Monday 4th May

Fibres Unlimited will be meeting in the guild room at 1pm. After supper the guild meeting will be held at 7.30pm. Goodies will be provided by Catherine and Anne. Gudie is holding the program this week by showing us a DVD 'Men can knit" by Kaffe Fassett.

Photos from April Show and Tell

Weaving by a new visitor Everett. Everyone admired his hemming. Old sweaters felted and made into bags by Sue.

Beautiful weaving and lace knitting.

Odds and Sods

GREETINGS EVERYONE!
Spring is here for sure! We know this because some of us spent the day spinning on Saturday at Clare's farm, (Harmonious Homestead and Ewe) and watched little lambs bouncing all over the place. It was a delightful day. Many thanks, Clare, for the venue. There will be another spin-in at Clare's on May 9th. Please consider coming and joining us, even for a couple of hours.
PATIENCE PAYS OFF
I'm happy to inform you all that one of our missing bobbins has shown up. It was found in some wool that had not been looked since the last sheep to shawl (how many of us do that!) It's so easy to do. Sheep to Shawl, spin ins, or any other gathering where spinners congregate with their wheels are the perfect scenario for these sorts of things to get mixed up and go missing. I'd ask you all, again, to please look through your stash really, really carefully, particularly, in parts of it that you haven't looked at for a while. If we keep at this, we may find them all!
To prevent the loss of your own equipment, etc., this might be a good time to consider labelling all of your own equipment, as well, bobbins, carders, combs, lazy kates, spinning wheels (yes, even wheels), or anything else that we cart around with us to our gatherings.
KNITTING ANYONE?
Just a reminder that we're knitting at Gudie's house on Monday April 19th (that's tomorrow). Hope to see you there. I hope all of you are thinking about where we should be on KNITTING IN PUBLIC DAY in June.
SCOURING RAW FLEECE
I had offered to demonstrate to the Sheep To Shawl convenors how to wash their Perendale fleece for the competition. The situation has morphed a bit and others are asking if it's all right for them to come as well. Of course, it is.
I will now be putting on a small workshop (couple of hours long) on scouring all types of raw wool. The workshop will be held at my house. This will be an easy-peasy workshop, in that there is no preparation on your part, no homework, no notes, etc. All you need to do is bring yourself and your listening skills. I am suggesting everyone throw in a couple of dollars for the talk and all proceeds will go to the guild.
I would appreciate knowing who might be interested in coming to this. It's a component of our craft that has had very little attention paid to it in the last few years, and much of the information that is out there is very outdated and in some cases, incorrect. If you would like to update your skills on scouring wool, please feel free to attend. Let me know by email if you're interested. We'll settle on a date in the near future.

BELT THOSE SPINNING WHEELS IN!
Many of you by now have heard the tragic story in the news of the young woman in the Lower Mainland who was in a car accident and died. She had put her laptop in the back seat (unsecured, of course) and during the accident, the laptop flew through the air as a uncontrolled projectile, hit her in the head and killed her. We all need to think about unsecured objects in our cars as we travel to our spinning and weaving activities. We know the best place for our spinning wheels and other equipment is in the trunks of our cars, but sometimes this is not possible. If you need to carry your wheel in the passenger part of your car, please, please remember to secure it with a seatbelt. If you were ever hit by a spinning wheel (even those folded up Lendrums) during an accident, it would have disasterous and probably lethel consequences. Small equipment should be encased in something and controlled somehow as well. We love you all, so please keep yourself and friends safe.
Bye for now,
jg

April Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Shuswap Spinners and WeaversApril 6,2009 20 members present
1. Minutes of the March meeting adopted as printed, Anne. Seconded Sue . Carried
2. Treasurer's report was given. Anne moved that we renew subscription to Handwoven. Gudie seconded. Carried
3. Sheep to Shawl Invitations have been sent, the fleece was bought and Gudrun is the judge. So far the team consists of weaver - Sharon, spinners - Shirley, Gloria and Denise. Michele offered to look after the tea. Judith will help with the washing of the fleece. Date to be set in May. Spinning proficiency needs a co-ordinator
4. Workshops
(a). The workshop with Sharon went well.
(b). Leno workshop - June 11 ( 10 am ) with Gudrun $30 cost will be held at the Piccadilly Mall
5. Library had new magazines in.
6. Fibres Unlimited is proceeding well. New project on the 8 harness loom
7. Historian - newspaper clippings on cottage industry in local paper
8 Arts Council - Meet on March 30 regarding co-sponsorship grants. Awards and grants that individuals may apply for deadline is April 30.Application forms on website shuswapartscouncil.bc.ca
9. Equipment Received $34 rental incomeWe will continue looking for the errant bobbins
Old Business
1. Discussion on the flying shuttle or 20+. Flying shuttle is $600 and the 20+ is $1000Gloria thought that a warp should be put on the loom to see what we need.
2. Magic in the Water - Judith and Fibres Unlimited to put together an educational program.
3. Spinning at Harmonious Homestead- Bring wheel, folding chair, lunch and your name badge April 18 (10-4) If spinning on gravel bring a plastic bag to put the wheel on.Shearing will happen on April 18. There are a total of 6 Saturdays that we can come and spin.
4. Equipment Rates:Large equipment $ 15 / month. Reeds $ 15 / month. Rag cutter $ 10 / week. Spinning wheels $ 15 / month needs a $ 150 deposit. Picker $ 15 / month needs a $ 150 deposit. Inkle loom $ 5 / month. Drum carder $ 15 / month needs a $150 deposit. Library rental: Materials not returned Books - charged the price of the book or replacement. Late fees are $ 1/ month. Gudie moved that the equipment and library rental fees be adopted. Jennifer seconded. Carried.
New Business
1. Gloria moved that we need a clock in the guild room
2. Judith suggested that the Treasurer give us an income report to give us an idea of how we are doing.
3. Discussion on silent auctions.
Spin -In May 9 at Clare's (10-2) Ukanknits April 20 - Gudie (10-2)May 19 - Gloria (10-2) Fibre Week - June 13 Knittingj in Public Day (The display case in the library is wonderful as usual) Ffibre Week in Olds is June 26-July 3. Twist of Fate in Kamloops April 24-26 at Sun PeaksBC. Interior Ffibre Festival May 15-19 2010
May program _ Gudie will how part of a DVD Real Men Knit Meeting adjourned by Sue.
Show and Tell
Program - Gudrun talked about flying shuttles

