November/December 2008

Transcription

1 board somewhere. Speaking of membership make sure Dee Dee has your dues for the year. WHT S INSIDE President s Message Letter from the 2 nd VP Mark Your Calendars September 27 Meeting Minutes October 18 Meeting Minutes Treasurer s Report President s Message by Michele Chavalia Hello Everyone: COWG Password has changed to c0wg1rl5 Remember no meeting in December Hardin County Historical Museum Farm Shear Spirit Book Review Poems from Cloth s Children Dye Day Membership Renewal & Booklet Subscription Renewal Offer from Interweave Press With the cold weather setting in, I have more than enough incentive to stay inside and work on a fiber project. Looking ahead to the next few weeks and moths, there is also plenty of opportunity to get out and work on those fiber projects inside with friends. We will be a presence once again at Winterfair for all four days of the fabulous show. We ll need people to set up, demonstrate and take down for the event. Please contact Pat Bullen if you can help out by demonstrating spinning or weaving. nd your special benefit is to be able to shop the show before or after you ve demonstrated. Workshop space is still available in November call Joy and let her know you are interested. I have brochures promoting our guild and membership benefits I d love to use them all up and have many new members. Let me know if you have a place to put them, such as your neighborhood library, an art space or perhaps a public bulletin One final note, please give thoughtful consideration to volunteering to become our Guild Secretary. s many of you heard at the October meeting, our newly elected Secretary had to resign for health reasons and we are in immediate need of a Secretary. It s a wonderful job. You learn first-hand what s going on in the guild and if you re not familiar with many of the other guild members being secretary will help you learn who are members are! The only requirements: a strong interest in the guild and the ability to be at our meetings. Please call me soon if you are willing to take on a guild board position. Enjoy your fiber! Michele Letter from the 2nd VP by Joy Cain First, I d like to thank everyone who has participated in the workshops so far. If you missed Kathe Todd-Hooker s Tapestry workshop, you missed something wonderful. In addition to tapestry fundamentals and her hands on teaching, you missed her stories and her lessons on art, color and design. I also need to thank Kathleen Craig, Kim Johnson, and Barb White for making your Spinner s Day Camp a success. It is wonderful to have such talented teachers here in Central Ohio. Nalbinding: what is it? Nålebinding (also naalbinding or naalebinding) is a method of creating fabric by looping and knotting using a single needle and wool yarn. It is similar to knitting and crochet; however, it predates both and results in a stronger, tougher fabric. We will have Diane Mack from thens, Ohio teaching us November 15 th. Cost is $25 and there will be a small materials fee. In order to give everyone more time to finish making their holiday goodies, there will be no meeting in December. January 17 th we will have our holiday party and yarn swap participants will see what became of their yarn. (remember what I said about December?)

2 February brings Magic in the Water with Laura Fry. I still have a couple of spots open and I am actively looking for workshop spaces as we will be weaving (round robin) in addition to finishing fabrics. If you are participating, you will need to send me the number of harnesses on the loom that you plan to use and whether you are planning to use a table or floor loom. I will need to have this information by the November meeting so Laura can send yarns and directions. ll looms need to be warped prior to the workshop. The materials fee will be $45 each if the materials are sent to your home and $40 each if they are sent all to one place. The cost of the workshop is looking like it well be in the $150-$175 range. March will feature a make-and-take chain mail jewelry workshop. More will follow in the next Thrums. pril will be a lecture on the science of archaeology and textiles by Dr. Kathryn Jakes, professor of Textiles at OSU. She will discuss how they coax information from ancient and not-soancient textiles. We had so much fun at Kim Johnson s basketry workshop, we are going to have her teach again. She will be teaching Miniature Basketry in May. More info to come. Get warped. Joy Mark Your Calendars Library Open the 2 nd Saturday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Dee Dee s studio, 3093 Sunset Drive. Saturday, November 8 Library Open 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Iris Meyer volunteered to Library sit. Friday November 14 Cultural rts Center s 30 th nniversary Celebration and Live uctions! Space is limited for this FREE 18-ND-OVER community event, so RSVP soon! CulturalrtsCenterOnline.org or by calling (614) Silent uction Tables turn at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Live uction at 8:30 p.m. rtwork by CC faculty: Romecki, Kloss, Mason, Steinbrook and Wahling Student Demonstrations and Sales CC Studio Class Door Prizes Entertainment and Complimentary Wine and Hors d oeuvres Free Parking Saturday December 13 Library Open 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Need someone to volunteer to Library sit. September 27 Meeting Minutes by Pat Madigan The September 2008 meeting of the Central Ohio Weavers Guild was called to order by President Michele Chavalia. She pointed out to members that the new COWG sign was outside Kirk House to welcome members and visitors to the meeting. Michele announced that the Guild has been asked to assist the Girl Scouts in qualifying scouts for a merit badge in weaving. loom will be set up at The Stitchin' Post and volunteers are needed to work with approximately 12 girls one Saturday a month for the first four months of Members can volunteer for one month only or for as many as they are available. Kim Johnson is coordinating this project. thank-you card from Dorothy Garrett was read, expressing appreciation for her receipt of the Service Recognition ward. Joy Cain spoke about upcoming workshops, including the October Spinning Day Camp at which several topics will be explored, including long draw, garbage yarn, antique wheels and spinning flax and cotton. t the retreat in November, Friendship Bags will be assembled. Members were reminded to bring their yardage to the retreat without cutting it in advance. The November program is Naalbinding with Diane Mack. There was no secretary's report, as the secretary was absent from the ugust meeting. Judy Krol presented the treasurer's report and the 2009 budget. fter some discussion, Ed moved acceptance of the budget and Cathy Shipp seconded the motion. The budget was adopted. Ed commended the work of the budget committee. Dee Dee pointed out that the

