Guild newsletter, August 2015

Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild P.O. Box 660723, Birmingham, AL 35266-0723   www.greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com

Newsletter of the Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild

President’s Column                                                     Hello Fiber Friends!   I don't know about you but my summer has managed to be pretty busy! I have tried to keep up with my spinning and knitting and my sewing.....I am only doing a fair job! In my defense, we did get some wonderful news on Father's Day.....we are going to become granparents in December! Our first! So my brain has been very, very busy.....thinking pink!   The Tour de Fleece was really a lot of fun! No I didn't have a completed hank at the end but I did figure out that sometimes it is the wheel that needs the work and not the Spinner:) I want to thank Kathryn and Shira for the great job they did with our Ravelry page for TdF! I loved seeing everyone's work.    We have been busy getting ready for the Dye Workshop! Debbie has done such a good and thorough job preparing for our day! The dyes are mixed and the sock blanks are waiting....I just have to decided what I want to do this time. Guess there will be a lot of sock knitting this winter!   See you dyers on the eighth!!!   Karen     GBFG Sock Blank Dyeing Workshop Saturday, August 8 10 a.m.     Parking – Due to the workshop being held at Karen’s home, and the large number of people (28) signed up, we are asking workshop participants to please park in the parking lot where the vacant Pier 1 is, located on Hwy 31 in Vestavia.  (SEE ADDRESS BELOW)  This is a large parking lot, we will be shuttling workshop participants to Karen’s home from there and we will be bringing you back. The shuttle will be running from 9:40 until 10:15.  This will make it easier for all of us.   This is adjacent to the Diplomat Deli (1425 Montgomery Hwy or Hwy 31) where we will be having our catered lunch.  We are asking members NOT to park in front of Diplomat Deli.  Thanks. What to wear:  COOL and old comfortable clothes, apron if desirable.   You will be standing for a length of time. What to bring:  Pair of rubber gloves, large old bath towel, at least two large trash bags to carry home your sock blanks, possibly a yard chair. GBFG will be catering lunch from the Diplomat Deli.  There will be chicken salad and a vegetarian option, along with chips, cookie, and bottled water.  If you have any dietary restrictions, such as gluten or dairy, we ask that you bring your own.  If you desire to have something else to drink besides water, bring that.  AlL food and water will be consumed away from the workshop area at lunchtime. WORKSHOP – We will be providing each workshop participant 2-sock blanks for you to work with.  The guild will be providing the dyes (all acid dyes).  These dyes are non-toxic as long as they are diluted in water, which we will be mixing ahead of time.  We want you to have fun! Due to the large amount of participants, we are asking that everyone be prompt, as we need to get started on time.  We ask that you be respectful to those who are leading the workshop, as it may be difficult to hear directions otherwise.  This will help us all!  We will be giving some basic directions at the beginning of the workshop for the dyeing, after you have received your sock blanks.  We will also give you a nametag to wear.   We will be shuttling you back to your car!  Look forward to seeing all of you!  CREATIVITY RULES THE SOCK BLANKS! Debbie Scott GBFG Workshop Chairperson   Bring Us Your Best for the Homewood Show It’s not too early to begin thinking about our annual guild exhibit at the Homewood Public Library, during the month of September, 2015.  Our theme this year is “Bring Us Your Best.”  Please consider displaying your best work from the past year, or any work you’re proud of that hasn’t been seen in public.  For the past ten years or more, the library has welcomed us to use the two large glass cases in the entrance foyer, as well as three table-top cases in the central hallway.  The exhibit will run through the month of September, and we will collect your work at the August guild meeting, returning your work at the October meeting.  We will have a sheet for you to fill out about the work you are leaving so you may want to make sure you know what type of yarn was used,etc.  If it not possible for you to bring your work to the August meeting, please email Mary Kaiser at Migkaiser@aol.com  to arrange for pickup.  This is a great opportunity for guild members who do not sell their work to shine in a museum-quality setting, and it’s also a way for professional fiber artists in the guild to reach a wide audience.   Knitting Class this Fall Mary Kaiser will be offering Beginning and Advanced Knitting at ArtPlay this fall.  ArtPlay is the educational wing of the UAB’s Alys Stephens Center, and is housed in a beautiful, historical house near the corner of 11th Ave. and 19th Street.  