President's Column
by Jennifer
Lackey
It’s Olympic
season and several of our Guild members have been enjoying a super fun,
online version through Ravelry called the Ravellenic Games. If you aren’t
playing or following along, you really should participate, because, for
me, that’s what the Olympics are all about: participation. Yes, it’s a
chance for the best athletes in the world to show how amazing they are,
but I’m always so pleased to see athletes who know they have no chance of
winning and who still look just absolutely thrilled when they simply
finish their event. Their joy and enthusiasm at participating and
representing the ideals of togetherness and unity are infectious. And no,
I’m not trying to weigh in on the controversy surrounding the Hungarian
freeskier in the halfpipe who so obviously didn’t belong at this elite
level of competition! I haven’t decided what I think there. But, it did
get me thinking about how I truly love the spirit of the Olympics: a mix
of athletes of different ethnicities, different political ideologies,
different skill levels and different talents, all coming together to
share an experience with one another. Given this spirit of togetherness
and love of their craft, how could the Olympics not inspire a similar
event among the fiber world!?! Some of you may be cynical about the
Olympics (and trust me, I feel that sometimes too), but I feel zero
cynicism about our group!! We value each other and our talents and we
want to share them with each other and with the world. This is a
rare and beautiful thing. So, this month at our Guild meeting, our
“event” will be curling…kidding! It’s drop spindling. I hope you’ll all
come out and participate!
Next Monthly Meeting
Saturday,
March 10, 2018
10 a.m.
Hoover Church of
Christ
Program: Drop spindle spinning
This month Karen Ford
will lead the group in drop spindle spinning. The drop spindle is an
amazing invention; both ancient and portable, yet still providing a great
way to spin yarn. It is the perfect gateway tool into the world of
spinning! We hope that you join us, whether you've never spun before or
are a seasoned spinner! We look forward to sharing our love of spinning
with everyone!
The guild will be
providing approximately 1 ounce of BFL top (sheep wool) per member. If
you require other fibers, please bring them with you.
If you already own a drop
spindle, please bring it in with you. A limited number of beginner drop
spindles will be available for use during the program (top whorl, 1.8
ounces). If you would like to keep your beginner spindle, the guild will
be offering them for sale at $4 each. Please bring cash, check,
or PayPal to the meeting to purchase the spindle.
Doing
our "due diligence"...Dues are due!
If you have not paid your 2018 guild dues
($25), please do so by February 28. You may pay by cash/check at the
February meeting or mail your check to Jennifer Lackey, 1907 Saulter
Road, Birmingham, AL 35209, or send it to the PO BOX still in use: GBFG,
PO Box 660723, Birmingham, AL 35266.
Dues also can be
paid using PayPal. Mark it "Friends/family" and NOT
"Goods/services." Use this link:
paypal.me/GBFiberGuild or use our gmail account gbfiberguild@gmail.com
Ravellenics:
we're raving over your accomplishments
Members of the Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild joined together on
Ravelry and celebrated the Ravellenics during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
In addition to posting our progress online, we had a small party at both
the opening and the closing ceremonies. At the closing ceremonies we
awarded some prizes and showed off our finished objects. Congratulations
to all our participants and a big "thank you" to our team
captain, Rosalynn!
Cochineal
Natural Dye: an invitation to learn more
This item came to us through email and we're passing it along.
"My name is Lorenzo Perez, I'm cochineal farmer from Canary Islands
dedicated to producing high grade cochineal. I'd love to share to
with your Guild Association a report on the Turkey Red Journal about our
natural dye. http://turkeyredjournal.com/perez.html
If you are interested in this natural dye and need more information,
please don't hesitate to contact back.
Thank you very much!" Best regards, Lorenzo Pérez
Preview
of coming attractions: guild programs through summer
Here's a brief look at
what we have planned for the next few months. More details for each
program will be in the monthly newsletter preceding the program. All programs are subject to change,
and are not final.
April
We will have a discussion on our favorite notions. Bring your favorite
notion(s) to share with the group. Please limit your selection to no
more than three notions.
May
Annual Guild Picnic. Please bring a dish to share. Location TBD.
June
Worldwide Knit in
Public Day with the Hoover Public Library. We will meet
at the Hoover Public Library this month.
July
No meeting this month.
Look
what we did last month!
Ruth Truett did a stellar job instructing February's attendees in the art
of weaving yarn rosettes. Here are some images provided primarily by
Nancy Clemmons. Our group
shots had so many happy faces that it was impossible to include them and
still abide by stated wishes not to have members' likenesses appear
online; so...that called for some close cropping.