3 budget includes the purchase of software to manage the library catalog and encouraged its purchase. Michele noted that daily rates for instructors are rising along with travel costs and asked that when possible, instructors include the meeting lecture in their price for a workshop. lso, many instructors are now asking for a signed contract. There will be further discussion as to whether COWG should develop a contract for use in arranging workshops. Leslie Garman said that she is concentrating on Ohio teachers where possible to keep costs down. Judy Krol and her friend Nora Jones announced a private sale of weaving yarns and equipment from the estate of one of Nora's neighbors. Ray Wilson was an accomplished weaver and may have been a COWG member in the 1980s. The sale will be October 19 in Clintonville. Details will be posted on the COWG website. Dee Dee mentioned that 45 members have not yet paid their 2009 dues. Volunteers offered to call delinquent members, as renewals are needed in time for the membership booklet to be compiled and distributed in early November. Ed has been contacted by representatives of the Circleville Pumpkin Show about having guild members demonstrate there in late October. He is awaiting confirmation from them and will solicit volunteers if they confirm their interest. WinterFair will again allow the Guild to demonstrate for all four days. The demonstration area will be in a new location. Faith moved that the Guild demonstrate at WinterFair again. Cathy Shipp seconded the motion, which passed. t the next meeting, there will be a discussion regarding whether members want to sell items at the display booth at WinterFair. Sue Briney announced that 2500 blankets were distributed by My Very Own Blanket and that COWG contributions were much appreciated. The suggestion was made that members look for fabric for sale at yard sales and in their own stashes to be used to make blankets for the foster children served by the program. ll blankets must be machine washable. Nancy Goldsmith thanked those who have tended the library. There are new knitting and crochet books available, as well as other new items and the old classics. There are still openings for library attendants on the second Saturday of the month. Talk to Nancy if you can help. Dee Dee reminded members that Interweave offers a discount on magazines to guild members. Information on claiming the discount will be in the newsletter. Kathleen Craig reminded members that there are now 20-inch eight-harness looms available to borrow and thanked Kim Johnson for assembling them The meeting was adjourned. October 18, 2008 Meeting Minutes Today s workshop was a Spinner s Day Camp, with expert instruction from our own guild members. Barbara White demonstrated her collection of Babe wheels which included a great wheel, charka, and electric winder and more. Kim Johnson shared her expertise in antique wheels and demonstrated on antique great wheels and an antique yarn winder. Kathleen Craig helped us get creative and colorful with free-lance yarn (alternatively known as garbage yarn). Joy Cain brought us a new appreciation of linen yarn by demonstrating the flax brake and hackling to make line and tow linen. Joy also dressed a distaff for spinning linen and shared cotton spinning techniques. fter the demonstrations, we all had a chance to follow Barb s encouragement and just try it. nd we tried it all! Michele Chavalia called the meeting to order at 1:00. President s Report Michele discussed the Girl Scout Development/Merit Badge program. Michele stated that plans are moving forward to organize sessions in weaving, spinning and dyeing for about 12 Girl Scouts for a few months during the first quarter of Volunteers will be needed, and you can volunteer in any area you choose. Kim Johnson and Sue tkins will have their official committee report on the program ready for consideration at the November meeting.