Salmon Arm Fair website

A note from Noelle
The Salmon Arm Fair website is now up and running at www.salmonarmfair.org Check out the spinning classes (Div. A7), weaving classes (Div. A8), the Sheep-to-shawl (Div. A6), as well as all the other great categories. Time to be thinking about those entries!

Weaving School

I am planning on taking the Madelyn van der Hoogt Weaving 11 class from May 4-8 if there is anyone interested in also taking the class and sharing accommodation. The website is www.weaversschool.com . If you are interested please call Denice.

Showcase at Library

At Salmon Arm Library Gudrun has made a beautiful display of items made by members of the Guild. Drop by and take a look.

For Sale

WOOLHOUSE Loom, 25", 4 Harness with folding stand. #10 Reed, Shuttle, Raddle, Lease Sticks, and Warping Frame. Excellent Condition. $300.00. Pictures available. Rovings, 80 % Alpaca 20% Wool. Rich Brown/red colour. $8.00 per 100 grams. Contact Shirley at 250 679-2778

Purls of Wisdom

The quote below is from "Purls of Wisdom" calendar by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, world renown writer and knitter. Stephanie is a very funny writer, who just happens to be one of the world's best knitters, as well. If you can find any of her books, they're well worth a read. You can read her blog (the Yarn Harlot) at http://yarnharlot.ca/blog/ And to top it all off, she is Canadian!!! What is it about Canada that it produces such wonderful knitters?_______________________________________________________________________________________ PURLS OF WISDOM Like drawing, painting, or writing, knitting is a creative act, and as such is frequently regarded as a frivolous or silly way to spend time. Much of humanity thinks that satisfying the human urge to create is not really important -- certainly not as important as real jobs or efforts, like banking or wiring electricity. All of us would do well to remember that the decline of the arts and creativity in a civilization (as well as the decline for the support of those things) has historically indicated the beginning of the epic fall of that culture. Remember that creativity and art define civilizations . . . and then pass me that scarf I'm working on. I'm saving us all.

Reminder

On Monday 6th April Fibres Unlimited will be in the Guild room at 1pm followed by supper out. At 7.30pm the Guild meeting will be held with Gloria and Judith providing the goodies!

Just a Note. . .

Didn't it seem lately that we would never see spring again? Even though we were all cheering her on, she has been reluctant. But, take heart, because I know she is here for sure; the snow is almost gone from our fields, my crocuses are blooming, the tulips are coming up and the goldfinches are at my bird feeder! And it is so welcome. We'll be pulling up our sleeves and digging in that dirt soon and loving it! But nothing ever is completely a downside. The cold weather, certainly, has given us more time for weaving, spinning, knitting and all the other things we love to do. Our members have had a busy winter, our last show and tell proved that!

Guild weaving (FIBRES UNLIMITED) continues to hum along in the guild room. I hear Darlene and Elvi have put on another new warp (I think for runners). If you're interested, please inquire and get your name on the list. Tea towels just flew off the loom with that last warp. Everyone enjoyed the weaving and the camaraderie that came along with it! For those who are new at weaving, this is a wonderful way to get your feet wet without needing to acquire a loom. There are a lot of people to help you, so don't be shy. We specialize in being terrific mentors and are happy to help those who are new, so please join in. We will be at the guild room, April 6th at 1 p.m. and, of course, will go out for dinner before the guild meeting.

KALAMALKA GUILD'S ANNUAL SPIN IN is on April 4th. Everyone is welcome. As this is a fund raiser for the Vernon guild, it is always worthy of our support. It's a great day of spinning, socializing, eating, and shopping! If you want to join in, contact Trixie at the Vernon Guild to let her know you're coming (as they need to make attendance plans). You can pay when you arrive. Hope to see you there.

We'll be spending our planned SPIN IN DAY at Clare's farm, HARMONIOUS HOMESTEAD on April 18th. Everyone welcome to join. We'll discuss more about this at the April upcoming meeting.

Most of you have probably noticed in your travels around the Internet, that WORLD KNITTING IN PUBLIC DAY is June 18th. Our knitting group will probably put on their thinking caps (knitted, of course) and come up with a place in public that we'd like to be on that day. Discussion material at our next meeting, no doubt.

Happy spring!

Bye for now
jg