Ruth Truett, our gracious instructor, with some of her beautiful
rosette-adorned pincushions in the foreground at left:
Here is an immediate use one of our members found for the two rosettes
she made on February 10:
Thanks, everyone, for a great time of learning and crafting together in
February!
Tatting
Study Group update
The Tatting Study group will be working on a new pattern,
"Rosaleen." Here's a photo of the thread selected for this
upcoming "tat along" (TAL) project:
Workshops
Backstrap Weaving
Workshops in April are almost full!
Laverne Waddington is returning in April to teach two workshops on
backstrap weaving! This year she will be teaching her beginning workshop,
Complementary-warp Pick-up, followed by a workshop for experienced
backstrap weavers, Double Weave. More information is available on the
guild's online sites. Registration opened for members on February 14 and
there are only 1 or 2 seats available at the time of this writing.
Complementary-warp Pick-up will be April 2 and 3. That is Monday and
Tuesday after Easter. Double Weave will be April 4 and 5 (Wednesday and
Thursday).
If you are interested, email workshops@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com to find out if
there is still space!
Membership
Dues & Renewal
The
new membership year starts in January. Annual dues are $25. Please pay
your 2018 dues by February 28. Thank you! You may pay by cash/check
at the meeting, or mail your check to Jennifer Lackey, 1907 Saulter Road,
Birmingham, AL 35209, or send it to the PO BOX still in use: GBFG, PO Box
660723, Birmingham, AL 35266.
Dues also can be paid using PayPal. Mark it “friends/family”
and NOT “goods/services”. Use this
link: paypal.me/GBFiberGuild or use our gmail account gbfiberguild@gmail.com
We want to know about you! If you haven't
completed a new Membership Form this year, please do so. Your answers to
a few simple questions help the Board keep track of all our members to
make sure you receive the newsletter and other communications. This form
of information sharing also gives us an idea of what fiber arts you're
interested in, so we can plan workshops and programs accordingly. Please
submit the form with your check to Nancy Lavender when you renew your
membership for 2018. You can also copy, paste and email the form to membership@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com.
Member information form 2018
Name:
Email address:
Ravelry name:
Phone number:
Address:
Fiber crafts you do: ☐
Spinning ☐ Knitting
☐
Weaving ☐ Crochet
☐
Sewing ☐ Tatting
☐
Quilting ☐
Embroidery ☐ Other
(please describe):
Are there any programs or workshops you would like to
give?
Are there any programs or workshops you would like take?
Guild
goings-on
Knit Night in the
Forest
First Monday of the month, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Vestavia Hills Public Library, Treehouse Room
We are thrilled to have a new night-time
knitting group in our area! Knit Night in the Forest is officially kicked
off, in conjunction with the Vestavia Hills Public Library! We had a full
house on Feb. 5 and it was a great time of stitching, chatting with
friends old and new, and even handing out some fun door prizes. (We actually kind of
"wowed" the library staff with our great turnout!)
This pilot program will continue through May 2018 (with the
option to extend depending on turn out). Knit Night in the Forest will be
held the first Monday of the month from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the
Treehouse of the Vestavia Library. This room is downstairs and has the
best view of the forest behind the library. While this
event is listed as a "knit night," any and all fiber arts
are welcome! Find our Ravelry thread for Knit Night here.
This Knit Night is posted on the Vestavia Library events calendar: https://vestavialibrary.org/events/
The Vestavia Hills Public Library is located at:
1221 Montgomery Highway
Vestavia Hills AL 35216
(And here's a little reminder of what the acronyms mean:
KAL - knit along
TAL - tat along
CAL - crochet along
WAL - weave along
SAL - spin along
FAL - finish along)
KAL
- Sweet Dreams by Boo Knits (or any Boo Knits pattern)
In progress
Pattern can be bought on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sweet-dreams-17
The new Knit Night in the Forest group will be working on this beaded
lace shawl starting in January 2018. We’d love for you to join us for the
KAL or just come hang out at Knit Night!
CAL
– Sophie’s Garden by Dedri Uys
Start Date: Spring 2018
Free pattern can be found at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sophies-garden and https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sophies-universe-cal
You’re invited to a garden party!
The Crochet and Tatting Study Group will be hosting
a crochet-a-long. The CAL will be taking a stroll through Sophie’s Garden. If you want to continue past Sophie’s
Garden, you can expand into Sophie’s Universe!
Attendance at the Tuesday Crochet and Tatting gatherings is not required.
Expected start date is Spring 2018. We’d love for any and all to join us!
