what I've been doing over the holidays

This is yarn I bought at the last retreat on Quadra Island and it is fun to knit with as it changes colour as you knit and will be a rainbow shawl when I am done. Is anyone going to the one being held in Nanaimo this spring?

First meeting of 2011 to be held Wednesday

We will be having a meeting on Wednesday the fifth of January. I dont know who the hosts are? I think it is a spinning for Rock day event but maybe someone can post on here. Hope every one had a great Christmas and all the Best in 2011. What has everyone been working on? Liz and I did some dying the other day and I have been knitting.

First meeting of 2011 to be held Wednesday

We will be having a meeting on Wednesday the fifth of January. I don't know who the hosts are? I think it is a spinning for Rock day event but maybe someone can post on here. Hope every one had a great Christmas and all the Best in 2011. What has everyone been working on? Liz and I did some dying the other day and I have been knitting.

The Colour Purple

This post is for a certain person who loves the colour purple.  Twist Collective's Winter 2010 issue has an article by Fiona Ellis entitled 'Purple Prose' a history from a fibery perspective, of the colour purple.  Click here to read the article.  Twist Collective is an online magazine whose purpose is to provide  a showcase opportunity to designers of knitwear and writers and pay them fairly.  Check it out here.

Turning the Tide.One Ripple at a Time

Turning the Tide

Opening today at the Nanaimo down town Art Gallery, 150 Commercial Street.
Opening November 16 at 4 pm. Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm Closed Sunday and Monday. Closing November 30 at 4 pm.
The Nan Go Grannies together with the Glacier Grannies and the Nanaimo Art Gallery present:
Textile Art Show: Turning the Tide


This 52 piece show, a join effort initiated by the Glacier Grannies and presented by local grandmother groups is travelling Western Canada and will culminate in a Grand Gala in Victoria in March, 2011, when the pieces will be auctioned off.

This textile art show is about hope and commitment. The title,"Turning the Tide", is taken from the Stephen Lewis Foundation campaign that is committed to turning the tide of the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Each piece depicts an aspect of the many projects that are being funded, hence the subtitle: "One Ripple at a Time."
The Stephen Lewis Foundation funds over 30 grassroots organizations in 15 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa, 40-60 per cent of orphans live in grandmother-headed households. It is the belief of the Campaign that although the situation in sub-Saharan Africa remains pressing, it is impossible to be discouraged when we see these projects working with tenacity and sophistication, providing support, solace and hope for women, children and grandmothers affected by the pandemic. These communities know what has to be done and how to do it. All they need are the resources to accomplish their goals.

A DVD for luxury

This is a new DVD by Judith McKenzie and covers luxury fibres.  We can learn what to do with all the alpaca and llama fleeces available around here. http://www.interweavestore.com/Spinning/Video/Spinning-Luxury-Yarns-DVD.html

Another DVD the Guild library can consider

Another spinning video we might consider getting for the guild library
There is a You tube sample as well.
http://www.interweavestore.com/Spinning/Video/Start-Spinning-DVD.html?a=iwst101105D

Knitting DVD

I try to join new balls of yarn only at the edges, but sometimes that means wasting a long length of yarn. If I'm short on yarn, I hate to waste any of it just to avoid a join in the middle of a row. Enter Vicki Square and a great way to splice yarn together so you can join in the middle of a row.

Vicki says, "Splicing forms an invisible join that can be used anywhere in a row. It secures the two yarns together without adding bulk or know, is easy to accomplish, and eliminates the need to work in ends."

Here's Vicki to demonstrate the yarn-splicing technique for you:

This splicing method works on wool, llama, or alpaca yarns—basically on any yarn that will felt a little bit. So some of the blends will work, too. If you're working with a blend, you'll have to try splicing it to see if it'll work well.

suggestion for a dvd the guild should own for the library

Home > Spinning > Video >

Spinning Luxury Fiber DVD

In Stock

Price: $39.95

Quantity

Judith MacKenzie

DVD

Item #: 10SP09

ISBN: 9781596684591
Disks: 3

Description

Spinners today have such an abundance of fiber choices, sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin – and to know how to handle these precious materials once you have them in your hands. In this extensive treatment of the best the fiber world has to offer, Master Spinner Judith MacKenzie shares what she’s learned from deep experience in both craft and industry, with a hands-on teaching style that will give you inspiration, confidence, and good results.

