December 3, 2014

Spinning is Like Love

Spinning is like love - the more you do it the easier it gets.

This popped into my head today - probably "unvented." I Googled it but came up with nothing. It still makes me happy because it is so true.

Happy spinning!

Elizabeth

December 1, 2014

December Ewesful News

Happy December!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Upcoming events:
Our next meeting is Saturday, December 13 and will be held at Brattleboro Savings and Loan from 10:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

De-stashing fiber swap round robin in the am
Business meeting at noon
Brown bag lunch with Holiday Snack - optional potluck sharing
Guild equipment inventory and redistributing Guild equipment (see more below)


January -  Yarn Harvesting - January 11, 2015 - with Sadelle Wiltshire at Jenny Bakriges' home in Whitingham. 11:00 a.m to 3:00 pm. Weather permitting. (see more below)

Saturday, March 21 - Robin Russo Exotic Fibers Workshop
Location: The Putney School, 418 Houghton Brook Road, Putney VT 05346


________________________________
Join River Spinners as members
Members wanted and needed. I am pleased to say we are currently up to 11 members.
Membership dues can be brought to quarterly guild meetings or mailed to
River Spinners
c/o Leslie Markey
PO Box 91
East Dover VT 05341-0091

Members get discount on Interweave magazines $18 for each yearly subscription - send in your dues to get the discount before

________________________________
A lovely offer from our founding member.
Jenny Bakriges, founding guild member, has graciously offered to host socials at her home in Whitingham. We are thinking possibly doing this quarterly on Sunday's in between the quarterly meetings. Please plan to discuss this further during the December business meeting and will get back to her with our suggestions. Thank you Jenny!

________________________________


Guild equipment inventory and redistributing Guild equipmentWe need to know what we have and make sure everything is in good working order. Please email me with a list of guild items in your possession soon and plan on getting the items to the December quarterly meeting where it will be discussed how to best circulate what we have to guild members.
I currently have the drum carder and the spinning wheel in my possession and am curious as to the location of the following items and to know what else we accumulated during my maternity leave.
I plan to suggest that we look over the equipment and determine what needs repair and cleaning during the meeting and vote on anything that needs to be done to get items in good working order and how to distribute them to River Spinner Members. Feel free to reply even if you don't have the items but you believe you know who had them last so I can follow up.

We hope to see you on December 13 at Brattleboro Savings and Loan.
If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas please do let me know.

Respectfully and gratefully yours,
Elizabeth Johnson
Fearless Leader

November 3, 2014

Happy Fall!

Social at BS&;L 7-9 pm Thursday, November 6

I plan to be at BS&L in the evening to spin some lovely purple, green, and white bfl. Please join us and bring a friend.


Next business meeting December 13, 10:15 to 1:45, Brooks Memorial Library Meeting Room:
De-stashing fiber swap round robin in the am
Business meeting at noon
Brown bag lunch with Holiday Snack - optional potluck sharing - If people do this Leslie can provide coffee and tea
Guild equipment inventory and redistributing Guild equipment
We need to know what we have and make sure everything is in good working order. Please email me with a list of guild items in your possession soon and plan on getting the items to the December quarterly meeting where it will be discussed how to best circulate what we have to guild members

January -  Yarn Harvesting - Date and details coming

Saturday, March 21 - Robin Russo Exotic Fibers Workshop
Location: The Putney School, 418 Houghton Brook Road, Putney VT 05346

Join River Spinners as members
We hope that if you haven't already sent in your dues that you will do so soon so we can better gauge interest in keeping the River Spinners going. Please consider this a personal invitation to join us. We need you and promise to bring as many educational opportunities to you as we can as long as we have funds.

Membership dues can be brought to quarterly guild meetings or mailed to
     River Spinners
     c/o Leslie Markey
     PO Box 91
     East Dover VT 05341-0091
Members get discount on Interweave magazines $18 for each yearly subscription - send in your dues to get the discount before 12/31/14

Respectfully yours,
Elizabeth Johnson
Fearless Leader

September 6, 2014

A Windham County Sampler of Weavers and Felters

A sample of some of the talented folks that live and work in Windham County, from Brattleboro to Jamaica to Putney and towns in-between. Come visit the show at the Moore Free Library’s Crowell Gallery from September 5, 2014 thru September 30, 2014. 

Opening reception at the Crowell Gallery, Saturday, September 6, from 1 til 3 p.m. 

Gallery open during normal library hours. The Moore Free Library/Crowell Gallery is located at 23 West Street, Newfane, Vermont 05345-0208 Library Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 1 to 5 pm; Thursday 2 to 7 pm and Saturday 10 am to 1 pm

Artists include many of the guild members - here is a complete list of the artists in the show:

Kim Canon, Jenna Konesko, Melissa Johnson, Kathleen Meeks, Margaret Miller, Laura Solomon, Shannon Herrick, Somara Zwick, and Dena Gartenstein Moses

August 22, 2014

Be inspired!

A chance to see Richard Muto and David Lima in action - go be inspired :) Come on back home and register for their 9/6 workshop - free to all members (since we didn't pay dues last year if you were a member before that you are considered a member now!)

