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FOR SALE
John Wallace 4 shaft table loom: 34" on stand with stool and accessories $350 ono. Weaving books extra. Ph Joyce Sheffield 9302 1728
Compact 8 shaft jack type floor loom. Weaving width 90cm. Two reeds - 10 1nd 12 dents per inch. Good condition. Made by Mr Robinson, a well regarded NSW loom maker. $500. Please contact Anne Miller, 9319 1984 or [email protected].
A small Traditional Spinning Wheel, dark wood, spare bobbins. $80 Please contact Janet on 94079025
FREE TO A GOOD HOME
FREE 4 ft. floor loom: reasonable condition. For details contact Anne Roberts phone 93356063, email [email protected]
FREE 53 inch Needle point tapestry frame: Queen Adelaide Tapestry Frame on a stand. Contact Claudia White on 9384 8358
WANTED
Secondhand Ashford ‘Sample It’ or rigid heddle loom of similar size (Sample It is 30cm x 40cm). Contact Wendy Garrity 0431 275 821
Swedish style bobbin winder similar to the one in the following image. Contact Helen Dunn on 0408 800 674
Old T-shirts for rug weaving, please. Kjerstin 0409 299 045
Guild members can advertise in the YarnSpinner (at no charge) any events or items for sale. Non members may advertise but must pay $5 per line, in advance. Contact the editors at the Guild address or by email as on page 2.
Vale Verna Rowbotham
Verna was a Weaver and a stalwart Member of the Albany Group, as well as a long-time Member of the Guild.
She will be sadly missed.
Deadline for Contributions: Second Saturday of the month
HANDWEAVERS’, SPINNERS’ AND DYERS’
GUILD OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INC
Alexander Park Craft House
Clyde Road, Menora
Mail: P.O. Box 446 INGLEWOOD WA 6932
Web: http://spinweavewa.org/
June 2015 Volume 45, No. 5
The YarnSpinner
Saturday 13th June 2015
Come and join us at the
Guild Spin-In 9:30 am—2:30 pm
Entrance: —$6, includes morning and afternoon tea, light lunch and door prize
Traders, Demonstrations, Sharing Table, & raffles
Saturday 27th June 2015
Spinning Day Come and show us what you have been doing and reading! Bring your current project, news and ideas. Beginners always welcome.
We start at 10:00am - tea and coffee are available until 1:00pm, but bring your own lunch.
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Office Bearers and Convenors for 2015 * indicates committee member
PRESIDENT Janet Allsworth* 9407 9025 [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT 1 2
Candace Gibson* Rachel Meissner*
0424984883 0439595928
[email protected] [email protected]
TREASURER Charmaine Pedrick* 0401342278 [email protected]
SECRETARY Jenni Talbot*
9417 5197 0488941751
COMMITTEE Margaret PC* 9403 0394 [email protected]
Alaine Haddon-Casey* 9383 7603 [email protected]
Keilo Wise* 0403812246 [email protected]
CONVENORS
INFORMATION Candace Gibson* 0424984883 [email protected]
LIBRARIAN Anne McAdam* 6460 2102 [email protected]
YARN AREA Sue Greig Jo Rhodes*
9448 0840 9561 5776
[email protected] [email protected]
EQUIPMENT HIRE Sue Greig 9448 0840 [email protected]
YARNSPINNER CO-EDITORS
Cecilia Jordan* Evelyn Cousins*
0406506941 9446 7026
[email protected] [email protected]
MEMBERSHIPS Evelyn Cousins* 9446 7026 [email protected]
RAS REPRESENTATIVE
June Lynn 9310 2161
ARCHIVES Vacant
SPEAKERS Margaret PC* 9403 0394 [email protected]
WORKSHOPS Alaine Haddon-Casey* 9383 7603 [email protected]
HOUSEKEEPER Yvonne Sly 9409 6860 [email protected]
SHARING TABLE Margaret PC* 9403 0394 [email protected]
WEB PAGE EDITOR Candace Gibson* 0424984883 [email protected]
AUDITOR David Williams
The Alexander Park Craft House Committee member representing the Guild for 2015 is:
Janet Allsworth
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Weaving Workshops 2015
The class schedule at the moment is:
August: Sunday 2nd, Sunday 16th & Sunday 30th August
September/October: Sunday 6th, Sunday 20th September & Sunday 4th October
November/December: Sunday 8th, Sunday 22nd November & Sunday 6th
December
These will have a full day programme and the teacher will provide, in advance of the class, a plan of what is going to be taught and any materials required (there may be some available on the day).
