving, as well as wool hand carding. Woven, crocheted, and knitted items were also on display. Fun was had by all.
;-)
Karen

Thanks you to everyone who demonstrated at the 1860’s Days!

Heritage Days- Living history encampment at the Fort Klamath Museum. May 23-24. Free admission. (Thursday and Friday are field trip days for school children, mainly in the fourth grades throughout the county. Saturday and Sunday are open to the public. The spinners and weavers usually have use of the museum’s three-sided canvas tent for demonstration and talks during school tours on both days, and the rest of the weekend. It can be blustery and cold, so all that wool spun, knit or woven can be worn for warmth!)

Friday, May 15, Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 Fiber in the Forest, Camp Myrtlewood, 40 miles west of I-5. www.campmyrtlewood.org and www.eugenetextilecenter.com

Friday, June 19 , Saturday, June 20th and Sunday, June 21st , Black Sheep Gathering, Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene, Oregon, www.blacksheepgathering.org

Friday, through Sunday, September 11-13, 2015, Bend Weaving and Spinning Workshops, Mt. Bachelor Village, Sarah Lamb and Robyn Spady teachers. Registration opens March 1^st. limited to 35 people per class/workshop. Estimated cost: $250-$265 including meals, lodging and workshops.

Classified

Looking for someone to take over the newsletter. My last issue will be June 2015. I will be happy to help the new newsletter person get started. Contact: Sharon – ballen004@yahoo.com

If you have any way to take pictures at Guild happenings, please send any that you would want to share to Kathy Nelson (neks1@earthlink.net) and she will send them to WeGO and they may post them on their website.

Please change Judy Olson’s email on your Contact List to: olsonju1@gmail.com

If you would like to continue to keep getting the newsletter, and haven’t paid the annual Guild dues by June, I will assume that you would like to be taken off our mailing list. I will be transitioning this newsletter to the new person along with the June paid membership list. Thank you.

Some Websites to check out: all are very nice and interesting!

www.spinjafiberarts.com

www.spadystudios.com

www.saralamb.com

Sunday, February 1, 2015

KLAMATH SPINNERS’ & WEAVERS’ GUILD NEWS February 2015

By Sharon 541-891-0817 ballen004@yahoo.com

Website: www.KlamathSWguild.blogspot.com

A very big THANK YOU to Margery Brick for a great meeting on backstrap weaving last month. It was a good time and it looked like folks were enjoying learning how to set up a backstrap loom and weaving!

We also had a very important vote at the last meeting. Liz made a ballot of issues that we discussed and needed to decide on. It seems our guild is at a turning point. A good one at that. The guild voted and decided to: 1. Join the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce for one year. 2. Have a guild postcard to be available at some venues, so people will know we exist and how to contact us. 3. To help subsidize a one day Summer Dye Day on July 14^th. (application attached to this newsletter) and 4. To raise guild dues to $15/year.

Here is the Guild’s agenda for the 2014-2015 year.

February – Card weaving hosted by Kathy Nelson March – A bring your current project work day.

April – Art yarn- bring a yarn you have worked on and also bring your wheel to learn a new one at the meeting. May – Wet felting hosted by Susan Schuette.

June - Carding and Blending by Sharon; bring fibers and carders and it is also the guild annual potluck.

The back room at the Klamath County Museum has been reserved for our meetings once a month until June.

The Guild sometimes meets informally in the summer for dyeing or fiber working.

News About A New Meeting Place

At the last meeting, Danita Brown offered the guild a new place to meet. She and her husband, Brian has offered their building that was previously a church and a living space. They have offered it free of charge. The guild would need to pay for electricity of heaters when we use them. The building is located at the corner of 9^th and Plum Streets in downtown Klamath Falls. The building was built in the 1930’s or 1940’s. Danita has offered a generous portion of the main room that has many windows and much light. There is a sunroom that adjoins the big room and we may share the use of that also. There will be a bathroom for us to use in the building. Right now, the Browns are working on clearing the space as the previous owner had lived there for about 40 years. He passed away and the Browns are distributing his things.

