HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
A festive fibre fiesta Newsletter from handspinner.co.uk for December 2010 A special, slightly shortened but very Christmassy issue this month. I hope you'll forgive me for being brief here, I've been incredibly busy with the mail-order side of things and also thinking of a special offer for you for every day of advent! There is of course a festive feel to what's here - Christmas cards, party accessories, santa's beard and of course information about 'order-by' dates. So jump aboard and hold on tight for a sleighride through this month's news, events, inspiration and silliness...
Contents News from around the web Spinathon, Herdwicks at nature reserve From the blogosphere spinning Alaskan Malamut fur, Designer Bag made from...? Santa Beard, How to make a felted pearl necklace, Needle-felted Hubble space telescope News from handspinner.co.uk Last month's prize draw, Autumn colour, Advent calendar, Christmas post, handmade Christmas cards, Christmas Selvedge magazine, yak wool Events Some 2011 dates for your diary!
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 1 of 7
HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
News from around the web Spinathon to help Give Fleece a Chance campaign Claire Crompton has started a 'Give Fleece a Chance' campaign to help to connect producers to users and improve the current wool marketing situation. She is appealing to spinners and knitters to help her to knit a small woollen sheep in every type of fleece found in the South West and create a flock that can be exhibited to encourage more people to use wool. Jane Deane held a Spin/Knit-a-thon at Duchy Square Centre, Princetown, on 26 Nov (pictured) to give the campaign a boost.
Herdwicks at nature reserve Earlier this year I reported that the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are using several breeds of sheep to help manage their grassland. I've just found out that Coombe Bissett Down nature reserve, near Salisbury, has also chosen to install a native hardy breed to help with its grassland restoration. The very hardy Herdwick breed can cope with difficult terrain, poor quality grazing and harsh weather conditions. Earlier this year, the Trust reported a bumper lambing season with more twins born than would be expected. Their fleece, according to In Sheep's Clothing, is very coarse and kempy and better suited for carpets than garments, but can be used for effect because of the variation in colour - the lambs start coloured but turn lighter with age.
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 2 of 7
HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
From the blogosphere Blogpick:spinning Alaskan Malamut fur This is a wonderful post in which Jobo Designs finishes a beautiful hat, mitt and cowl set from Malamut dog fur, blended with merino for a soft yarn with a gentle halo. She gives detail about her carding and spinning methods as well as swatching and choosing designs. http://www.jobodesigns.com/_sites/JoboDesigns/post/2010/11/24/Alaskan-MalamuteExperiment-signed-sealed-delivered!.aspx
Designer Bag made from...? Bet you didn't guess VCR tape. RecycleCindy gives full instructions on how to crochet this bag. There's also a link to another page showing you how to take the tape from an old vieocassette and turn it into yarn. Alternatively you can use yarn made from plastic bags or bulky yarn. http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2010/05/01/vcr-tape-designer-bag/
Santa Beard I love this photo from Tabs of Rosy Retro, who is usually known for her creativity with colour. Here she's turned her inventiveness to a more Christmassy project. She fashioned this fantastic festive face-fuzz for her hubby out of some Blue Faced Leicester wool locks. "For work" she says with no further explanation... Click the photo to appreciate those locks in all their crimpy glory.