UPCOMING EVENT: EVER POPULAR JAMAICA HISTORY DAY

This year’s celebration will take place on Saturday, August 23, 2014 from 10 a.m. to
3 p.m. and will feature a walking tour of the village and a special demonstration at
the Jamaica Historical Museum. Returning acclaimed fiber artists Richard Muto and
David Lima will demonstrate spinning and weaving techniques. Raffle tickets will
be sold and the lucky winner will receive a very special shawl – woven at this event.

Richard Muto is an award winning fiber artist who works as a spinner, weaver and
knitter creating one of a kind clothing and apparel. Richard studied theatre arts at
the University of Rhode Island and progressed to designing and knitting sweaters
before discovering the joy of spinning. He has won many awards in the field of
prepared fiber, judged at textile trials at sheep and wool festivals and continues
contributing as judge and member of several fiber and knitting guilds. He teaches
spinning and also finds the time to compose music for cabarets and music events – a
true renaissance man.

David Lima, an award winning spinner and weaver, has judged sheep and wool
festivals throughout the Northeast and is a member of the Rhode Island Spinners
Guild and founding member of the Maine Fiber Arts. His works have sold in shops
and galleries throughout New England. Jamaica is proud to host this talented pair
who will celebrate the renewed interest in this special craft.
Jamaica Village Walking Tour booklets with a map will be available and several
homes and establishments will be open to view.

August 6, 2014

Join us Saturday 9/6/14 for The Perfect Rolag/English Long Draw

Class Description: Learn to card the perfect rolag using hand cards.  Learn the twenty-four count of carding/ charging the cards, how to transfer the wool, and the trick of rolling under the hand card.  Perfect rolags, like wisps of smoke, perfect for the English Long Draw technique of spinning yarn.

Location: Brooks Memorial Library Meeting Room (back entrance on 2nd floor)
224 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301 - Library hours on Saturdays are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Registration deadline: 9/1/14 looking for a minimum of 10 participants, maximum of 40 participants - register early to help the planning.

How to register: Send an email with names and numbers in your party, indicate if you are a member or not, and if under 18 please indicate your age as well to riverspinners@gmail.com. Checks can be sent to PO Box 6043, Brattleboro, VT 05302 and should be made out to the River Spinners. Cash will be accepted at the door.

 
Cost: Free to members of the River Spinners, $30 for non members.


Minimum age: 12

What to bring: spinning experience, a spinning wheel with scotch tension, and hand cards (broken in if possible).

Prompt arrival at 10 required for a successful event.

Brown bag lunch/meeting from 12-12:30

 
Watch here for updates

June 21, 2014

June 21 Meeting Minutes

We had a very lovely meeting full of laughter and sharing by the 5 of us in attendance in the well lit meeting room. Please see last post for the full agenda.

We started off with show and tell where Betty, who drove up from Long Island that morning to be with us shared some exciting news. She was interviewed by Vogue Knitting with a story about her Moose Manor Hand Paints business and it will be appearing in the issue that is due to release on or before July 8.

Here is the cover so you know what to look for . . .

Sumac brought some gorgeous core spun yarns with cores ranging from bulky, to lace for inspiration and then gave us a hands on demonstration.  She even gave us a look at core less core spinning - who knew that even existed. It was very cool.  Thank you Sumac!!!!! What a great way to kick off our new quarterly meetings.

We voted on several things all unanimously at the meeting of all those in attendance.

  1. There will be no official first Thursday night meetings from July - September
  2. We set the dates for the next two quarterly meetings - same time (10:15-1:45) and place (Brooks Memorial Library meeting room) on September 6 and December 13. Please mark your calendars.
  3. That we bring in an outside instructor (to be announced once they are secured to date and topic) from New England for the September meeting and that the guild pay for their services from the treasury.
  4. That new officers are to be elected at the September meeting which will be the start of a new year for the River Spinners.
Additional items of discussion - although not voted on unanimous consent that this was how we wanted to proceed.
  1. People should plan to bring dues for the September meeting we did not officially vote to reinstate as it makes more sense to do that at the start of the new business year
  2. The December meeting we will have in place of the Yankee swap a destash round robin - no worries if you don't have a big enough stash to destash
  3. The December meeting topic will be upcycling sweaters (Please step forward if you have expertise with this and can make the meeting) with focus manly on the following areas:
    1. Salvaging for yarn
    2. Making pillows from old sweaters
    3. Making bags from old sweaters
  4. We will plan for the March meeting to bring in another outside instructor
  5. When we advertise the guild we are going to be less limiting as a spinning guild and let people know that other fiber arts and bead work is also welcome.

Happy spinning and happy solstice,
Elizabeth
Member of the River Spinners
--
The River Spinners
riverspinners@gmail.com



June 16, 2014

June 21 Meeting Notice and Agenda

The quarterly meeting is this Saturday!  