The class meets from 6 to 8 on Thursday evenings beginning September 3.  Beginning Knitting is a six-week class in which students create a sampler scarf, learning basic knit and purl stitches, cables, lace stitches, and color work.  Advanced Knitting, beginning October 15, focuses on planning and completing a project like a sweater, shawl, socks, or other garments.  Check the ArtPlay website for registration details. News You Can Use   It has come to our attention that a new quilting store opened in June.  Check it out if this is one of your many interests:  http://www.cottageneedleworks.com/about/   The Guild on the Web Between newsletters and meetings, keep up with the guild on the web at: the guild blog at www.greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com, maintained by Mary Spanos, blog@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com   the guild Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greaterbirminghamfiberguild, maintained by Emily Levitan, fb@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com, the guild group on Ravelry at www.ravelry.com/groups/greater-birmingham-fiber-guild, maintained by Kathryn Pitt, rav@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com.     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! Emily shares information and posts that she receives on the guild's Facebook group page and keep 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. Kathryn is managing the GBFG group and has posted helpful information on participating in the Ravelry guild group on the blog, find it at http://greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com/2015/04/gbfg-on-ravelry.html     Next in our series of craft mysteries Weaving Mystery Series by Carol Ann Martin Protagonist: Della Wright, owner of Dream Weavers, a local weaving shop Setting: Briar Hollow, North Carolina Number of books: 3, with #4, Loom and Doom, coming in August First in the series: Looming Murder Della Wright has come to peaceful and picturesque Briar Hollow, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to realize her lifelong dream of owning a weaving studio. To promote her new business, Dream Weavers, Della is offering weaving workshops for all levels of ability. In her first class, she meets half a dozen of the town’s colorful characters, who seem as eager to gossip as to learn how to work a loom. But when a shady local businessman is found murdered, Briar Hollow suddenly appears a lot less idyllic. And when one of her weaving students is suspected of the crime, Della can’t help getting entangled in the investigation — with some help from her criminologist friend, Matthew. But can she weave together clues as well as she weaves together yarn — and stop a killer from striking again? Why we love it: What’s not to love about Briar Hollow’s beautiful mountain setting? This series makes us want to move to North Carolina ASAP.                        Study Groups Meet Monthly Spinning Study Group:  4th Wednesday of the month from 10 am to 2 pm at St. Peter’s Church in Hoover.  Please check out the GBFG Blog  for cancellations or schedule changes. Nancy Clemmons is interested in sharing her love of tatting with others by teaching one or more in her home. Please contact her if you are interested. More groups may meet in the future.  Watch the newsletter for more information and let a board member know if you are interested in a study group.   Newsletter News...   Each month, I am planning to have items coming from YOU, our Guild members. These will include short book reviews related to any fiber art; a tip you have discovered and used that make your fiber art a little bit easier to execute; any fiber related articles; and a fiber question you would love answers or suggestions from other guild members. Please send your ideas, suggestions, book recommendations, questions to me (Deborah Kattus ) by the 20th of the month to go into the following month's newsletter. Email me at dkattus@charter.net and put GBFG Newsletter in the subject line.   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, 10:00-12:00 (no meeting in July). Visitors are welcome.  The Guild offers programs almost monthly, focused workshops several times a year, and equipment rental (see below).     2015 Officers and Board    Karen Ford – President Mary Kaiser – Program Debbie Scott – Workshops Emily Levitan - Membership Nancy Lavender – Treasurer Janice Weinstein - Secretary Mary Spanos – Website Deborah Kattus - Newsletter Janelle Zorko Schultz - Past President     Rental of Guild Equipment & Materials   The Guild has available, for rental to members, the following: Lucy Neatby's DVD knitting collection.  See  http://www.lucyneatby.com/dvd_contents.html for description of DVD contents. Drum Carder Laura Fry's Magic in the Water  book and DVD. 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 only be checked out at Fiber Guild monthly meetings and a check-out list will be posted inside the door of the cabinet. Deposit checks will be held by Nancy Lavender, treasurer, until returned in original condition.