4 1 st VP Report Joy Cain described the up-coming workshops for the year: November Nalbinding with Diane Mack. The workshop is for a felted hat. Nalbinding is a yarn looping technique, similar to knitting or crocheting, using a darning needle. Joy says this technique is great for socks. Yarn recommended for the workshop is Peace Fleece yarn. December no meeting January Guild Holiday Party and presentation of yarn swap surprise items that we ve been working on since last spring. February Laura Fry is coming! Two other guilds are sharing travel costs, which will keep our expenses down. Joy had contacted Laura with our questions and shared this information about the Magic in the Water workshop: Maximum class size is 20. Materials fee is between $40 and $45. Warps will not be prewound. Looms will need to be pre-warped prior to class and brought to the workshop. We will be weaving during the workshop. Joy needs to know the number of harnesses and size of the loom we ll be bringing to the workshop. The guild has 3 portable floor looms that can be borrowed and Lucile Osborn also volunteered her portable floor loom if someone would like to borrow it. March Chain mail jewelry with Mr. Cain. This will be a make-it-take-it workshop with Bob teaching us to make a bracelet or something similar. Plan on bringing 2 pairs of craft size needle-nose pliers. pril rcheology and Textiles program with Dr. Kathryn Jakes from OSU. Dr. Jakes will talk about what happens to textiles when they go underground. May Miniature baskets with Kim Johnson. 2 nd VP Leslie Garman offered a preview of programs and reported her Good News! that Judith MacKenzie McCuin will be coming back to teach. She s scheduled for the 2 nd week in November Leslie is still looking into options for the remaining workshops and programs. Secretary s Report Michele reported that our secretary cannot serve out her term due to health issues. We are looking for a secretary for the remainder of the year. Please consider volunteering and serving on the board. Pat Madigan took minutes at the September meeting and Sue Briney volunteered for the October meeting. [Sue s shameless plug: Whether you re a new or long-time member, please consider this opportunity. Being an active board member is very rewarding. You ll have a chance to participate in the inner workings of the guild and add your input to the programs the guild pursues. The real bonus is that you connect with more fiber friends. Plus, this is less than a year commitment, so it s a great chance to try something new!] Treasurer s Report Judy Krol reported a checking account balance of $ on 9/26/08 and $ on 10/18/08, with the decrease in funds primarily due to workshop expenses. Membership Report Dee Dee Ptaszek reported that several guild members made personal phone calls to members who had not renewed. s a result, there are now only 34 members from last year who have not renewed. Dee Dee plans to have the membership booklets available at the November 2 nd retreat in order to save on mailing expenses. Dee Dee will publish the new website password in the membership booklet. Faith will request that the new password is made effective on November 1 st. Dee Dee announced that Interweave is offering any magazine for $19.95 per year. The subscription code for this offer is WGLD8. Old Business The guild is back at Winterfair this year and Pat Bullen is coordinating our booth. Dates for the event are 12/4/2008 through 12/7/2008. Please contact Pat if you can volunteer to demonstrate any fiber activity, or to help set up or tear down. Michele reminded us to make sure we do our shopping either before or after our volunteer shift. Other State Fair Scarf - Kathleen Craig shared the gorgeous mixed warp scarf that Pat Bullen