A committee looked at the building and it looks like it would be a nice place to work and meet. We could keep looms and our library there. Our rent for the use of the room at the Klamath County Museum is paid through June. The possiblility of moving to the building would be after that.

This Month’s Meeting

This month our meeting will Tuesday, February 10^th at 10am in the back room of the Klamath County Museum, 1451 Main St., at the corner of Main and Spring Streets. This month we will be learning and doing card weaving with Kathy Nelson leading us.

Here is the materials list from Kathy:

Attention all card weavers ! I’m excited – hope you are too! (Call Kathy Nelson if you need more info.)
For the February 10th card weaving activity you will need:

• Four hole cards (can be home made from playing cards or store bought) – at least 12 cards or more depending on your pattern
• Band weaving shuttle with knife edge –OR if you don’t have this, bring your tongue depressor from January or a ruler, and I’ll show you how to make a weft butterfly
• A pattern you have chosen (see some possibilities on handout Sharon sent as an attachment Jan 14th or in this month’s newsletter - there are also many online). If you choose before the meeting you will better know how much yarn and what colors you will need. Choose one that is not too complicated if is your first time I will also have some patterns at the meeting, and check the attachment.
• Yarn - something like #3 crochet yarn or 8/4 carpet warp is a nice first weight – at least two colors, or however many you need for your pattern. At this size yarn, you get an inch wide band with 16 cards. Plan 1 ½ -2 yards of warp length (ex. bookmarks, or a hat band), so you will need 6-8 yards per card (4 holes) times # of cards in your pattern
• “loom” - A 12” or so piece of dowel and your backstrap from January’s class, and some heavier string or twine to tie it on. If you have access to an inkle loom, this works well, too.
• C-clamps or a warping board would be helpful, but not totally necessary – for winding the warp
(See also attached handouts. Call Kathy Nelson if you need more info.)

For those of you in the Spinning Challenge

Last month was actually the end of the Spinning Challenge, but we didn’t get to share our yarns and tell about them. Please bring your Susan dark llama yarn, spun plain and altered to the meeting this month!

From the Guild Library by Karen Williams for:

February 2015

[Our guild is 47 years old in July 2015!]

Greer, Gertrude. Adventures in Weaving, 1^st printing 1951, Chas. A. Bennett Co., Inc. Publishers, 425 pages. Part of the guild library, graciously donated by Liz Hubbard!

This is a rather diverse text for beginners and more advanced weavers. An internet search yielded nothing regarding Ms. Greer, however her book, Adventures in Weaving, has many flat black and white and color photos of weaving samples completed by Washington and Oregon weavers (members of Northwest Weavers’ Guilds, primarily) as well as a few samples from Swedish weavers. There is a strong influence of Swedish weaving throughout the text. Featured are original drafts and designs by the author, and some discussion of a Jack Lenor Larsen’s work, and special weaving techniques of a Margaret Bergman. Also of mention are Ukrainian (in Canada) and Canadian weaving, use of weaving in schools, church-themed laces and use of Braille drafts for blind weavers. There is a Weaver’s Library list included which has early weaving references.
Truly this is an intriguing glimpse of weavers’ craft in the mid-twentieth century; a treasury of the past.

( I also left in the card weaving references Karen contributed from the last newsletter…. Sharon)

Note: Here are a few more potential references for card weaving:
Crockett, Candace. Card Weaving. 1991, Interweave, 144 pages.
Collingwood, Peter. The Techniques of Tablet Weaving. 2002, Robin & Russ Handweavers, 320 pages.
Mullarkey, John and Marilyn Emerson Holtzer. A Tablet Weaver’s Pattern Book, 2007, Mularkey Crafts, 87 pages.
Snow, Marjorie and William Snow. Step-by-Step Tablet Weaving, 1973, Golden Press, 80 pages.

And others…

Weaving Guilds of Oregon (WeGO) and Association of Northwest Weavers (ANWG) news.