How to make a felted pearl necklace Perfect for that sophisticated Christmas party and ideal for using up an oddment of white wool. This 'pearl' necklace is a simple project that you can even make while watching TV. The blog post contains very thorough instructions. Read the full post
No cop-out The problem - you have a full spindle and want to wind the singles onto a bobbin for neat storage or to ply. Jobo Designs suggests rigging your wheel up so that only the bobbin is driven and holding your spindle in your hand like a spinning top. She has made this video. It does seem to have the advantage of not adding or taking twist from the singles, which winding by hand might. I'm a little bit nervous about injuries to palms but she says that it just "tickles a little". I take no responsibility here. Read the full post
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 3 of 7
HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
This also brought to mind the drinking straw method that I first saw at Sock Pron
Needle-felted Hubble space telescope I love space. I'm not far from the National Space Centre and I had a season ticket for a while. So this needle-felted Hubble space telescope caught my eye and I love it. The little astronauts are so cute. It was made by former space shuttle technician Jen Scheer, so I expect it's pretty accurate, although she does print a disclaimer about scale and accuracy. The little guys are busy fixing a handrail, which did really happen, so it's factually accurate too. http://www.etsy.com/listing/60274659/needle-felted-hubble-servicing-mission-4
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 4 of 7
HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
News and articles from handspinner.co.uk Advent Calendar for the Hand Spinner I can hardly believe that it's the countdown to Christmas once again. Last year's advent calendar went down so well, I'm doing it once again. If you're a subscriber to this newsletter you'll be receiving the daily advent calendar emails already, but if you're reading this another way, then it's not too late to join in - subscribe to the newsletter, become friends with me on FB or follow me on Twitter. Read more.
Christmas post Christmas send-by date for first class to UK (I always use first class for smaller parcels) is 21 Dec (information from Royal Mail). Orders must be placed by lunchtime that day. Christmas send-by date for parcelforce to UK (I always use parcelforce 48 for larger parcels or parcelforce 24 for an extra £5) is 22 Dec. 48hr orders must be placed before close of business on 21 Dec, a day later for 24hr orders (information from Parcelforce). Please remember that first class parcels aren't tracked and it's not unheard of for the occasional one to be delayed by the weather or Christmas post. I have a policy for dealing with this, but this is of course out of my hands. I can use a guaranteed service if you'd prefer to pay the extra for that. I will be going into holiday mode at the end of play on 23 Dec and return on 5 Jan (although you'll still be able to order between these dates).
Last month's prize draw Something I really enjoyed about our Spring competition was the variety of techniques and colours on show in the resulting collection of photos. Autumn is also a season known for its colour, so I suggested that we create a gallery of handspun yarn on the theme of autumn colour. The work hasn't been judged this time, it was just for fun. Thank you so much to all contributors for helping put together a lovely collection of fibre, handspun and finished projects in autumnal colours. Once again I'll leave the group open so that we can collect more images. I made a list of the contributors and the random number generator picked Helen Jacobs-Grant of My Heart Exposed yarn, fibre and designs who now has a £20 voucher. See all submitted photos on Flickr.
Sheepy Christmas Cards Handmade by Jules of Always with a Heart, this cards features a textured sheep with sparkly details. Perfect for your friends or for the spinner / knitter in your life. Made with very good quality card and complete with envelope. Three Christmas designs altogether. At £2.95, a very good price for quality handmade cards with such cute designs.
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 5 of 7
HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
See more designs
Selvedge Magazine Selvedge magazine is a special and collectable magazine, covering interior design and contemorary textile art. The new Christmas issue encourages us to think about alternatives to the commercial side of Christmas with a focus on handmade gifts, decorations and wrapping. Articles include Christmas attire through history, circus, panto and puppetry and textiles in Christmas decoration. As usual, this issue is packed with information, inspiration, gift ideas and events with a special guide to the Selvedge Christmas Fair. Read more and preview the current issue.
Best quality Chinese fine dehaired yak wool Now in stock, a luxury exotic fibre. More difficult to spin because of the short staple but your reward is a very soft and warm yarn. Read more and buy
Secondhand spinning wheels I have a good number of secondhand wheels at the moment, some advertised for private sellers, some my own, including this quite special double-drive Traditional. Ashford double-drive wheels switch between single and double-drive giving the control and ease of single-drive and the free treadling of double-drive. See more
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 6 of 7
HandSpinner newsletter for December 2010
05/12/2010 18:01
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 fleecy 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/
British Wool Weekend 3 & 4 September 2011, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate. More information soon. 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:
delicious
stumbleupon
file:///Users/shieladixon/Documents/Website%20backup/handspinner/newsletter_december_2010_email.html
Page 7 of 7