October & November Meetings

First here are some pictures of some alpaca I had spun up last month. As you can see, the fiber is purchased (Knit Wits). I don't have yardage, etc with me just now.. But I believe it was 7 oz of fiber and I got about 500 yards.


I am sorry for not posting in such a long time. October is MOHAIR month!! Our meeting last night (10/18/07) was fun. We had three new spinners come and join us and we hope they will both be back for our November meetings. Reminder: Our November 1 meeting - we will be upstairs - either in the Chapel or upstairs near the pool table.



One of our newbies does not spin, but raises alpacas!! She had some fiber with her that she skirted while we all spun & Kat crocheted!! All in all - it was a fun evening.



Here is what's new:





Jaci is looking at getting some sample swatches. Anyone intereted in volunteering to either spin or knit a swatch - please let Jaci know at one of our meetings.



Brooke is putting together a presentation board. So any pictures you have of spinning or fibery stuff, bring to a meeting to add to our board.



Jaci had business cards made up and stickers for the back so folks would have a little map of how to find us - very cool.



Sunday, November 1: We are looking for 3 spinners to do their spinning thing for a living history gig. The hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are available, let me know.

OK, Gotta run. I hope to see everyone at the November 1 meeting.

September Meetings

It has been waaay too long since I posted and I am sorry. September's fiber is tensil. If you are having trouble finding it, check out KnitWits (paradise, Ca). They have our list of fibers and have rovings in stock.

Our September dates are the 6th & 20th. Bring a friend - or 2.

Yes, I am still here.

Greetings fellow spinners. First the bad news.. due to not fault of my own, in setting up and them about 10 minutes later, canceling a gmail account, somehow ,managed to delete MY BLOG!! the picutres, the posts, the heartache of it all!

Most of us were finally able to track down bamboo - Our July 19th meeting is coming quick and we can share stories of our bamboo spinning. (Mine sheds, yours??).

Remember, if you wish to do the "fiber of the month" - August is silk. Check out KnitWits - as I believe they have silk in stock. Until the 19th - happy spinning. If you see my blog - put her back where she belongs!!

June is BAMBOO month!

Our fiber of the month for June is bamboo. I am still spinning the alpaca from May (will it ever all spin up??). I swear - 7 oz of fiber has NEVER taken so long to spin. It's never-ending.)

Jaci has worked fearlessly on the fair - Heatherly has posted pics on her blog & sent an email with a link to the Butte County Fair - check it out at www.buttecountyfair.org - quickly dear spinners - entries are due by July 20th. I know I was a complete and totally slacker and did not get any entries in for the other fairs. I hope to make up for it by submitting at least one entry in the Butte CountyFair.

Here is my challenge to you (for those who attend our guild meetings): For every entry you submit to the fair - you name will go into a hat for a spinny prize. Everyone who enters an item in the fair will receive something from PSG. Lets represent spinning locally and enter in the fair!!

See ya'll on June 7 for our next guild meeting. Bring a friend, bring some fiber - remember you do not have to spin bamboo next month. We will have fun facts about this fiber and for those who are spinning - we'll tell you what we think about it!!

Fiber

It's been awhile, but I found the pictures I was looking for - most of them anyway. From left to right: the first picture is of some dirty fleese Ruth (The Dizzy Ewe) and I purchased when she was up to teach some classes. The middle picture is a "before and after" - Ruth was kind enough to show me how to clean fleese (such a perfect house guest that Ruth, I tell ya). The last picture is of the fiber she displayed at our regular Thursday night guild meeting. When Heatherly walked into the room and saw the fiber she actually let out a little sqeal/sqeek sound!! I love it - We all had a great time and enjoyed the three days that Ruth spent with us. She attended out Guild meeting on Thursday night - nothing formal, just hanin' out and spinning. On Friday she did a class on Woolen and Worsted - we all got to touch and feel dirty and cleaned fiber (see picture above) and try combs - we were running short on time so not everone got to try the carders, but all in all we learned a ton!! Saturday was our dyeing class "graduated shades from a single pot" - pictures of that in another post.

June's fiber is BAMBOO!

May is Alpaca month

Our next guild meeting will be Thursday, May 17. Sad to say that I will be out of town and will miss the fun. Last night we had a nice meeting - A bit of Alpaca handspun was on hand for anyone who wanted to try few rows on a swatch. I was spinning some alpaca, others wool and buffalo.

Jaci shares pictures of her new lambs (cute as buttons) and gave us an update on the Fair. We were discussing the decline in fiber art type entries and I got to thinking (danger!!) - If you are too late to enter your hand spun or other fiber art in your local fair, please make an effort to attend the fair - stop by and show your support. Mark your calendars now for next year.