5 planned for the loom at the State Fair. The warp contained various wools and enough mohair to offer challenges during the weaving. The weft was a very-very fine wool. Kathleen washed and hard pressed the scarf and the result was fabulous. COWG Brochures - Michele asked that we take COWG brochures to local libraries or any place that we know would display them. Peter Collingwood passed away last week and left a huge legacy. He was a renowned weaver and teacher, specializing in sprang, tablet weaving, and rug weaving. WeaveZine has a recent interview of Peter by Syne Mitchell. Friendship Bags - We ll be meeting at the November 2 nd Retreat to cut our cloth and assemble the bags. If you have any questions about the Friendship bags, contact Kathleen Craig. Judy Krol reminded us that the Weaver s Estate Sale will be held tomorrow, October 19 th. Information was posted on the Guild Website. Pam Howell announced that she will be teaching weaving to special needs students at Marburn cademy in November. Their goal is to make and sell rag-rug placemats to benefit the scholarship fund. Pam asked if the guild would like to set up a table loom for the class and Faith offered use of her 4H floor loom. Pam also announced that an artist s auction benefiting Marburn cademy would be held February 22 at BoMa. Yellow Springs Wool Gathering The board decided that COWG would participate at the Wool Gathering in This is a good opportunity for outreach and growth since many people travel from Columbus to attend. The guild will staff the booth and demonstrate. We have applied for 2 outdoor spaces, and have requested a location near the booth shared by Pat, Ed, Laura and Sue so they can help cover the guild booth during slow traffic times. Kim Johnson and Faith Gernhardt have volunteered the use of their vendor-style tents. We will also have an option for member sales, although the details have not been worked out. If you are interested in selling fiber-related items, please contact Michele. Barb White offered thanks for the notice when the newsletter was posted to the website. The meeting was adjourned at 1:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sue Briney The Weavers Loft Zimmer RD Dover, IN /Orderline: weaving@nalu.net Yarn specials: Call or see website. Used equipment available: Call or see website Hours are usually Wed-Sat 10-4, also by appointment please call ahead when driving. CENTRL OHIO WEVERS GUILD Treasurer's Report Checking cct balance as of 8/20/08 Deposits Membership $ Workshop Income $1, Tee Shirt Income $15.00 $2, $4, $6, Expenses Outreach Expenses ($185.49) Workshop Expenses ($1,925.00) Misc (budget copies for vote) ($2.40) ($2,112.89) Ending Balance as of 10/19/08 $4, Hardin County Historical Museum Farm by Sue Riley-Brown fter several years of attending Civil War Re-Enactments and other festivals affiliated with and held at the Hardin County Historical Museum Farm in Kenton, Ohio, Marlene Marker and Sue Riley- Brown happened to notice an old dusty nasty looking loom housed in the barn on the farm. fter talking

6 with the caretaker of the grounds, it was decided to relocate the loom to the log cabin on the farm. fter the loom was moved, leveled, readjusted and dusted, Marlene (being the weaver), suggested they purchase new heddles and a reed to replace the ones which were badly rusted. Marlene took the heddle frames home and reset the heddles. She suggested a project of place mats using natural and blue cotton as both warp and weft. The loom was a pre-civil war loom so the colors were chosen for the era. She used her own warping board and warped enough for approximately 7 place mats. With the help of Sue and another lady, Evelyn Roberts from the Kenton area, the loom was dressed and made ready to weave. Marlene, Sue and Evelyn spent 3 weeks (Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays) gathering at the log cabin while Marlene wove the place mats. They met at 10:00 a.m., brought their lunches, and worked through until about 4:00 p.m.. The log cabin was unheated, so electricity was brought to the log cabin to provide an overhead light for Marlene. They kept warm with a small floor heater, sitting on a heating pad and by drinking lots of hot tea. Sue and Evelyn brought their spinning wheels so they could spin while Marlene did the weaving. On Friday, October 24, the place mats were taken off the loom and Marlene cut them apart and hand hemmed the place mats. Between each place mat, Marlene has glued the threads to prevent unraveling and fraying when they were cut apart, hemmed and hand sewn. Marlene has enjoyed the challenge of weaving on the old loom and is very proud of her accomplishments. Sue has been fascinated from the reassembling of the loom to the final product. The place mat design is called "Log Cabin". The place mats will be presented to the Museum as part of a package for their nnual Spring Fund Raiser which is a Dinner, Dance and Silent uction. The heddles and frames will be stored in the home of the caretaker during the winter to prevent rusting. The log cabin has NO heat! Next spring Marlene and Sue will begin weaving rugs, as Marlene thinks this loom was more for rugged weaving and a heavier warp. The curator of the museum is very excited with this new addition to the log cabin. Sue will be spinning and also using an 1870's "Domestic" treadle sewing machine to sew together pieces for the rag rugs. These new additions will be demonstrated as local school children tour the farm in the spring. Shear Spirit By Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker Review by Mary Jo Hood Have you ever considered living in the country and raising your own fiber animals? Shear Spirit is a must read! On the other hand, if you are already living the dream some of us hold dear, you may learn some alternative approaches or additional processes to enhance your current scheme. Beginning on the coast of Maine with a colored flock s fiber and the particular saline of the local water determining the resulting colors of yarns for that year, to an organic working farm that includes vegetables in addition to fibers, this book covers a spectrum of possible fiber farm focuses. lovely mix of sheep breeds, shepherding dogs, owner backgrounds, and farming philosophy make Shear Spirit a delightful read. In addition, each location sports several lovely patterns that compliment the yarns produced. For those of us who day dream about such an enterprise, Joan Tapper, author, and Gale Zucker, photographer, of Shear Spirit offer a great variety of backgrounds among the fiber producing farm owners. By doing so, it seems less important whether they were born to the life and far more important that they evolved into the life. From a Navajo sheep rancher - Jay Begay, Jr. of Lazy J Diamond Ranch in Ricky Ridge, rizona who grew up knowing he wanted to remain a fiber producing fiber artist, to a couple who grew up on the South Side of Chicago - Ken and Carol Weisner of Victory Ranch, Mora, New Mexico who chiefly just enjoy raising alpacas now, the visions of the protagonists in this tale are as diverse as the fibers they nurture. Some of the topics covered include sustainable farming, natural dyeing, both wool and camelid producing animals, rare breeds, organic farming, shepherding dogs, and natural fibers. In addition, some very enticing patterns are provided to conclude each well-written chapter. Yes, there are a couple of misnamed fiber equipment parts within the narrative, but, this stalls the reader only momentarily and the intended part is easily derived from the context. OK now which will I make first the Wolf Pack Hat or the cashmere socks?

