NEXT MEETING:
MARCH 25, 2009, 7:30 PM at the Winslow Center

GUEST SPEAKER: JUDITH MACKENZIE MCCUIN
Judith is a textile designer, teacher and a regular contributor to a number of fiber magazines. She has taught and worked worldwide. While she's here on a short tour, we were able to coerce her into coming to be with us this evening. Don't yet know what she will be speaking about, but we're all big fans and always enjoy what she comes up with. It may be spinning related, so bring your wheel just in case. Or it may be one of her many very interesting talks on her past experiences. My first exposure to Judith was a talk she gave on Turkish textiles with an emphasis on rugs, which was fantastic. So anything is possible! Come and enjoy.


UPCOMING WORKSHOP:
SPINNING OTHER FIBERS with Anne Field
June 13 & 14 - $95 plus cost of materials, about - $30 to $35
Location is at the home of Kate and Will Taylor

The fibers covered will be silk, alpaca and mohair. We have asked her to put the emphasis on alpaca and mohair for us since we do have several easy opportunities to get both of these fibers locally, and most of us have experience with silk already.

We will begin with observing and discussing the qualities of the fibers and compare those to the qualities we want in the spun yarn. Different preparations and spinning techniques, from worsted through to woollen will be taught to make the yarn reflect the look of the original fiber and the end use. Several different techniques can be used with each fiber, depending on the required appearance and end use. Small sample skeins will be spun and washed, then analyzed.


12th ANNUAL 'SPINNING AT THE WINERY'
June 6, 2009, 10 am - 4 pm
Retzlaff Winery, 1356 S. Livermore Ave. Livermore [just past City Hall and the Police Station]

Can you believe we've been doing this great event for twelve years already. It gets better every year. Our vendors this year will be:

Hayshed Basin Ranch
Sue Reuser with cormo fleeces
Nebo Rock Ranch
Carolina Homespun
Black Diamond Alpacas
"Ewe & Me Too"
Hollyhock Hollow with pygora goats
Barbara Fiorica with mohair and cashmere
Rencon Ranch - with shetland sheep
Morro Fleece Works to clean and card your fleeces
"Pans Garden Yarns" unusual and inventive roving and yarns

A favorite event has been the drawings. Think of what you can make or give to the guild for the drawing. Each of the vendors provides a gift and the rest is goodies from Guild members. Mindy has volunteered to head up a "committee" to make a few of her wonderful neck purses printed with our Spinning at the Winery logo, for sale. We have had several requests for more of those great bags we made from the misprinted t-shirts from a few years back. So we're hoping the neck purses will fill in!

Another returning feature will be T-Shirts printed with the "Spinning at the Winery" logo. Black shirts with with white printing this year. We will have Men's sizes L & XL and Ladies sizes M, L & XL.


IN-HOUSE KNIT WORKSHOP
At the request of a couple of Monday Spinners, I am putting together a workshop on knit cast-ons and bind-offs. These will be basic techniques that will give knitters who know only one or two more options. The cast-ons would be done one day and the bind-offs another day. This will give attendees time to knit the cast on samples and be ready to bind them off at the next meeting. There will be more cast-ons than bind-offs.
There will not be a fee for the workshop.

A date and place will be set once I know how many people would like to attend and how quickly I can put together the samples and handouts. It will be after everyone returns from Scotland.

To help me plan samples/handouts and meeting times, I would appreciate it if you would reply to me marykbishop@earthlink.net with answers to the following questions.

1. Would you plan to attend this workshop?

2. What general time(s) would be best for you? Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, evening during the week.

3. Which of the following do you already know?
Cast-ons
half hitch (e wrap)
long tail
German twisted
knitted cable
crochet
provisional (using the crochet cast-on)
tubular for k1,p1 rib(using the crochet cast-on)
tubular for k2,p2 rib(using the crochet cast-on)

Bind-offs
crochet
tubular for k1,p1 rib
tubular for k2, p2 rib

Thank you.

Mary



VOLUNTEER EVENTS to take part in:

BORGES RANCH has invited us to participate in "Heritage Day" at the Ranch in Walnut Creek. The date is June 13th, 11 AM till 4 PM. They ask all volunteers to be in place by 10 AM, however. There is usually room for three spinners and their wheels, but they also warn us that they cannot provide chairs or tables, so bring your own. If you are not participating in the Anne Field Workshop, maybe you can go out to Borges for the day.

AG DAY at the Solano County Fair. Linda Partsch has a booth there and demonstrates spinning fibers with an emphasis on showing kids how its done-with hands on spinning. This is a special day of activities geared for kids. Don't know what day it is, but contact Linda at linpart@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in helping her.

ROGERS RANCH will be sometime in June and/or July. We have no dates yet, but they always ask us to participate. Any ideas on small projects we can do with the kids? The house is finished, so we will most likely have a clean place, inside, to work. We will need someone to organize this if we are asked to participate again.

"WORLD'S LONGEST SCARF" is a project Linda Cortright [founder and editor of "WILD FIBERS" magazine] is organizing to help raise money for Heifer International. The goal is to raise $250,000 with the project. The idea is that any group can, on their local level, either knit or weave a scarf and charge by the inch to participate: like $1 for every row knit or $10 for every inch woven. The scarves and money will then be sent to Linda who will have them joined together at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival as part of International Day on Friday, October 16, 2009.

We will discuss our ideas on joining in on this project at Wednesday's meeting. Could be a great way to use the leftover odds and ends from our blending projects - or any handspun samples you have laying around. Take some time to look up Heifer International. Its a great organization.


ANTIQUE WHEEL noticed at the Antique Corner in Martinez by Mary Margaret. Its a great wheel that looks to be in very good condition and is priced under $300 [she thinks!] The store is on the corner of Ferry and the last street by the train tracks.


A GREAT SHEEP/SHEEPDOG/LIGHTFEST EXTRAVAGANZA! Check it out at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw


REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR OWN DRINK CUP TO THE MEETINGS