Knitting and spinning seem to be more popular now than ever. Lets get the buzz going and start entering our handspun in fairs.

June is bamboo - i'll find links for purchasing.

Three Days With The Dizzy Ewe

The Paradise Spinning Guild was lucky to have Ruth, owner of The Dizzy Ewe (a fiber evangelist/enabler) come visit Paradise and hang out with us.

The first picture is from Thursday's Guild meeting - we were in fiber heaven. The next picture is a "before and after" of some woolies that Ruth and I "found" on Friday while we were out and about. We washed the wool in my basement sink and took the wool to the Woolen and Worsted class on Friday evening. On Saturday, Ruth and some brave folks invated KnitWits - and did some dyeing of woolies - the last 2 pics are of my attempt - the finished strands and then a bit of some spinning on the bobbin.




On Thursday, Ruth attended our regular Guild meeting and was on hand and available to assist as needed.





On Friday, Ruth was our instructor for "Spinning Woolen and Worsted" - we all had an opportunity to try out combs and some had time to try their hand at carders - before we realized time was running short.





On Saturday, we just beat the rain at her class "Graduated Shades from a Single Pot"

Fiber-fest - April 19 - 21, 2007

Are you planning on attending one or all of the classes offered from the Paradise Spinning Guild? If so, let me know - hit the email at the top of the blog.

Saturday, April 21 - "Graduated Shades from a Single Pot" - the instructor has suggested that you wear grungy clothes, bring an apron and rubber gloves. Dyeing yarn can be messy business!!

Friday, April 20 "Spinning Woolen and Worsted" class. If you have combs, please bring them - a limited number of hand carders and drum carders will be made availalbe. If you have your own, feel free to bring them - to use yourself or share.

We need headcounts for confirming class supplies. Please let us know if you will attend!!

Fiber-Fest - RSVP NOW!!

Thursday, April 19, 2007. 5:30p - 7:30p. Paradise Spinning Guild. Lean to spin! Bring your wheel, drop spindle and fiber if you have them. Our special guest will be RUTH NORTHROP. Members of the PSG will be on hand to teach spinning to anyone who is interested.
PLEASE RSVP BY POSTING A COMMENT OR SENDING ME AN EMAIL.

Friday, April 20, 2007. 5:30p - 7:30p "Spinning Worsted & Woolen" by RUTH NORTHROP.

Saturday, April 21, 2007 10a - 3p (lunch on your own from 12-1). "Graduated Shades From a Single Pot" by RUTH NORTHROP.

**There a small fees for these classes. Please post a comment and/or send me an email for specific locations and fees. (Ranging from $5.00 to $25, depending on pre-registration or pay at the door)

Silver Dollar Fair

I wanted to give ya'll some information on the Silver Dollar Fair, that Jaci provided:

There are 5 classes for handspun:

wool - 2ply - white or natural colored
wool - 2 ply - natural dyes
alpaca - 2 ply - any color
any handspun, any ply, any color
item made from handspun

The deadline for registering about 3 weeks away (April 20), entries must be received on 5.18 or 5/19.

Jaci thinks that you can get an application on line for the handspun.

Fiber of the Month

Jaci was kind enough to get this done at our last Guild Meeting in my absence. We have randomly selected fibers for each month. While not required, the "featured" fiber will be the topic of discussion at that month's meeting. If you'd like, spin that fiber, bring something you have knit up in that fiber, etc.

Mark your calendars:

May - alpaca
June - bamboo
July - dryer fluff/dog/milkweed/other odd things
August - silk
Sept. - tensil
Oct - mohair
Nov - yak
Dec - cotton
Jan - llama
Feb - cashmere
March - camel

Upcoming Events

For those who missed the Guild meeting on 3/1/07 - Jaci demonstrated the Navajo plying technique - I think we were good students. No one stomped their foot and I didn't want to cry!! A good sign! (laughing).

March 15: Bring some green fiber to spin. On 3/1 Jaci provided into on the Sacramento County Fair. One of the events is "Best Spinner" - the comment was made that it would be fun to do some of the events at our guild meeting. For example: for "longest thread" contestants are given 10 grams of carded wool and allowed to spin for 20 minutes. Yarn will be judged for length and quality, was well as amount of fiber used." But here is my favoriate: (drats, can't find the exact language) the general idea is the spinner is given fiber, first you spin "regular"; then with rubber gloves on; then blindfolded!! How fun would that be??