• Bend is hoping we can provide 2 people to help with registration, directions, etc Thursday evening before the Retreat (Sept 10th – 5 to 7 pm or so ) I am willing to do it – any other takers? Contact Sharon or Kathy (it wouldn’t hurt to have another person…)

• We might want to add a discussion of goodie bag and name tag help for the Retreat at our March Guild meeting. Also, Name Tag Committee has met, planned and started making (mostly Karen) fall color inkle bands for the name tags. This could be a great use for you card woven band if you don’t know what else you plan to do with it!

Also:

ANWG is recruiting for a membership chairman. two hours a week in high season, otherwise one hour per week. work done on home computer - (one meeting a year). She will train. For more info contact: Christine Bunnell woodtick50@aol.com

Heather Winslow Workshop

Summer Workshop

The Guild voted and decided to subsidize the Summer Dye Day Workshop, July 14^th in Langell Valley. Some of the choices are: washing and dyeing raw wool, kettle dyeing, fractured dyes, ombre colors on yarn, and yarn painting. Thank you Liz for organizing this.

Guild Postcard

Marisa has been working on the guild postcard and has a rough draft, possibly ready for viewing at the February guild meeting. Thank you Marisa.

Shops with Classes around the Area

Laize Dayz Yarn and Tea Shop, 2617 Pershing Way, Klamath Falls, OR 541-892-6856. www.laizedayz.com

The Websters, 11 Main St. Ashland, OR 541-482-9801. www.yarnatwebsters.com

Warner Mountain Weavers, 459 S. Main St., Cedarville, CA,530-279-2164. Email: warnertmtnweavers@citlink.com Open Thursday- Saturday, 10am to 5pm.

Middleford Yarn & Stitchery Shoppe, 30 N. Central Ave. ( new address), Medford, OR 97501. 541-734-8800. www.miyarn.com

Eugene Textile Center, 1510 Jacobs Drive, Eugene, OR 97402, 541-688-1565, www.eugenetextilecenter.com

Events

Tuesday Gatherings at Leap of Taste for Fiber Working and Tea Sipping, 9:30 am, 907 Main St.

Bring Your Own Craft evening at the Klamath County Library, the third Tuesday of the month which is Janurary 20th, 5:30pm.
1860s Days- A living history day at the Klamath County Museum will feature presentations by the Cascade Civil War Society and The Spinners and Weavers Guild. See a replica of a Civil War-era cannon. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, February 21^st, 2015. Free Admission. (Generally participants are encouraged to wear period clothing, but anyone is welcome to attend and spin or weave!)
Heritage Days- Living history encampment at the Fort Klamath Museum. May 23-24. Free admission. (Thursday and Friday are field trip days for school children, mainly in the fourth grades throughout the county. Saturday and Sunday are open to the public. The spinners and weavers usually have use of the museum’s three-sided canvas tent for demonstration and talks during school tours on both days, and the rest of the weekend. It can be blustery and cold, so all that wool spun, knit or woven can be worn for warmth!)
Friday, May 15, Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17 Fiber in the Forest, Camp Myrtlewood, 40 miles west of I-5. www.campmyrtlewood.org and www.eugenetextilecenter.com
Friday, June 19 , Saturday, June 20th and Sunday, June 21st , Black Sheep Gathering, Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene, Oregon, www.blacksheepgathering.org
September 11-13, 2015, Bend Weaving and Spinning Workshops, Mt. Bachelor Village, Sarah Lamb and Robyn Spady teachers. Registration opens March 1^st. limited to 35 people per class/workshop. Estimated cost: $250-$265 including meals, lodging and workshops.

Classified

Looking for someone to take over the newsletter. My last issue will be June 2015. I will be happy to help the new newsletter person get started. Contact: Sharon – ballen004@yahoo.com

Please note: There will be 4 attachments to this newsletter. 1. Dye Day Application 2. Card weaving materials list. 3. Patterns for Card weaving. 4. Heather Winslow workshop information. If you cannot see these attachments, please contact me and I will send them snail mail to you! 541-891-0817, ballen004@yahoo.com

The Chinese Astrology sign for 2015 is the Sheep!
Thanks to Karen for noting this!