This three-disk set covers:

• Silk, from cocoon to top to noil to magnificent blends
• Alpaca, both huaycaya and suri
• Camel
• Llama
• Paco-vicuña
• Yak
• Bison
• Cashmere
• Quiviut

You’ll learn how to prepare each fiber, how to spin it, how to finish your yarn, and the fascinating history and lore of each.

Preview

Weaving and Sewing for a conference

Donatella, Coco, and You Jacket by Judith Shangold Donatella Versace, Giorgio Armani, Coco Chanel, and Stella McCartney. Wait a minute! Fashion designers? This is supposed to be Weaving Today’s e-newsletter. Oh, but it is, and it’s your chance to be a clothing designer for an event in Europe. Väv is a Swedish weaving conference that is held every three years. Approximately 10,000 participants and between 70 and 80 vendors are expected to attend. Imagine that shopportunity! There will be exhibitions by professionals who were trained in Borås and are now employed as weavers, designers, and artists. There will also be displays of contemporary textile art and lectures from well known weavers and designers such as Ulla Cyrus. Some of the lectures will be given in English. Now if this doesn’t already have you scheming a way to get to Sweden next year, how about this? Smart textiles. This is a new wave being studied at a Swedish university that is exploring the combination of craft with technology. Väv - Swedish Conference The focus at next year’s Väv conference is clothing sewn from handwoven fabric. So here’s your chance for international acclaim: Handwoven and Väv magasinet are cosponsoring a joint runway fashion show to be held next September at the conference. We’ll be looking for five tailored and five loom-shaped garments from our readers to represent our weaving community. Whether you are an experienced seamstress who is already thinking of a one-of-a-kind dress that you will “stitch in the ditch” and press with a “tailor’s ham” or a weaver who prefers loom-shaped clothing, get your loom warped and your designing mind engaged to create your best-ever handwoven garment. Digital photos must be submitted to our website by April 1, 2011, and we will soon be posting complete information on weavingtoday.com. Because we will select the finalists from photographs, we urge you to take special care with your photography. The selected items must be sent to Handwoven, and then we’ll ship them off to Sweden. Oh, one more thing! The winning garments will also appear in a special garment issue of Handwoven scheduled for September/October 2011. For more information go to www.svenskavav.com. (Hint: you might want to grab your Swedish dictionary first.)

Room for anyone wanting to take clothing Workshop

I'm on the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners Guild Workshop Committee and we are offering a seminar put on by Jo Swallow. We still have lots of room if anyone in your guild is interested.

I've visited her studio and she is a wealth of information .

The workshop will be held at Qualicum Bay in the Lighthouse Community Centre. I'm attaching a copy of some of the information that's been sent out. There is nothing to prepare or bring other than what's listed.

Just contact me if anyone would like to come. I'm taking some of my handwoven clothes for critique..should be fun.

Thanks, Jo

Upcoming Fall Workshop:

Jo Swallow

’s Weavers’ Wearables

October 30, 2010

11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Location : Lighthouse Community Hall in the Board Room

Qualicum Bay

Cost : $20.00, payable to QSWG, as soon as possible to ensure your place.

Reminder: If you have paid, and cannot attend, it is your responsibility to find someone to attend in your place or forfeit the workshop fee.

Call Jo, Mary or Jackie to find a replacement on the waiting list?

Number of spaces available: 15 or more

Please make your cheque payable to Qualicum Beach Weavers and Spinners Guild .The final payment date for this workshop is Oct. 18 at the next Q.B.S.&W. Guild meeting at the Loft.

Outline of this course includes sharing for an hour our own woven samples and creations …. What worked and what did n

ot. This should be a lively learning experience as Jo will comment and volunteer suggestions.

Jo Swallow is a dynamic teacher and is very willing to explore patterns, fibres, etc. She is hoping to get weavers to wear what they weave in a fashionable way.

She will have a display of her own handwoven clothing, design booklet handout , as well as her book with “real” swatches which she has for sale. She has prepared an informative lecture for the afternoon.

You will need to bring your lunch, a notebook, samples of weaving, yarns and some of your woven wear if you wish and perhaps a camera for photos.

Schedule for the day

11:00 -12:00 sharing and question period

12:00-1:00 lunch and short break

1:00- 4:00 Weavers

’ Wearables Seminar

If you have already signed the interest sheet or if you’ve just decided to attend please sign below and return to Jo Williamson.

