Mid Island Weavers and Spinners (and other fibre enthusiasts) Guild

This is the Mid Island Weavers and Spinners (and other fibre enthusiasts) blog page. The group meets the first Wednesday of the month during the fall/winter/spring (September through to June). Meetings are now being held at the library downtown on Commercial St upstairs in their meeting room. Guests are welcome to come...bring your knitting, spinning wheel or other fibre addictions. Meetings usually consist of 5 minutes of business, show and tell (bring something), tea and cookies, and some sort of workshop, seminar or talk where you will learn something fibry and interesting.
We now have an email address: MIWSGuild at gmail.com

Monday, May 28, 2012

3rd Wednesday - an update

The Spinner, Goatherd of the Auvergne,
Jean-François Millet 
 

The May third Wednesday was a hit!  They came from all over the world: Nanaimo, France and Vermont!!  Charlotte and Fiona continue to amaze us.  Everyone told a story and everyone shared their spinning samples.  Great fun was had by all.
|Note: We do not have the hall for the 3rd Wednesday in June.  If the weather is good, then maybe we can spin outdoors.  Stay tuned.
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 This has been a Mid Island Weavers and Spinners Guild blog update. If you are reading this as an email, and can't see this in its full glory, click here to see this item in its full glory, images and all: http://miwsguild.blogspot.com.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Wednesday Spin-In

Irish spinning wheel. Library of
Congress collection, from Wikipedia

Yippee! Another 3rd Wednesday of the month Spin-in.  The Mid Island Weavers and Spinners (and other FiBre fReAks) Guild is having another spin-in on May16th, 7pm. It’s open to spinners and wannabe spinners or those who just want to hang out and chat with other fibre people.  Bring your knitting.  Want to spin but don't know how? Come and learn, we have spindles you can try. Learn how to make your own yarn. The spin-in is free and open to anyone.
Location: St Paul's Church Hall, 100 Chapell Street, Nanaimo.  Map is here.
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 This has been a Mid Island Weavers and Spinners Guild blog update. If you are reading this as an email, and can't see this in its full glory, click here to see this item in its full glory, images and all:http://miwsguild.blogspot.com.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

A Great Good Deal More on Four

Samples from A Good Deal  More on Four
workshop
More of Alison's samples
 Seven Guild members were wowed by Alison Irwin's workshop - A Good Deal More on Four.  Alison is a master of investigating weaving techniques and breaking them down into easily understandable parts.  This workshop showed us how to get more out of the four shaft looms by teaching up pick-up techniques like Finnweave, Mock Satin Damask, and Doubleweave Pick-Up.  These techniques open up a whole new world! Along the way, we also learned a few other tips, like the fact that Dorothy looms can be folded for transport WITH the warp on, like the fact you can make a bobbin winder from a hand blender, like warping in groups using paper bags and raddles over the castle!  The next workshop with Alison will be one designed for beginners and  long-time weavers: Readon, 'Riting, 'Rithmatic -- sometime this fall.  Stay tuned.