Katie's Core Spinning Workshop in our new home.

Our first event in our new home in Betws yn Rhos was a great success, with a good turnout and several visitors from other Guilds.
Thanks to Jenni and Gill for the photographs:  no captions required!

AC

Friendship Day 2016: hello and goodbye

Once again, we had a lovely time at our Friendship Day meeting friends old and new.  Somehow, calling it a "friendship" day seems to guarantee a good atmosphere:  everyone comes to enjoy themselves, have a good natter and possibly do a bit of spinning.

The Committee and our Catering Officer (hello, Val!) arrived bright and early to set up the tables and get the kitchen under control, followed by our stallholders and their wonderful stuff.  Thanks to "Nunoco" for their grand spread of mixed and coloured fibres, Krithia for her pots (including some very desirable spinning bowls), Pea Restall of the Peculiar Gallery for some scrumptious ceramic buttons, and Helen Melvin for her naturally dyed fleece, books and inks.

Setting up...

Nunoco - their little packets of fibre have wonderful names: batt droppings, anyone?!

... and in full swing:

 

Especial thanks to Chris Jukes for bringing some of her enormous collection of spindles for "supported" spinning, and for giving a fascinating talk and demonstration.  

Chris taught herself to use a supported spindle in ten-minute bursts while watching the Tour de France some years ago, and is now completely addicted.  Her collection of spindles and spindle bowls must be second to none: all kinds from simple whittled wooden sticks to spindles with sophisticated spun glass ends like miniature paper weights.  After keeping us all spellbound by spinning a fine and even yarn, she generously allowed us to pore over the collection and a couple of brave souls had a go.....  the trick is to use a long draw technique, and to have a nice shiny and stable bowl on your knees to keep the spindle safe.

Many, many thanks to Bryn and Jenni for their hard work in organising the stalls, the raffle and the stash table (and thanks to Jenni for "fixing" the raffle so that everyone got a prize!).  Thanks also to those who brought cake and biscuits.  We packed up a little early, tidied and swept up and were out of the hall at four o'clock on the dot.  

As you may remember if you've been following this blog, we have a new venue for our Sunday meetings from next month onwards.  Today we said "goodbye / hwyl fawr"  to the Community Centre in Llanfair T.H., set the burglar alarm and locked up for the last time.  We have had some good times in Llanfair but we are looking forward to moving into our new home in Betws y Rhos for Katie Weston's core spinning workshop on May 8th.  See you there!

AC

Looking to the future.

First of all, we are looking forward to this Sunday, when we are holding our Friendship Day in LlanfairTalhaearn Community Hall.  We will have a number of trade/selling stands, including natural fibres, dyed fibres, pottery and our own stash sale.  With any luck, there will be cake.  There will of course be plenty of spinning going on as well.

Secondly, we are moving!  The future of the Community Centre itself is increasingly uncertain, meaning that we cannot book further events there with any confidence.  We will therefore be holding our Sunday meetings in the village hall in Betws yn Rhos, which is between Llanfair and Abergele (so a bit nearer our official home).  Further details, including start date, will be posted as soon as they are available.
AC

Spring is here -

- the clocks went forward yesterday and Storm Katie has (thank goodness) passed us by.  That isn't to say that the weather here has been completely balmy and Springlike; Easter weekend was pretty nasty, and one of our members has apparently been snowed in at home for over a week.
However,  Bank Holidays don't stop us from enjoying our spinning if we can get out, and we met as usual in Abergele tonight.
Val has made a crochet picot edging for her her pin loom poncho , and it's perfect.

Yvonne also finishes her handspun articles:

And everyone else is working up to being in a position to finish their stuff, too:

Look closely, and note the worsted combs...

Lovely even spinning from Edith.

Natural dyes on tussah silk ready for Helen's drop spindle.

Chunky "heather mixture" from Jenni.

And finally:  The Cake Picture (haven't had one of these for a while).

Our next "gig" is our Friendship Day in LlanfairTH on Sunday, April 10th.  Hope to see you there!

AC

Spinning Sunday

Another beautiful Spring day, and another chance to watch the birdlife from Hilary's living room while doing a bit of spinning.  Today we were treated to several fly-pasts by the sparrowhawk, who settled on the bird feeders long enough for us to get a good look at her striking speckled plumage in the sunlight. (I just looked it up:  females are brown, males are smaller and greyish.)
We also saw a whole descent of woodpeckers - well, three. (I looked that up, too.  Along with charms of goldfinches, parliaments of owls and an unkindness of ravens, you can have a descent of woodpeckers.  What a lot you learn from the internet.)

As always, we had a lovely time spinning, chatting and admiring Val's latest weaving. We also admired our youngest attendee, who has grown a lot since we last met him.

Pin loom weaving continues to be popular, and Val has produced yet another amazing almost-finished piece! This is a poncho with a cosy knitted collar and a pocket, with just a bit of tidying round the edges left to do:

:::

Kate demonstrating a triangular version of the pin loom...

... and Hilary using the square version.

Many Thanks to Hilary for her hospitality - see you all in Abergele on Easter Monday evening.

AC

Razzle dazzle weaving.

Spring is not here yet, but there was a little light left in the sky when we set out to our evening meeting on Monday.  The full moon was rising, which might have had something to do with it, but it's a cheerful thought that the days really are getting longer.
Yvonne is knitting a scarf known as a Quaker Yarn Stretcher (why?) (does anyone know?), which sounds fearfully complicated with decreases and increases at the ends of the rows.  However, she says it's very easy, and a great way to use up bits and pieces of yarn.

Val brought her husband's amazing rug to show us; made with her handspun fibre and woven by him on his giant, home-made pin loom.  It has been beautifully made, properly fulled, and is quite honestly a masterpiece.  Comfortingly heavy, jazzy to look at but soft to the touch.  We were all fearfully impressed, and possibly a bit jealous of such a result on a first attempt at weaving.

Our next meeting is part of our "winter tour", and then we're back again in Abergele on the fourth Monday in March (which is Easter Monday, and it will be Summertime!!)
AC