WAL
Start Date: undetermined
Weavers, often (due to the combersome nature of their equipment)
independent in their work, find a WAL awkward. We hope that sharing
progress and questions, photos and milestones on Ravelry will improve the
experience. At the moment, we are finishing up a fall WAL using
overshot. Watch for news of at least one new WAL for 2018!
FAL
In progress
With all of life's distractions, not to mention the siren call of new
projects, sometimes we forget about the put-aside-just-for-a-minute
projects. Our Ravelry group will host a FAL (Finish-along) or two
this year, giving those who want it a period of time to focus on clearing
out at least a few unfinished pieces. One began on Jan. 3, to
last 6 weeks. The other will be showing up in June.
Tour de Fleece
Dates: July 7 - July 29, 2018
The Guild forms a wildcard team for the Tour de Fleece called Team Vulcan
Spinners. The goal is to challenge yourself and spin every day the Tour
de France rides, if possible. We share our progress and encourage each
other along the way! More details can be found on the Guild's Ravelry
page closer to July.
The
Guild on the Web
Between
newsletters and meetings, keep up with the guild on the web at:
If you don't want to miss new posts to the
guild blog, you can choose to receive new posts by email. Go to the blog
and look for "Follow by Email" on the right hand side of the
page. Type your email address in the window and click "Submit."
If you want to have something posted on the blog, send it to blog@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com.
You can post to the
guild's Facebook page yourself! The page manager shares information and
posts that she receives on the guild's Facebook group page and keeps
Facebook users up to date on what is going on in the guild.
Ravelry isn't just for knitters anymore. Crocheters, weavers, and
spinners all upload photos, project information, and patterns.
Find helpful information on participating in the Ravelry guild group
on the blog, http://greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com/2015/04/gbfg-on-ravelry.html
Study
Groups Meet Monthly
- First Thursday Spinning and Weaving Group: Spin
& Weave Night, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church
in Hoover (on Patton Chapel Rd, across from Hoover Church of
Christ). Park behind the church, come in the large glass doors, walk
toward the happy, loud voices. Everyone is welcome! Contact
Kathryn Pitt at kjpitt@gmail.com for
details.
- Spinning Study Group: 4th Wednesday
of the month, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at St. Peter’s Church in
Hoover. Please check out the GBFG Blog for cancellations
or schedule changes.
- Knit Night in the Forest: 1st Monday
of the month, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Vestavia Hills Public
Library. Please see Ravelry for more
details.
- Trish Raczynski is hosting a tatting and
crochet group. Please check the group discussion thread
on Ravelry for more information.
Newsletter
news
If there's
something you'd like to share in the monthly newsletter, let us know.
Suggestions:
- book reviews
- fiber-related articles or web pages we can attach
or link (within copyright allowances)
- your fiber questions to which you would love
answers or suggestions from other guild members
- tips you've discovered and used that make your fiber art
a little bit easier
Please send your
newsletter submissions by the 15th of the month to go into the following
month's newsletter. Email me at betsy@vhbc.com and put GBFG
Newsletter in the subject line. Corrections are also encouraged; we want
to get correct info out and anything wrong corrected as soon as possible.
Thanks!
Greater
Birmingham Fiber Guild
The
Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild is comprised of individuals dedicated to
the dissemination and preservation of fiber arts. Meetings are the second
Saturday of the month, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (no meeting in July).
Visitors are welcome. The Guild offers programs almost monthly, focused
workshops several times a year, and equipment rental (see below).
2018
Officers and Board
Jennifer
Lackey, President
Rekha Drwiega,
Programs
Mary Spanos &
Mary Margaret Gray, Workshops
Chloe
Hope, Membership
Nancy Lavender,
Treasurer
Shira
Robinowich-Miller, Secretary
Barbara Gower with
Kathryn Pitt & Janna Ford, Social Media/Blog
Betsy Lowery, Newsletter
Rental
of Guild Equipment & Materials
The
Guild has available, for rental to members, the following:
- Lucy Neatby's
DVD knitting collection (more info on this
resource)
- Drum Carder
- Laura Fry's Magic
in the Water book and DVD
- 4-harness
table loom (Jennifer Lackey)
There
will be a $30 deposit per DVD (Lucy Neatby) and $100 deposit for the drum
carder. Deposit for Laura Fry's materials still to be
determined. The rental fee for all items is $5 per month
rented. Equipment can be checked out at Fiber Guild monthly
meetings; please check with Jennifer Lackey. Deposit checks will be held
by Nancy Lavender, treasurer, until checked-out items are returned in
original condition.
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