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READY TO DYE!

The following information is for the dye workshop on August 8 (there will be no guild meeting other than this workshop). Registration for this workshop closed a few weeks ago so that supplies and preparations could be made. If you are registered, we are looking forward to seeing you at the wokrshop. If you are not registered, we hope you'll enjoy reading about what will be happening at the workshop. Maybe you'll want to join in next time!

After the workshop, watch this blog, the guild's facebook page, and the guild's Ravelry page for photos from the workshop!

From Debbie Scott, GBFG Workshop Chairperson

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, beginning @10:00 a.m.

Parking: Due to the workshop being held at Karen’s home, and the large number of people (28) signed up,we are asking workshop participants to please park in the parking lot where the vacant Pier 1 is, located on Hwy 31 in Vestavia (1441 Montgomery Highway). This is a large parking lot, we will be shuttling workshop participants to Karen’s home from there and we will be bringing you back. This will make it easier for all of us. This is adjacent to the Diplomat Deli (more people may be familiar with the  location of the Diplomat). Coincidentally, the Diplomat will be catering our lunch. Please do NOT to park in front of Diplomat Deli.

What to wear: COOL and old comfortable clothes, apron if desired. Your clothes may get stained! You will be standing on concrete for a length of time, so wear comfortable shoes.

What to bring: Pair of rubber gloves, large old bath towel, at least two large trash bags to carry home your sock blanks.

GBFG will be catering lunch from the Diplomat Deli. There will be chicken salad and a vegetarian option, along with chips, cookie, and bottled water. If you have any dietary restrictions, such as gluten or dairy, we ask that you bring your own. If you desire to have something else to drink besides water, bring that. (All food and water will be consumed away from the workshop area at lunchtime, never eat and dye from the same dishes or in the same place).

WORKSHOP: We will be providing each workshop participant 2-sock blanks for you to work with. The acid dyes have been prepared and are waiting for you in liquid form. These dyes are non-toxic as long as they are diluted in water. We want you to have fun!

Due to the large number of participants, we are asking that everyone be prompt, as we need to get started on time. We also ask that you be respectful to those who are leading the workshop, as it may be difficult to hear directions otherwise. This will help everyone! 

We will shuttle you back to your car at the end of the workshop or when you need to go. 

Looking forward to seeing all of you! 

CREATIVITY RULES THE SOCK BLANKS!

Handspinning a bridge in Peru

Jennifer Justiss shared this link to an amazing feat of handspinning...

From the Youtube description:

Published on Jun 5, 2015

Every year, local communities on either side of the Apurimac River Canyon use traditional Inka engineering techniques to rebuild the Q'eswachaka Bridge. The entire bridge is built in only three days. The bridge has been rebuilt in this same location continually since the time of the Inka.