Saturday, June 21, 2014 Agenda
Brooks Memorial Library meeting room - next to Children's room on second floor
10:15-11 am Welcome with show and tell
11-12 Core Spinning with Sumac (see supplies and info below)
12-1 Business meeting/Lunch (due to so many dietary concerns we are just brown bagging it :) - Subway is right across from the library as another option)
1-1:45 Time to work on individual projects or more time to work on core spinning

For core spinning, you'll need a yarn for the core.  It can be anything, as it will be covered.  I've used cotton or commercial yarn.  Here's a good use for your favorite ugly yarn/fiber. If you want your yarn to be on the more balanced side, add more twist to the yarn by spinning it onto a bobbin. Also will need a lazy kate and some fiber to cover the core with.  "Ordinary" fiber will work, or a more funky artsy blend. Time to play!
Sumac

Feel free to come to all or part of the day. We are looking forward to seeing you! Bring a friend!

Happy spinning and happy solstice,
Elizabeth
Member of the River Spinners
--
The River Spinners
riverspinners@gmail.com

P.S. Next meeting schedule will be decided upon during the business portion of Saturday's meeting.

April 8, 2014

April Meeting 1.0 Notes

Those in attendance voted and carried the resolution to continue meeting on Thursday at 7 PM and to hold a quarterly meeting from 10:45 to 1:15 at the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro. The quarterly meetings will be held on the Saturday either on or closest to the Solstices and Equinoxes--the next quarter will be June 21, during which time our dear Sumac has offered to do a corespinning demo/class. Rather than being a potluck affair, those who wish to eat are welcome to bring a bagged lunch.

There are still some unresolved questions, including that of the guild's permanent home. Leslie offered to get in touch with the Savings and Loan to see if our former meeting place might still be available; I contacted the fire hall in Putney to inquire about the community space. For what it's worth, I did succeed in reaching someone and was told that the community space carries a fee of $50 per event--or, in our case, per meeting.. ouch!--and that from now until sometime in September, the space is unavailable on Thursday evenings because there is an EMT training course going on in the community space. Leslie just sent me an email saying that the person in charge of bookings at the bank is on vacation but will return next week. So, for the time being, until the question of our permanent home is resolved, we'll continue to meet at the Putney Friends Meeting House.

There also remain the questions of dues and officers. Anyone with nominations is welcome to e-mail me directly so I can present them at the next meeting; any suggestions on dues are also encouraged and accepted. Offices held are: Treasurer, Pen, and Fearless Leader. (Did I miss anything?)

March 17, 2014

March Meeting Notes 1.0

Thanks to everyone who showed up! It turned out to be a productive meeting with lots of discussion and ideas.

All the information generated by the survey is very useful; it was proposed that the guild take that information
and use it to narrow down the possibilities to the three most popular locations given in the survey, and based
on that, a vote will be held among those who attend. That way, hopefully, we can decide on what will end up
being the guild's permanent home. However, it has also been decided that the vote on this issue is best conducted in-person; if you're not present when the vote is held, you won't be able to vote. I know this is upsetting, but for the good of the guild, the more people who attend, the more voices will be heard.

There is also the possibility that the guild will resume charging dues, especially if we end up choosing a location that requires a fee for use of space, and to help defray costs of future events and workshops. This also brought up the idea of bringing back guild officers: Fearless Leader, Treasurer, and Pen. Nominations are accepted--nay, encouraged!

The last piece of business discussed was the idea of adding a quarterly meeting to be held on a Saturday at the Brattleboro library. The rationale for this is that it would potentially give those who are unable to attend the regular meetings a chance to get together with the rest of the guild at a time and place that's convenient for more people. Quarterly meetings will likely be held on the Saturday closest to--or on-- the Solstices and Equinoxes, sometime during the day. There was also the suggestion that if folks want to do a lunch-type event that, rather than having a pot-luck, we consider doing a brown-bag lunch so that those with food allergies or other dietary concerns will be able to eat and not have to be worried about potential reactions.

Lots went on! It was a good meeting and we're grateful to those who attended and shared so many good ideas. Thanks, guys!

January 9, 2014

January Meeting Notes

The River Spinners met at the Friends Meeting House in Putney tonight and there was much discussion among those present. One of the subjects discussed was the continued use of the Meeting House as a meeting place for those who wish to attend; the fee has already been paid without using guild funds, which ensures that the guild may use the space for the month of January.

Those present discussed and concurred that resumption of the twice-monthly meetings would be a good way to encourage community outreach as well as giving other members an opportunity to participate if they missed the first meeting. Meetings will be on the first and third Thursday of the month, from 7 to 9 PM. For now, the main goal is that we continue to meet so that the guild can continue to function; those wishing to offer a dissenting opinion are encouraged to attend meetings and bring suggestions so that we can find a mutually satisfactory solution to the problem of finding a permanent home for the guild. The next meeting will be on January 16th at 7 PM at the Putney Friends Meeting House.

Those present also discussed opening the guild to knitters and weavers, thus becoming a fiber guild as well as a spinning guild in the hope of furthering the aim of encouraging wider participation and attracting new members.

Everyone who was present had a good time getting to know our newest member and enjoyed having a chance to get together in the new space. Many thanks to all who attended and offered input and fibery goodness. ^_^ Looking forward to seeing folks next Thursday. There will be cookies! (And possibly truffles...)