Email address is :

arway@shaw.ca

Phone 250-757-8402 for any questions you may have.

ANWG

Once again, ANWG will be awarding conference grants (previously called scholarships) to selected members of ANWG member guilds. As in most recent conference years, 10 grants of $400 each will be awarded to cover conference costs -- registration, housing and meals. Three alternates will also be selected in the event that one or more winners are unable to use the award. The ANWG Board approved the following criteria for conference grant selection:
Applicant must not have previously received a ANWG confer-ence scholarship/grant
Applicant must indicate that acceptance of the grant would make a financial difference and enable conference atten-dance
Applicant must be an active and supportive member of her/his guild
Applicant must be willing to share the conference experience with their Guild members
In addition to the above requirements, preference will be given for:
An applicant who has never attended an ANWG conference
An applicant who has been weaving less than 5 years
There is no application form, rather, a nomination letter from the Guild President or ANWG Representative must be sent to the Con-ference Grants committee addressing the above criteria. A statement from the nominee must also be included. Only one applicant per guild may be nominated. The deadline to receive applications is October 31, 2010. Awards will be announced by December 15, 2010 (note: conference registration is due to open on January 1, 2011).
Applications should be sent electronically (preferred) to Alison Ad-dicks, Conference Grants Chair, addicks@centurytel.net or by postal service to: Alison Addicks at 2075A Johnson Rd., Rice, WA 99167-9741.

Another Weavers slae coming up

This information came with attachments which I haven' t figured out how to get to the blog so maybe Liz will be able to post them. Heather

If cooler fall temperatures have you reaching for ‘warm and woolly’ accessories, then you’ll want to drop by the Weavers Sale in The Loft Art Gallery in Mill Bay to see what’s new. For the third year in a row, the Tzouhalem Spinners & Weavers Guild sets up shop for the whole month of November in the Gallery above ‘Valley Wines to Vines’ in the Mill Bay Shopping Centre. Walls that usually hold framed pictures will be the backdrop for wonderful handmade textiles: scarves, shawls, felted hats, knitted slippers and toques, tea towels, table runners, bags, bookmarks and more, all created right here in the Cowichan Valley. With the festive season coming up, do bring along your Christmas list. Since many of the items on display are one-of-a-kind, the Weavers Sale could be the perfect place to shop for The Perfect Gift! You may, of course, treat yourself to a special treasure as well.

Meet the group’s talented members during the Official Opening on Saturday, October 30, between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Throughout the remainder of the Weavers Sale, a Tzouhalem Guild member will be on hand from 10:00 a.m. ‘til 3:00 p.m. to welcome visitors to the upstairs Gallery.

They’re also there to encourage folks to try out the on-site looms, just to see what’s involved in throwing a shuttle, changing a shed and weaving a pattern. Other demonstrations, such as Japanese braiding, inkle band weaving, spindle spinning and basket weaving, are scheduled for the four Saturdays in November.

For more information on the Weavers Sale, please contact Alison Irwin at (250) 746-6330 or Els van Dam at (250) 743-0851.

Cowichan Fibre Festival

Get ready for the annualCowichan Fleece  Fibre Fair is Saturday, October the 23, at the Island Savings Centre (aka Cowichan Community Centre) in Duncan, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

October 23rd, 2010
10am – 4pm
Island Savings Centre
2687 James St.
Duncan, BC

Wearables
Come and wear your art!

For more information:
Annie Fulton
250.246.4600
awfulton at shaw.ca

Knitters’ Circle: Free knitting lessons with needles & yarn. Ongoing demos, displays. Special fibre activities for the kids! 
Vendors! Rovings, yarns, dyes, spinning wheels, needle feltingsupplies, and more. Locally handcrafted knitted,felted and woven articles of wool and alpaca, duvets,and many other items perfect for Christmas gifts. 
Join our Spinners’ Circle! Bring your own wheel or come and learn to spin on one of ours.

Click here to see what Jane Richmond said about the Fair last year.