Guild Newsletter, July 2015

Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild P.O. Box 660723, Birmingham, AL 35266-0723   www.greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com Email not displaying properly? View it in your browser. Newsletter of the Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild                          President’s Column                                                     Hello Fiber Friends! Great news! The Guild has a new meeting place! Starting in September we will be meeting at In the Making in Cahaba Heights! Big thanks to Donna for welcoming us there! We will meet in the downstairs room. Be aware that parking will be an issue as construction will be ongoing.  The specifics will be in the August newsletter. We certainly enjoyed our time at St. Peter's! But what better place for us than in a knit shop!!!! I am excited about 2 more things this month....color and spinning. Gale's presentation got me all enthused...can't wait to dye my sock blanks in August! Planning on some wild socks! Then the second thing is the Tour de Fleece. If you haven't heard, go to our Ravelry page and find out. Such a clever way to get us spinning. Our thanks to Gale for telling us about this. We are the Vulcan Spinners.....think you'll like the picture of our mascot! Also, we have spinning fiber packets for those spinners who want to participate....limit one per spinner and they are $10. Stay cool and hydrated...the Corgis are seeking out the A/C vents and ice cubes! Since there will be no meeting in July, I'll see some of you at the workshop in August. Then it's time for a Fiber Frenzy in September! Karen   Remember no meeting in July!   We will resume meetings in August with our Dyeing workshop which will be at Karen Ford's house. Then in September, we will have Fiber Frenzy at new meeting place  In the Making in Cahaba Heights.      GBFG Sock Blank Dyeing Workshop Saturday, August 8    We have 27 members that have signed up for dyeing workshop.  Registration is now closed.  The location has changed to Karen Ford's house .  More information will be forthcoming in August newsletter.    Bring Us Your Best for the Homewood Show It’s not too early to begin thinking about our annual guild exhibit at the Homewood Public Library, during the month of September, 2015.  Our theme this year is “Bring Us Your Best.”  Please consider displaying your best work from the past year, or any work you’re proud of that hasn’t been seen in public.  For the past ten years or more, the library has welcomed us to use the two large glass cases in the entrance foyer, as well as three table-top cases in the central hallway.  The exhibit will run through the month of September, and we will collect your work at the August guild meeting, returning your work at the October meeting.  If it not possible for you to bring your work to the August meeting, please email Mary Kaiser  to arrange for pickup.  This is a great opportunity for guild members who do not sell their work to shine in a museum-quality setting, and it’s also a way for professional fiber artists in the guild to reach a wide audience.   Team Vulcan Spinners, TDF2015 While cyclists from all corners of the world are competing in the Tour de France, Ravelry (online community of fibery folk) holds an annual Tour de Fleece spin-along during the Tour de France. They spin, we spin. A real spinning-themed spin-along. The concept is simple: Challenge Yourself. Spin. Have fun. For the first time, the GBFG has a team, the Vulcan Spinners.  As a wildcard team, we make our own guidelines and keep track of our own team members.  As of noon on July 2 we have 13 team members including 2 co-captains.  Each participant has stated her/his own goals and will post daily progress reports with supporting photos in the guild's Tour de Fleece thread. Come cheer us on!  You don't need to be on the team to follow our progress.  The more comments that give us encouragement, the better. Start date is Saturday, July 4.  We have two days of rest (just like the cyclists) on July 13 and 21.  The last day to spin is Sunday, July 26. Go Team Vulcan Spinners!    Old Shale: Variations of an Old and Much Loved Lace Stitch A Free e-book from the Wednesday Afternoon Knitting Study Group Members of the Wednesday afternoon knitting study group came up with the idea to knit 25-inch samples of 10 different versions of Old Shale  to explore and record some of the possible ways to knit this lovely, old lace stitch. We pursued this project for the fun of seeing all of the different versions that could be produced by a group of knitters, all sharing the work of knitting useful swatches. Individually, none of us would likely have ever knit a 25-inch long  swatch, or knit 40 variations of one lace stitch. Working together,laughing       and talking over coffee, the work was nothing. Old Shale, Variations of an Old and Much Loved Lace Stitch is a  stitch dictionary of variations of a single lace stitch. You can download Old Shale on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/old-shale-variations, which will let you find it easily in your own Ravelry library and keep up with updates. When we finished knitting the samples and recording them in photographs, charts and instructions, we turned them into three  small baby blankets. The instructions for making the blankets are included in the back of the Old Shale e-book. We hope you will find these variations of Old Shale inspiring and useful in your own work.   