Colour to keep the winter blues at bay Newsletter from handspinner.co.uk for October 2010 Autumn is definitely with us now, the evenings are dark and the weather has turned. But there's plenty going on in the spinning world to keep those winter blues at bay. Thank you to those who asked about the September issue. It's so good to know that the hard work is appreciated. The truth is that I simply didn't manage to put one together. But I hope that the goodies here this month will help to make up for it. Among the exciting things in this issue are a new fibrefest starting next year, a London street being turfed over to graze some sheep, and an offer open to all - get the fibre for your next project for free! So without further ado, let's get on with the usual roundup of news, events, inspiration and silliness...
Contents Events Savile Row Field Day, Fibre Flurry and some 2011 dates for your diary! News from around the web Art from Helen Pynor, Spin-Off handspun gallery, autumn Knittyspin From the blogosphere Food and natural dyes, Hand made on Fair Isle, a dozen skeins News and articles from handspinner.co.uk Free fibre for your next project - this month's offer New products New second heddle kit for the rigid heddle loom, alpaca fleece, Damselfy Traveller, teak oil to finish your wheel Dear Auntie Shiela Helping a new couple get off to a flying start.
Events 2010 Savile Row Field Day I'm a country mouse, and so the idea of turfing over a London street and moving in some Exmoor horn and Bowmont sheep really does appeal to me! The event takes place for a week starting 11 October and is organised by the Campaign for Wool. The aim is to promote wool and tell Londoners about how wool is produced and made into the luxury cloth used by the tailors working in the adjacent shops. For my money it's as much a reminder of the soil beneath the urban concrete and tarmac. More about Savile Row Field Day.
Fibre Flurry 30 October 2010, Kings Norton, Birmingham Learn, Shop, Knit, Spin! The best of independent designers, teachers, retailers, and distributors all in one place. You can see and buy products, learn new skills or improve existing ones, and meet new suppliers. Kings Norton, Birmingham. Close to public transport and plenty of parking nearby! A collection of the best products to buy and workshops from some of the best tutors in the fibre industry. Workshops and over twenty fibre-related stalls with goodies from independent dyers and spinners across the country. There are also workshops for children so you can browse the stalls at leisure while they're kept entertained. http://fibreflurry.co.uk/
Events 2011 (get 'em in your diary now) Wonderwool Wales 9 & 10 April 2011, Royal Welsh Showground Promoting wool and natural fibre production and its use Exhibitors and Trade Stands covering all aspects of Felting, Knitting, Weaving, Spinning, Crochet and Textile Art with raw materials, equipment, books and finished products for sale. Competitions and a range of workshops tba. Camping facilities are available on site and a list of accommodation in the surrounding area is available on the Wonderwool website. www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk
Woolfest 24 & 25 June 2011, Cockermouth, Cumbria A celebration of natural fibres, especially all aspects of wool, wool products and wool crafts. From fleece animals and rare breeds, through fleece, tops, craft equipment and materials, to finished clothing, accessories and unique hand-crafted woollen goods. Also workshops and masterclasses.
www.woolfest.co.uk
Fibre East 23 & 24 July 2011, Thurleigh, Bedfordshire A new festival, giving those in the Eastern, Midlands and Southern Regions an opportunity to join in an event which aims to encourage and promote natural fibres. There will be an emphasis on spinnig, knitting, crochet, weaving, dyeing and felting. http://www.fibre-east.co.uk/
News from around the web Inside out and vice versa How fine can you spin? A single fibre? Well, no of course not because you'd have to tie them end to end, wouldn't you? That's just what artist Helen Pynor has done. Human organs are normally heavy and sloppy, but Helen has achieved exactly the opposite by knitting her etherial sculptures from single-thickness hair. Parts of the body usually considered ugly are made from a part of the body which is considered beautiful. She casts on and knits in the usual way using 3.5mm to 9mm needles. She became used to the fragility of the thread and was eventually able to knit without breaking it too often. Read the full article in the autumn issue of Twist Collective.
Spin-Off Magazine Handspun Gallery Earlier in the year, Spin-Off magazine invited its readers to submit their swatches of naturally-dyed handspun. The resulting gallery appears in the current (Fall) issue of Spin-Off, but even if you don't fancy subscribing to the magazine, you can see this gallery for free. You'll need to register with their site, but that's free. Once you have done that and logged in, you should be able to use the link below to access the gallery. Look for the 'download' link amongst their marketing blurb. It's a 12-page pdf, a good read with some very nice photography of very good work and worth the faff to get at it. See the gallery
Little Red Plane - a stop-motion knitted adventure OK, strictly speaking, this is knitting rather than spinning, but it is an amazing knitted stop-motion video by madeofwool as a student. Watch the video
KnittySpin 'deep fall' 2010 Issue number 33 of Knitty, a free online magazine, along with its sister, KnittySpin, are now available. As well as the usual collection of articles, there are some free patterns for handspun yarn, including the gorgeous 'Indigenous' shown right. Read this issue.
Worldwide Spin in Public Day Worldwide Spin in Public Day 2010 was on Saturday, September 18th, 2009. Did you get out and spin? If you have photos, you can not only add them to our own Knitting and Spinning in public photo pool on Flickr, but also the The official WWSIP Flickr photo pool Worldwide Spin in Public Day website
Spin in Public blog join the Facebook group.