VIFAS winners listing for those who didnt get there

Home
Vendors
Fashion Show Gallery
Contact Us

JURIED COMPETION WINNERS’ LIST

Awards Presented at the Fashion Fiesta, Saturday, September 11, 2010 Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo, BC

CHILDREN’S CATEGORY:

1ST: Evelyn McNabb - Home Sweet Home, child’s and doll’s sweater, knitted
2ND: Heather Sinclair -Fuzzy Fun Jumper, pieced and felted
2ND: Evelyn McNabb -Granny Gear Sweater, knitted
3RD: Isabel Colebrook - Red Riding Hood Capes, knitted

ACCESSORIES CATEGORY:

1ST: Lynette Meek -Feather and Fan Reticule, beaded knitting
2ND: Mary Gillespie - Woven Emerald Scarf
3RD: Marguerite Band- Woven Silk Shawl

EMBELLISHED CATEGORY:

1ST: Leni Balaban - Biker Vest
2ND: Leni Balaban - I Dreamed I was a Pole Dancer

VALUE OF AWARDS

1st -$100
2nd- $50
3rd-$25
Best of Show -$50
People’s Choice -$150

AWARDS GENEROUSLY DONATED BY THE MID-ISLAND WEAVERS’ AND SPINNERS’ GUILD

REPURPOSED CATEGORY:

1ST : Sylvia Dwyer -Autumn Leaves Coat

OPEN CATEGORY:

1ST : Jo Swallow - Shangri-La Cape, woven
2ND : Pat McLeod - Red Vest, woven
3RD : Edith Haack - Spring Jacket, woven

EVENING CATEGORY:

1ST: Ayami Stryck- Cape, Nuno felting
2ND: Ayami Stryck-Daphne, Nuno felting
3RD: Eileen Miles-Shetland Mystery Shawl

BEST OF SHOW:

Ayami Stryck - Cape, Nuno felting

PEOPLE’S CHOICE:

Ayami Stryck- Daphne, Nuno felting

Our heartfelt thanks go to all those who entered and helped make our Fibre Arts Showcase and Fashion Fiesta a success. Best wishes to you all for a year of Fibre Fun! Congratulations to the winners! Our deepest thanks to the Mid-Island Weavers’ and Spinners’ Guild who believed in our effort from the very start by recognizing artists’ work with their generous donations for prizes.

Read more about the Vancouver Island Fibre Arts Showcase. Cindy Scraba, of Cindy's Threadworks, sends her impressions here: http://www.cindysthreadworks.com/blog/2010/09/15/vanc-isl-fibre-arts-showcase/

We deeply appreciate the support of the following donors. Your generous gifts enabled our Silent Auction to successfully raise funds to help our event break even. We couldn't have done it without you!

• Aglow Salon
• Alison Kermack
• Charlotte's Web
• Cherry Patten
• Cindy's Threadworks
• Crafts By Design
• Darlene Rogers
• Ellen Larson
• Eva Ryan
• Gemini Fibres
• Gramma's Quilting Cupboard
• Gunilla Gansen
• Harmonique Spinning Wheels & Looms
• Interweave Press
• Jane Stafford Textiles
• Jeanette Roberts
• Jennifer Tindall
• Jens van Draby
• Jo Swallow
• Joe Cunningham Ford
• Jubu Bead & Gift
• Ken-Dor Garden Centre
• Laura Fry
• Linda de Beeld
• Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns
• Maggie Simms
• Majacraft
• Mary Gillespie
• Our Glass Shop
• Pagan Creations
• Parksville Home Hardware
• Pharmasave
• Piper's Pub
• Qualicum Bay Fibre Works
• Save On Foods
• Stedmans
• The Wool Shop
• Thrifty Foods - Nanaimo
• Treenway Silks
• W. Cushing & Co.
• West Coast Images

Thank you to the following donors for financial support:
Mid-Island Weavers and Spinners' Guild
Toronto Dominion Bank, Parksville
Aileen Fabris

wraps per inch

Thought this may be of interest to people who weave and knit.
Wraps Per Inch vs. Gauge Swatching

Determining wraps per inch

Have you every wondered why people worry about wraps per inch (wpi)? Me too.

Some people use this method when they have two mystery yarns and they want to see if they're the same size (to use in a striped, gauge-buster vest or something like that). I can see wpi coming in handy in this sort of situation.

And spinners use the method a lot to get an idea of what weight their handspun yarn is, too. In fact, it was in the fall issue of Spin-Off magazine that I came across the article below, which got me thinking abut wraps per inch. I thought you might like to read it, too, so I've included some excerpts here.

The author is Amy Tyler, who was trained as a scientist and spent many years teaching research methods and statistics to physical therapy students. Although she now works as a fiber artist, she still finds a systematic approach to come in handy.

