February Business Meeting - Plying on Drop Spindle

What a fantastic Business Meeting tonight!

When our Fearless Leader, Alison, suggested that we discuss plying on a drop spindle at our next meeting, one of our newest members Sadelle Wiltshire rose to the occasion and gave us a fantastic demo of Tammy Rizzo's Navajo Ply on the Fly technique. Sadelle, an experienced fiber artist and instructor, had put her own twist on it for us. Others have come about similar twists and they are documented on the video creator's blog.


Of course she was sure to bring samples of yarn that she had spun in this fashion - this has become her way of spinning as of late. To paraphrase Sadelle, she likes it because when you are done your are done. Oh and she we sure to point out that the yarn she passed around was Spincerely Yours' Grape Goddess Colorway. What a treat!

Maryanne brought samples of yarn that she spun and plied on the drop spindle. One piece was particularly fun - it was spun in one direction and then plied in the same direction as the singles. It was quite bouncy and fun. (Sorry I dropped it on the floor when I tried to shoot Alison with it!)

Alison gave us an excellent demo of how to use a Nostepinde - when doing a quick search on how to spell it correctly I found this informative link to the once Grafton Fiber now DyakCraft site.

We had lots of other show and tell and fun encouraging our newest member Deb who was on her second day of spinning!

Ewesfully yours,
E

Ewesful Events

River Spinners' Calendar
Bring your wheel, drop spindle, fiber, knitting, or whatever fiber art projects to events.

Calendar Event Legend: G-Guild Event, M-Member Event, L-Local event, R-Registration Deadlines.

For more info select event. Schedule subject to change.
Check back for updates and additional information.

Ewesful Links

Members' Websites

Golding Ring Spindles
Green Mountain Spinnery
IBIWISI Alpacas
Knitting Traditions
Margie's Muse Handweaving & Gallery
Maybelle Farm - Etsy
Maybelle Farm - Local Harvest
Pumpkin Spun Fiber Designs
Spectrum WebWorks
Sumac's Lace Pages
Thumb Thing Green

Members' Blogs
Dye Flower Farm
Green Mountain Handwork
Knitting Along the Way
Pumpkinspun’s Musings
Spinning Spider Jenny

Are you a member with a website not posted here? Just contact us with your information and your link could be here!

Fiber Groups
Vermont Weavers Guild
Northeast Handspinners Association
Ravelry
The Spinner's and Weaver's Housecleaning Pages


Fiber Web Resources
These sites have spinning, weaving, dyeing, or animal husbandry information
Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco
Fletcher Farm
Harrisville Designs' Classes
Spin-Off
Spinning Spider Jenny
West Mountain Farm

Fiber Businesses
These sites have storefronts and possibly also have online business as well
Dorr Mill Store
Dyak Craft formerly Grafton Fibers
Green Mountain Spinnery
Harrisville Designs
Knit or Dye
Margie's Muse Handweaving & Gallery
Webs

Fiber Podcasts
What is a Podcast?
Cast-On - Knitting
Stash and Burn - Knitting
Weavecast - Weaving
River Spinners Members - do you have a favorite podcast you would like to share here?

Link Backs
If we have linked to you please consider linking to us - the more links to our sites the higher the ranking in the search engines! We can help each other get our message out.

Ewesful Scrapbook

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Ewesful Projects

Fleece Sampling Project
Where we meet the animals - assist in shearing and skirting where possible - receiving a small amount to wash, dye, spin, and chat about at meetings regarding our experience with that fiber and techniques that we have used with it.

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Fourth Fleece - May 2009 Raw Llama donations. A local llama owner is moving and can't take all her fleece with her. She donated it to the guild. She had 6 llamas and this fiber is from several of them. At the July meeting we discussed how to process the fleece and a few preparations and drafting techniques for the fiber. All samples are now gone. Would love to see some pictures of what people have done with the fiber.