Spinning Mill to receive boost from Heritage Fund 27 Sept 2010 The world's first successful water-powered spinning mill is to receive ÂŁ2 million for conservation work from the The Heritage Lottery Fund. The mill was built in 1771 by Sir Richard Arkwright. the money will enable extensive repairs and conversion of the grade I listed "Building 17". The building's upper floors are to be repaired and new staff will be employed to lead activity programmes for schools, visitors and volunteers. Cromford Mill has restaurants, shops, exhibitions and a varied programme of events. More about Cromford Mill. More about this story from Kenilworth Weekly News. More about the water-powered spinning frame.
From the blogosphere Blogpick: Food and natural dyes More natural dyeing. Are you curious yet? In this lovely series of blog posts that will inspire you and make you hungry at the same time, Helen of My Heart Exposed Yarns links the methods and inspiration for her natural dyeing to her cooking, with tasty photos, tips and secrets. Greens Red, orange, yellow
Hand made on Fair Isle The recent threat to drop knitting from the curriculum on the Sheltand Islands has had a side-effect of attracting the media's attention onto the traditional crafts of spinning and knitting and brought into the open the question of whether the island should move to more indstrial techniques and increase production. I've enjoyed this article on The Business of Fashion. While similar jumpers are mass-produced in China, those labeled "Made in Fair Isle" take over 100 hours to spin and knit and sell for over ÂŁ600. Despite the high price tag for the genuine article, demand is outstripping supply. Read the article
Blogpick: Octopus knits After participating in events including the Tour de Fleece earlier this year, Octopus Knits had accumulated about a dozen skeins of yarn to post on her blog, and this mega-post shows them all off in all their delicious glory. Such a variation too, there's bound to be something there that you love. Read the post
News and articles from handspinner.co.uk Free fibre for your next project? This month's offer This one is open to anyone, and could be worth a lot if you want to get busy with your spinning and knitting or weaving. If you'd like to buy some fibre over the next month or so, I'll be happy to refund the cost in exchange your photos of the finished knitted or woven project. No time limit on making your project, but just a couple of t's and c's: I'd like permission to use the photos. Also feel free to buy a lot more fibre than you will use in the project, but in that case I may need to pay back just what you've used in the project. Fibre for spinning
New items Selvedge Magazine Just as I'm ready to press 'send' on this newsletter, the new Selvedge magazine arrives. Selvedge magazine is a special and collectable magazine, covering interior design and contemorary textile art. With 96 pages and outstanding photography and writing, it feels more like a book than a magazine. A review of the new Sept/Oct 2010 issue (number 36) will be appearing at the link below very shortly. Read more about Selvedge.
New second heddle kit for the rigid heddle loom Ashford have redesigned the second heddle kit, rather than adding a second support block alongside your existing one, this kit replaces your existing one with one and holds the two heddles I have a friend who believes that she can fit this new one *and* leave her old-style second heddle kit in place and weave with three heddles! Watch this space for more news about that. Find the new-style kits as well as the old-style kits here: http://handspinner.co.uk/ashford_rigid_heddle_loom.html
Raw alpaca fleece I now have some raw fleece in four colours, plus some low-grade carded fleece in two natural colours. Alpaca fibre
Damselfy Traveller I've been asked more than once whether my damselflies would work on a Traveller. The problem is that the wheel has concentric grooves around the wheel, leaving a narrow band in the middle for the design. If reduced them down to this size, I thought the insects would be too small and lose detail. I tried sketching the design onto a Traveller wheel overlapping the grooves, and it worked well, so this is another design now available.
Using teak oil to finish a spinning wheel I now stock antiquax teak oil - it's a very quick, you just brush it on. It feeds the wood and protects it from drying out. I love the effect it has on the colour - it darkens in a very natural way, enhancing the grain. read more about using teak oil to finish a spinning wheel Buy Antiquax teak oil
Dear Auntie Shiela Here I do my best to help spinners / knitters in distress. In the bulging but fictional postbag this month is a letter from a potential partner. Dear Auntie Shiela I've started to go out with a lovely lady who spins and knits. I saw your column open on her laptop and wonder whether there is anything I should know as we embark on this relationship? A: First of all, to get off on the right foot, do be careful about what you see on her laptop. Personal space is important. But I'm pleased that you've written, and even more pleased to hear that you're with a spinner and want to make it work. You are very lucky, I'm sure she will be a creative, imaginitive person. You will be the recipient of handmade garments. They will be warm, colourful and sometimes will look good too. If you've never put your foot into a hand-knitted wool sock, you have not yet lived. When she makes you something, please remember the hours of work and thought that she has put into it and react accordingly. If she knits you a jumper, do be aware of the sweater curse. I notice that one possible explanation of this curse is 'aversion'. If you are likely to feel uncomfortable wearing anything she's made, then this is probably something to get out into the open now. There will be times when she gets very frustrated with a pattern or equipment that doesn't seem to work. Be unterstanding and give comfort (this is a good time to make some comfort food or pour a comforting drink) but don't try to take over. Don't try to learn the craft so that you can share it, unless it really grabs you. I'm a great believer in separate space and interests. A complimentary craft can be very successful though, such as learning to weave her yarn, or making her tools and equipment. The image is Woodsock by Charissa Clark Howe Kind regards, Shiela
Things to look forward to... I am speaking to Martin Hills about stocking his wool combs and hackles. As usual, if you know anything spinning-related, please let me know. Happy spinning! Shiela http://handspinner.co.uk shiela@handspinner.co.uk If you're reading this newsletter on the web and would like it delivered to your email inbox every month, just fill in your email address in the box below. If you've reading this in your inbox and would prefer not to receive any more, just email me with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. If you've enjoyed reading this, another way to share it with your friends is to use these sites: Share:
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