What is "Wraps Per Inch"?
by Amy Tyler

I was first introduced to the wraps-per-inch method of measuring of yarn thickness at a workshop in 2003. I loved the workshop, but I was skeptical of this method from the get-go. The instructions for measuring reminded me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears—not too this . . . not too that . . . just right. With just right being in the eye of the beholder.

For example, here are the instructions from the Spring 2008 issue of Spin-Off: "Wrap a length of yarn around your gauge, packing to refusal, to determine the wraps per inch (wpi) of the yarn. Packing to refusal means that you push the strands together to fill the 1-inch groove, being sure not to stretch or smoosh the yarn as you wrap it, as this will distort your result. Strands should not overlap or gap. Then simply count the number of strands in the 1-inch groove to obtain wpi."

How could a measure with such ambiguous instructions be reliable? By reliable, I mean consistent and free from error (the definition common to many research designs and methods).

I recently attended a fiber arts retreat and I had the opportunity to carry out an informal study of the reliability of wraps per inch. I asked some of the fiber folks in attendance to help me and thirteen people agreed.

I gave each person a 3-by-5-inch index card printed with ¼-inch grid marks. I folded each card in thirds to make it a bit sturdier. I then cut a notch in the card and used a pen to mark off 2 inches of the grid. I gave each person one of these cards. Then I gave the participants some basic instructions for wrapping a yarn around the card to measure wraps per inch. My instructions were essentially, "Wrap the yarn around the card, not too tight, not too loose, with wraps touching but not squished together. Wrap for 1 or 2 inches and then count the wraps in 1 inch."

I also gave each person long strands of yarn, one at a time. First, I handed out strands of Cascade 220. I asked everyone to calculate wraps per inch. When everyone had done so, I asked them to announce the measurement they'd gotten. I repeated this sequence with three more yarns: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Rowan Magpie Aran, and Schaefer Yarn Anne.

Each person got the same yarn, the same measuring tool, and the same instructions. Yet the resulting measures of wpi varied quite a bit. And in the case of Cascade's 220, no one got the published measurement; all estimates were too high. It seems that measures of the thicker yarns (such as the Magpie Aran and the 220) were more off than those of the thinner yarns. Also, not all people were consistently high or consistently low in their estimates.

I concluded that wraps per inch is not a very reliable measure.

Some spinners may find wraps per inch helpful as an approximate measure, but it shouldn't be used as the only measure of yarn thickness for a spinning project. In the end, it's not the thickness of the yarn per se that's important. It is how the yarn works in the finished product.

For knitting, there is no better way to decide if you've got the right thickness of yarn than to knit a gauge swatch. With that swatch, you can decide two very important things: Does the fabric behave as it should (drape, density, springiness)? And if you're following a pattern, are you getting the number of stitches per inch and rows per inch that you need?

____________________

Hear, hear on the gauge issue! Yet another reason why knitters should always make a gauge swatch—we need to know what gauge we're getting with our needles and our yarn. That's really the only way to end up with a sweater that actually fits.

The Pass-Through Scarf

I know, some of you have been lucky and have winged it and ended up with a well-fitting sweater, but there are many more of you who have winged it and ended up with a sweater that you had to give away or send to the frog pond, am I right?

I hope this article has shed some light on wraps per inch for you. I know it did for me.

Cheers,

Knit-in and Spin-in in Public

Apparently knitting and spinning have become a geeky craft, or should I say a craft for geeks. Check out this article String Theory: Reflections on Knitting as a Hobby for Hacker Types This probably bodes well for a spin-in and knit-in to be held on campus.  


Listen-up locals ... 

Spin-in and Knit-in to be held at 

Vancouver Island University

Thursday, Sept 30th.

Location: sunshine = outside, in front of the library 

if rain = in the Welcome Centre.  

Bring what's on your needles, wheel or spindle and your fibre friends.

Despicable Minion designed by
WolfDreamer

Parking will be an issue. Come early and use Lot 5C (off 5th St.) and use the short term parking meters. Here is a link to the map. The outside location is the square in the centre of buildings 300 (cafeteria), 305 (library), 310 (theatre) and 315 (physics bldg).

Our Guild Shows and Tells - Part1

Darlene wearing her new jacket.

