Fancy Spinning Workshop with Alison Daykin

Very many thanks to Alison, who travelled all the way from South Derbyshire to teach us how to spin a great range of fancy yarns.  We were blessed with fine weather, and the countryside was looking particularly picturesque.  We had a good turnout, and were pleased to welcome visitors from several other guilds (and intrigued to see what a variety of spinning wheels they brought!).
Alison proved to be a warm and generous teacher, with infinite patience.  She taught us to spin slub yarn; spiral, knarl and knot yarn; bouclé, tuft, nep and wrapped yarn.  She also demonstrated the making of coloured, mixed rovings using a hackle - a fearsome row of spikes usually employed in the production of flax.  And if that wasn't enough, she also brought a delicious & tempting selection of dyed fibres, and copies of her book "Creative Spinning" (co-authored with Jane Deane) http://spinningandweaving.weebly.com/creative-spinning.html
We were well supplied with tea, coffee and cake, and had a most enjoyable and productive day.  Thank you very much to Bryn for all her hard work in organising the Workshop.

Natural Dye Day Sat June 5th

Hello everybody,

We are holding a natural dye day here at Trefriw Woollen Mills on Saturday June 5th. Helen Melvin will be demonstrating natural dyeing with indigo and coreopsis 10.30 a.m. - 12.30, and there will be an opportunity to experiment painting with her natural dyes in the afternoon. Textile Techniques will also have a stand and will give a talk at 12.00, Enys Davies will be selling natural dye plants and Anne Campbell will demonstrate core spinning and Wendy Docksey will be demonstrating felting. For programme, e-mail info@t-w-m.co.uk

Glorious chocolate

Here are some photos of what you can do with ivy berries.  Many of us have only managed to dye a pinky grey with ivy, but Rosie has obtained a wonderful milk chocolate colour.  The picture really doesn't do it justice.  The secret, apparently, is to leave the ivy berries to soak for several days, and then mash and strain - and leave the vat again - before dyeing the yarn.  The lighter colour was obtained without a mordant; the darker colour with alum and then iron as a modifier.  The yarn is "coloured" Corriedale, but, take it from me, the fleece is barely off-white - certainly not this brown!
So, now we are all rushing off to have a go ourselves.  I have posted some preliminary photos on the Web Album 
AC

More about Ty Hafan

Well, more about the blankets really.  At the All Wales meeting in Llanidloes last year I (foolishly?) agreed, on behalf of the Guild, to take on making some more squares - and got talked into doing a whole blanket.  That's forty-eight 10" squares, mostly white this time.  But we're cracking on with it, and so far we are about a quarter of the way through.  I have a nasty feeling it's me that's going to have to stitch them all together......
Photos of progress so far to follow, once I've recharged the battery for my camera.

As promised:

AC

Carding before you spin

A lot of carding going on at our afternoon meeting this week!

Card weaving evening

Yesterday evening we attempted some card weaving - that is, weaving on a card loom, not weaving your actual cards, if you see what I mean.  Thanks (once again) to J-M's excellent and clear instructions, we all  made a good start; and some of us got a lot further than that!  We "warped up" small to medium sized pieces of card to make tiny looms, some of which we folded in half so that a seamless bag could be made by weaving round and round.
For more photographs of card weaving & paraphernalia, click here.  Please add photos of your finished work if you wish.
(Today's interesting fact:  when checking the spelling of "paraphernalia" I discovered that it actually means "married women's property, especially articles of jewellery, dress and personal belongings".  Very appropriate.)
Welcome also to Pauline's daughter & granddaughter who came along for the evening.