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Third Fleece - End of 2008 Three sheeps' - We need a write up on the donation of these fleeces and pictures please :)

Elizabeth blended hers on their Louet Junior drum carder with silk waste that was dyed by Spincerely Yours with Easter Egg dyes back in 2004 when we first started playing with dyes. We were inspired by a spinning class taught by Celia Quinn on novelty yarns sponsored by the River Spinners.

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Second Fleece - 2008 Maybelle Farm Registered Shetland Sheep

This is a picture of Avocado, my sweet black registered Shetland ewe. She is a very vocal sheep and I can always tell her bleet. Her fleece is really beautiful with black, gray, and sun-bleached tips. I hope you enjoy spinning Avocado and I look forward to seeing the projects each person makes. Thank you, Kathleen Meeks

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First Fleece - 2007-08 IBIWISI Pixie

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St. Jude's Slipper Project
The River Spinners have agreed to aid Alpaca Trendz in a project to knit slippers/socks for the children of St. Jude's Hospital.

Membership Dues and Benefits

Fiscal Year runs September 1, through August 31. Dues for River Spinners is $20 a year. Youth dues rate is $10 (high school - 21 years old) a year. No fee for first meeting to come try us on. $5 fee per meeting for non members who come to multiple meetings but don't join. $5 for nonmembers on Dye Days unless otherwise specified. Membership includes . . .
•Monthly business meeting and social gathering

•Ewesful News semimonthly email updates

•Priority placement and discounts on workshops

•Membership lists and handouts

•Discounts with certain Fiber Vendors (i.e. Golding Spindles, Maybelle Farm's Fiber Fun Day)

•Priority placement of links and events on website

•Mini topics at several guild meeting - members take turn sharing in their areas of expertise

•Fleece Sampling Project - where we meet the animals - assist in shearing and skirting where possible - receiving a small amount to wash, dye, spin, and chat about at meetings regarding our experience with that fiber and techniques that we have used with it.

•Discount on Interweave Publications and other various offers

•Guild Dye Days (weather permitting of course)

•Use of guild equipment (See below)

Drum carder - Strauch "Finest"

Hand Combs - Valkyrie Viking two pitch



English Combs - Indigo Hound five pitch



Inkle Loom



Tapestry Loom



Verilux Lamp - Full Spectrum Lighting



Members Contact us or our Keeper directly to reserve and borrow guild equipment

Officer's Job Descriptions

All terms are two year service commitments. Terms expire in September of odd number years except VPN which expires in September of even number years. Please see About Us for current officer's names. You have fiber passion and willingnessto serve your guild - please don't assume that you are "too new" a member to be an officer.

• Fearless Leader - Runs meetings, works with committees, membership morale, pr, coordinates other volunteers, reserves space for Business Meetings.
• VPN - "Very Pushy Nudger" Prods and pokes the fearless leader. Term is on a separate election cycle to improve continuity. This is not necessarily a fearless leader in training due to the election cycle.
• Purse - Collects dues, writes checks as necessary, bi-monthly balance reports, communicates with Pen on membership.
• Pen - Ewesful News content (emails and website), email reminders, contact for guild (Spin-off, NHA, etc.), maintain gmail account, makes sure no brilliant ideas are lost, maintains list of members and friends, occasional correspondence.
• Webmaster - makes sure blog entries are posted regularly based on information provided by other officers and that no in appropriate comments remain on the blog.
• Queen Key Fairy - coordinates who will get the key - checks in with Key fairies the Monday of the Business wee to confirm schedule
• Key Fairies - pick up key from Brattleboro Savings and Loan prior to 5 pm the day of the business meeting or what ever arrangements have been made if we are meeting somewhere else.
• Treat Troll - $10 monthly budget for the business meeting to supply snacks - suggestons welcom - primarily healthy treats with some sweets.
• Keeper - Stores equipment, keeps calendar, and coordinates monthly trade offs.
• Social Butterfly - Proposed position - coordinates the folloing - farmers markets, dye days, school visits, fairs, farm visits, and Spin-ins Tabled 9/6/07 meeting.