The Guild on the Web Between newsletters and meetings, keep up with the guild on the web at: the guild blog at www.greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com, maintained by Mary Spanos, blog@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com, the guild Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greaterbirminghamfiberguild, maintained by Emily Levitan, fb@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com, the guild group on Ravelry at www.ravelry.com/groups/greater-birmingham-fiber-guild, maintained by Kathryn Pitt, rav@greaterbirminghamfiberguild.com.        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! Emily shares information and posts that she receives on the guild's Facebook group page and keep 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. Kathryn is managing the GBFG group and has posted helpful information on participating in the Ravelry guild group on the blog, find it at http://greaterbirminghamfiberguild.blogspot.com/2015/04/gbfg-on-ravelry.html Next in our series of craft mysteries   The Sugar Maple Chronicles by Barbara Bretton Protagonist: Chloe Hobbs, owner of a local knitting shop called Sticks & String Setting: Sugar Maple, Vermont Number of books: 4, plus one short story First in the series: Casting Spells Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it’s inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches, and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She’s a sorcerer’s daughter in search of Mr. Right, and she’s found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple’s very first murder. Bad news is he’s 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her. Why we love it: The magic in Sugar Maple adds a fun twist to the traditional murder mystery. Not to mention, Luke is an absolutely dreamy love interest.                        Study Groups Meet Monthly Spinning Study Group:  4th Wednesday of the month from 10 am to 2 pm at St. Peter’s Church in Hoover.  Please check out the GBFG Blog  for cancellations or schedule changes. Nancy Clemmons is interested in sharing her love of tatting with others by teaching one or more in her home. Please contact her if you are interested. More groups may meet in the future.  Watch the newsletter for more information and let a board member know if you are interested in a study group. Newsletter News...   Each month, I am planning to have items coming from YOU, our Guild members. These will include short book reviews related to any fiber art; a tip you have discovered and used that make your fiber art a little bit easier to execute; any fiber related articles; and a fiber question you would love answers or suggestions from other guild members. Please send your ideas, suggestions, book recommendations, questions to me (Deborah Kattus ) by the 20th of the month to go into the following month's newsletter. Email me at dkattus@charter.net and put GBFG Newsletter in the subject line. 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, 10:00-12:00 (no meeting in July). Visitors are welcome.  The Guild offers programs almost monthly, focused workshops several times a year, and equipment rental (see below).     2015 Officers and Board    Karen Ford – President Mary Kaiser – Program Debbie Scott – Workshops Emily Levitan - Membership Nancy Lavender – Treasurer Janice Weinstein - Secretary Mary Spanos – Website Deborah Kattus - Newsletter Janelle Zorko Schultz - Past President     Rental of Guild Equipment & Materials   The Guild has available, for rental to members, the following: Lucy Neatby's DVD knitting collection.  See  http://www.lucyneatby.com/dvd_contents.html for description of DVD contents. Drum Carder Laura Fry's Magic in the Water  book and DVD. 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 only be checked out at Fiber Guild monthly meetings and a check-out list will be posted inside the door of the cabinet. Deposit checks will be held by Nancy Lavender, treasurer, until returned in original condition. Copyright © 2015 Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild, All rights reserved. You are getting this email because you are a member of the Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild or are somehow affiliated with the organization. Our mailing address is: Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild P.O. Box 660723 Birmingham, AL 35266 Add us to your address book

Archaeologists find Viking spindle whorl in Perthshire, Scotland

Archaeologists recently found what they believe to be a spindle whorl at a Viking site in Scotland. Although the article doesn't give a date (the archaeologists might not have gotten the results back from radio carbon tests yet), Wikipedia says that Vikings are typically dated from the 8th to the 11th century.

If you'd like to read more about this very old spindle whorl, see the full article here.

[Speaking of spindles and spinners, Ravelry's Tour de Fleece begins Saturday, July 4, and GBFG has a team this year, Team Vulcan Spinners! To join in the fun, see the guild's group here.]