It has been a busy week for the Mid Island Guild! Our first meeting of the year had us organizing our selves for the year, plus organizing ourselves for the Fibre and Fashion Fiesta which was held this weekend.
First, the Guild meeting.  The Show and Tell was a highlight.  Here Darlene is wearing one of two jackets made from her Mother's woven fabric.  The two jackets (or was it three?) were made for her and her sister(s?) from left over fabric.  There wasn't enough fabric for each jacket but a seamstress cleverly  designed it with other fabrics that matched the woven sections. Their Mother passed away and these jackets are a beautiful way to remember her by.

Kathy was on a high, having taken a whole week workshop with Jane Stafford.  Here's a gamp she did from the Twills on 4 workshop.  Here's a link to Jane Stafford's workshops on her web site.

On display were dozens of felt pin cushions made by Heather and Anne (and others?) over the summer as table centres to be given away at the Fashion Fiesta (see the next blog post).

We also brainstormed ideas for workshops: Colour and design; fibre baskets, nuno felting, felted slippers (recycling a sweater), a trip to Salt Spring.....

weaving personalities

No, we're not aspiring to become Cosmopolitan magazine with its famous tests, but Madelyn van der Hoogt has developed a weaver's personality assessment. I've taken it, and it's fun and sure to generate some interesting conversation during social time at your next guild meeting. Here's Madelyn to tell you about the quiz.

I hate warping! I love warping! I like to weave with very tight tension! Loose tension is the only way to go. I love to sample! I never weave samples. I love computer drafting! I don’t want to make drawdowns, I just want to weave. Four shafts is all you ever need. You can never have enough shafts.

How could the same craft provoke such strong, but opposite preferences? Weavers can almost come to blows over issues like whether it’s better to warp front to back or back to front.

Color/texture weavers like this.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this is because weaving is somewhat unique in its appeal to two completely opposite personality types (unlike, say, chemistry or teaching pre-schoolers). I’ve thought of the two opposite personality poles as the structure/pattern type and the color/texture type. You could probably guess your type by what specifically drew you to weaving in the first place. If you were fascinated by seeing a loom, wondering how it works, or you pondered the designs in airplane upholstery, you are probably a structure/pattern type. If you longed for angora rabbits, went from them to raising sheep, then from sheep to alpacas, and started weaving because you have so much yarn, you are probably a color/texture type. If you see an exquisite scarf and wonder how many shafts it took to weave? Structure/pattern. If your first question is "Is it silk or Tencel?": color/texture.

It’s good to know your type for many reasons. I think of the color/texture weavers as pretty lucky. It’s easier for them to disguise their addictions. They will be collecting a lot of yarn in their weaving lives, and you can sneak yarn into the house, bit by bit, hiding it here and there, much more easily than you can hide looms. By identifying your type, you also know a lot more about how you learn and what you need to learn. Structure/pattern weavers (of which I confess I am one) are control freaks. They like to explain things, and they usually teach the guild workshops. They make computer printouts of complex drafts instead of weaving. Color/texture weavers, on the other hand actually have something to show at Show and Tell besides computer printouts. They bake the best cookies.

	Structure/pattern weavers like this.

If you’re a stucture/pattern weaver, you are usually afraid of color. If you are a color/texture weaver, you don’t like drafting or taking workshops on structure. It helps to know this about yourself so you don’t blame yourself for what doesn’t come naturally. One of my favorite ideas is to pair up a structure/pattern weaver with a color/texture weaver to plan a project. The structure/pattern weaver designs the draft, the color-texture weaver chooses the yarns and colors.

If you wonder which type you are, come to weavingtoday.com to take the Weaver’s Personality Inventory Test. (It will be in my blog.) And if you think you are somewhere in the middle of these two polar opposites, remember that from whatever place you start as a weaver, you move toward the center in your weaving life.
See? Doesn't that sound like fun? (Maybe we should be more like Cosmo. I can see the headline now: "How to put the sizzle back in your relationship with your loom!") OK, my mad daydreams aside, y'all come over to Weaving Today and find out your weaving personality. And if you'll share your results, I'll share mine. ;-)

Weaving and Spinning equipment for sale

Hi Heather,

Below is the list of items that Dianne Marshall of Youbou wishes to sell. She has also put together a photo gallery so you can see just what she has.

Dianne would be thrilled to have the information go out to as many weavers/spinners as possible, so if you can add the list and link to the Mid Island Guild's blog, that will be terrific.

Anyone interested in any item can get in touch with her; here is her contact information:

Dianne Marshall

9822 Miracle Way

Youbou BC

250 745 3340

alexmar@shaw.ca

Alison.