7 Poems from the Clotho s Children Dye Day Contributed by Mary Jo Hood This year s poem The autumn moon is rising Black Walnuts are in the pot Time to come and dye with Beck So call or for a spot. Mordant fibers before you come In alum or copper so colors won't run nd package up to 4oz. lots So they will fit in all the pots. We'll start the cooking on Hallows Eve about 10am until about 3 So pack your lunch and pointed hat Bring gloves & apron, but leave the cat. last year s poem Dyeing on the Deck by Becky Blake When autumn shades Of metal dust In gold and brass nd iron rust, The spinsters come To dye the wool Of ram and ewe Their baskets full. They grind the leaves nd roots and bark nd measure mordants t the start. Pots of copper, brass nd steel Stew black oak, madder nd pomegranate peel. Endless chores Of stirring pots nd tending fires To keep them hot, The autumn s shades Our day s reward On wool and silk nd linen cord. Membership Renewal & Booklet by Dee Dee Ptaszek Members were really slow in renewing their membership this year. I don t know if it was because of the economy or because the newsletter is online for most of us, which means we have to remember to go and get it instead of it showing up in our mailbox. s a result, the membership booklets were delayed. In my early years as Membership Chair, I had a couple instances where I was told by a member that they would get a check to me and to go ahead and include them in the membership booklet. I did so and for what ever reason, they didn t send in their check. Once it s published, there s no way for me to alter the membership book to reflect that not everyone listed paid their dues. The membership booklet is used by the 1 st VP, the Equipment Chairs and the librarian to know who our members are. We re all trying to safeguard the guild s interests. The Membership Booklet also becomes part of our historical record for that guild year. I would prefer not to leave anyone out, but I adopted the policy that only those membership renewals that I had received at the time I was creating the booklet would be listed in the membership booklet.(remember the safeguarding theme.) There have been some questions as to whether or not this is a policy the guild should have, so I have asked the Executive Board for their counsel on this matter. Meanwhile, my apologies to those who were left out of this year s membership booklet. I also want to apologize for the organization of the Membership booklet. I failed to check it before I left the copiers or I would have had them redo it so you could easily flip from one page to the next. I hope you don t get carpal tunnel flipping the booklet up and down so you can read it. So gather spinsters Upon the deck On Hallows eve To dye with Beck. Bring your fibers, Lunch and gloves nd dye some fibers In the colors you love.

8 Update your Membership Booklets with the information below: New Member Renewing Members Cheryl Blazek lissa Steelman Linda Hall Hearthside Soaps & Sundries 3140 inwick Rd 168 Highmeadow Dr E. Beaumont Rd Columbus, OH Gahanna, OH Columbus, OH Home: (614) Home: (614) Cell: (614) Cell: (614) Home: (614) Cell: (614) Interests: 4H, Cd, Cl, Cr, E, F, Interests: 4H, B, Cd, Dd, OD, Spin Carolyn Palovchik Ha, Knit, Q, Spin, Sp, Sw, Te 7699 Perry Rd. Delaware, OH Home: (740) Interests: 4H, 8H, Cd, Cl, Dd Ku, Sp, Sw