March 15 will also be a night of long term planning for future meetings. Do you have a fiber you want to try? Are you a spindle spinner and want to try a wheel? or vice versa?? Come and share your ideas.

April 5 & 19 are our dates (the FIRST & THIRD of each month). Tell your friends, the more spinners the better!!

Sacramento County Fair

Please check out the following link: http://www.sacfair.com/html/comphand.asp for information on the Sacramento County Fair. Click on Adult Entries, then scroll down to "Open Wool Show & Sale" and/or "Spinning"

Jaci was kind enough to forward this link for posting on our blog and will have more information on the Butte County Fair when we meet on March 1.

March 1 Meeting: Some folks have indicated that they are too new at spinning to bring some yarn for a swap. That's OK - the Guild is for having fun and learning new things. Instead of a swap, please share with us what you are working on. We'll encourage you as you grow in your spinning skills! In reading emails, it appears that each meeting we grow by one or two. Please continue to share and bring friends to our meetings. We can't guarantee a lesson in learning to spin, but newbie spinners are welcome - a great place to find an experienced spinner to inquire about lessons outside of a Guild meeting!

Spinners and Knitters are some of the nicest people I know!!

A Great Opportunity

Calling all Spinners!! We have a great opportunity - (probably at one of our April Guild meetings) to have some great workshops. I had the opportunity today to talk with Ruth at The Dizzy Ewe - she mentioned that she may be interested in coming to our little town, attending one of our Guild meetings, do a demo on worsted vs. woolen spinning and then do a workshop on dyeing yarn!! All this is tentative, but if you are intersted, please post a comment here. The workshop on dyeing would be limited to about 10. The worsted vs. woolen demo would be for as many as we can fit in our guild meeting room?? See, it is all so new - I am not sure about limits on this part. Spread the word and think April - this gives us time to work out the kinks. Remember we meet the FIRST and THIRD Thursdsays of the month from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Leave a comment for location and/or supplies needed (if any) for any specific meeting.

Thank you Heather & March Guild Meetings

A big spinny THANK YOU to Heather, who was kind enough to demonstrate the Andean plying method. Three-thumbs Brooke actually got the hang of it!!

March 1: We will be doing a swap. Please bring one bobbin's worth of yarn you have spun. No limit to color, fiber, etc. Perhaps bring a bit of fiber - so your swap buddy can spin some too!

Jacki will be giving a demonstration on Navajo Plying. Bring a bobbin to ply with this technique. Check out http:///www.joyofhandspinning.com/spin-navajo-ply.html for a peek at what we will be learning on March 1.

March 15: Bring something green to spin in celebration of St. Patrick's Day!! You pick the fiber and be ready to share with everyone what you have selected - silk, hemp, linen, cotton?? The possibilities!!

Finally, for another source for fiber, check out The Dizzy Ewe in Rancho Cucamonga - Ruth takes phone orders. She carries fibers from this place: www.ashlandbay.com - prices range from about $1.80 an oz (Colonial in solids) to $3 an oz for merino/silk blends.

February 15 Guild Meeting

I know this post is rather late (I forgot the password). We are meeting again from 5:30 p to 7:30p at Feather Canyon Gracious Retirement Center. (through front doors, go straight back our room is just slightly to your left (past the sofas).

The demonstration will be on Andean plying. Bring a bobbin of yarn ready to ply. With the Andean plying method - you use a single source of yarn (taking both ends and plying until you get to the center). This is a real treat and could be the end of "scraps' on our bobbins.

Bring your wheels and/or drop spindles too. The demonstration will be first (while residences are having dinner). After the demo there will be time to spin, practice your new skills to plying and meeting other spinners.

We had a rather large group of men and woman who live at Feather Canyon come by and visit us - the last 30 - 45 minutes was spent answering their questions and getting to know them a bit better!!

March dates for guild meetings are the FIRST and the FIFTEENTH - mark your calendars now!!

NEWS FLASH: KnitWits will offer 15% off the first three wheels they order. I am already on the list. So, if you know of two more folks who are in the market for a wheel, call Knit Wits at 530-877-yarn. Also, if you have other Ashford supplies you need, let them know. Hurry now and place your order for a wheel!!

February 1 Meeting

Please join us for a fun 2 hours (5:30-7:30p). Bring your drop spindle, bring your wheel, bring whatever you are currently spinning!! We will be planning ahead and selecting "Fiber of the Month" selections.

You will not want to miss February 15 - we will have a demonstration on Andean plying!!

Want more info? Post a comment, send an email. We'd love to have you join us.

February Meetings

February 1st and 15th