---

http://photoshare.shaw.ca/messages/viewthumb/11829442032-1283904029-95789/parm/page/1/15/

Highlighted numbers relate to the pictures.

1-11

1 48” Sutherland 4 harness floor loom in Maple/counter balance

2 Reeds 60” #8 # 10

4 Harness

String Heddles

4 lamms

6 treadles

2 boat shuttles

Bench (LeClerc)

Asking Price 1000.00

12-14

1 30” 4 Harness Table Loom (JACK)

Harness and heddles Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

15

1 Inkle Loom Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

16

1 Table Tapestry Loom Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

17-21

1 LeClerc 16” Folding Table Loom, wire heddles

2 Harness with 16” reed

Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

22-23

1 Breakdown Tapestry Loom 4 Harness

Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

24-25

Assorted Books

Weaving, Spinning & Dyeing Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

26

Assorted Stick Shuttles, different lengths

Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

27

1 set of cards for Tablet Weaving Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

28

Baskets of Yarn and Unspun Fleece Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

29-31

1 Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel

plus Lazy Kate and 3 bobbins Asking Price 300.00

32

1 Ashford Jumbo Flyer Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

33-34

1 Indian Head Spinner on Singer treadle sewing machine (include original sewing machine) Asking Price (will accept reasonable offers)

35-36

2 Drop spindles $6.00 each

37-39

1 Drum Carder Like new Asking Price 225.00

40-41

1 Set Hand Carders $30.00

42

1 Swift $25.00

43

1 Niddy Noddy $30.00

44

1 Ball Winder (Plastic) $25.00

46-47

2 Wooden Beaters/Combs (will accept reasonable offers)

48

1 Bobbin Winder (metal) with bobbins (will accept reasonable offers)

49-50

2 Boat Shuttles (will accept reasonable offers)

51

1 Warping Board $30.00

52

Shed Sticks (will accept reasonable offers)

53-55

Tapestry Frame 33” H 27” W (will accept reasonable offers)

Are people going to come and demonstrate?

Vancouver Island Fibre Arts Showcase and Fashion Fiesta www.vancouverislandfibrearts.com

Vancouver Island Conference Centre
101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo, BC

Come and experience two days of expressions of the rich heritage of fibre arts on Vancouver Island. Something for everyone! Admission $5. per day or $8. for two days. Bring your spinning wheel or other hand work and join the spinners' circle. Friday, Sept. 10 1 - 8 pm and Saturday, Sept. 11 9 am - 4 pm

Last Chance - Fashion Fiesta

Don't forget to check out the Fibre Arts Showcase Sept 10 and 11.  Last chance to buy tickets to the fashion show and Fiesta dinner is THIS Friday!  More information is available here: http://www.vancouverislandfibrearts.com/index.html  and tickets can be purchased on-line through the Nanaimo Port Theatre or via phone :

September Meeting

Attention all weavers, spinners, knitters and fibre freaks, the next Mid Island Weavers and Spinners Guild meeting is September 8th at 7:30.  It is usually the first Wednesday of the month but for some reason tradition has it as the second Wednesday, something to do with the start of school.
Newcomers are most welcome.  It is in the basement of St Paul's Anglican Church, 100 Chapel St down town Nanaimo.  Bring your summer show and tell projects.  Show us your creativity.  Inspire the rest of us.  Knitters bring your WIPS (works in progress), also known as UFOs (unfinished objects), spinners bring your wheels or spindles.

View Larger Map

Sock Blank painting and knitting

How are everyone's socks going. I did two with Liz and Julie and I am running out of yarn with the blank that I made and will have to dye more. The blank from Jeanette I can tell I will have ample.
Liz is helping me learn to blog. I hope everyone will have theirs ready for show and tell. I unfortunatley wont be at the first meeting because it is moved from the first of September to the 2nd week of September and I have another commitment that evening.

summer creations

Here is a close up of my sea weed skirt (second attempt).In June you saw my first attempt -I have learned lots since then. What NOT to do and how to do it right now.I just found a good tutorial on Nuno felting. Click here if you want to look at it.
Nothing like having a deadline to work for. I had grandchildren and their parents visiting and I finally had to say I have to get my felting done. My neighbour lent me a room to work in as I couldn't work with three under 5's. The baby already dyed himself orange while he was suppose to be having a nap!

I knew that nuno felt shrank 50% but should have done samples, the skirt wont fit me. It will fit my daughter who says she has no where to wear it!