Classes will be filled in the order that you expressed interest and your loom type. Please use the website’s contact form to contact us and reserve your place (http://spinweavewa.org—look under Contact information and Forms)
Candace Gibson
Hosting 2015 Scarf Exchange YEAR OF THE SHEEP / GOAT (WITH FRIENDS).
We ended up with 154 parcels of fibre and their new owners will be spinning, weaving, felting, crocheting and or even knitting the fibre into either one of the following Scarf, Shawl, Beanie, Hat or Bag. We will not know until they come back again in August.
There will be an exhibition of the completed articles on 11th, 12th, & 13th September 2015 at Peppermint Grove Library.
You are welcome to come along to view the wonderful creations. Articles will be returned to the original supplier of the fibre after the exhibition.
By Charmaine Pedrick
2016 Tour of Bhutan—Textiles and Women’s Empowerment
Wendy Garrity has been collaborating with the Australian Himalayan Founda-tion to create a specialised tour of Bhutan with a twin focus on textiles and women's empowerment.
The tour is 16 days/15 nights, 10-25 March 2016 and will be personally es-corted by Wendy, who lived and worked in Bhutan and learned local Bhutanese weaving for a year. For further details and to request a copy of the itinerary, please visit http://textiletrails.com.au/2015/03/17/exclusive-textile-tour-of-bhutan/
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The Australian Sheep and Wool Show—Bendigo, Victoria Friday 17th—Sunday 19th July 2015
The 2015 theme for Woolcraft entries is SEED. “Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower”
For anyone wanting to enter items into the Woolcraft competition, entry forms must be received by Friday 12th June (do not send entries with entry form). Posted entries must arrive by Friday 3rd July.
Post forms & entries to: CEO ASBA, Unit 1/6 Merino Crt, East Bendigo, Victoria 3350 WOOLCRAFT CONTACTS: Chrystene Antonis – (03 5795 1908) Email: [email protected] Dot Vallence – (03 9560 1621) Email: [email protected]
More information: www.sheepshow.com or the Woolcraft brochure is available on the Guild website or in the library.
FROM THE YARN AREA
We're getting stock in galore!
Digital Row Counters Turkish and Support Spindles from Australia and USA WPI Gauges Knitting Needle Gauges new and vintage Painterly dyed merino and other types of wool tops in some
amazing colour combinations Pencil rovings and lace and sock yarn in stunning colours
gradient dyed New NORO yarns Cones of threads for the weavers
These will all be available at the Spin-In the guild is hosting on 13th June 2015.
Regards Sue and Jo
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Alexander Park Craft House Guild Groups
KUMIHIMO GROUP
Kumihimo Braiders meet on the first Thursday of each month from 10am to 1pm. Beginners are welcome. Contact Rosemary Skinner 9341 3037.
TAPESTRY GROUP
Contact Stephanie Cantoni [email protected] or Jan Hunter [email protected].
SPINNING GROUP
Spinners meet at Craft House on the fourth Saturday of each month from 10:00 am. Beginners are very welcome. Members share their knowledge with each other. Library and Yarn Area are open.
Bring your lunch and your spindle or spinning wheel. The Guild equipment, including carders, drum carder, various spinning wheels, electric wheels and dye equipment, is available for use by members.
IN-HOUSE WEAVERS
We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays in the month, starting at 9:30am.
This year I am going to revert to my old plan of having the complete beginner
weavers in the afternoon, 1pm to 4pm. Hopefully that way I can concentrate on them and they won't feel left behind, or a bit lost and confused. It won't be long and they will soon be joining everyone else.
Anyone can stay and weave all afternoon, the more the merrier.
Our group is certainly growing with 20 keen weavers this week: it is a joy to see so many coming along.
Don't forget to work on our Project of the Year entry, 'Colours of the Kimberley'--- the more we get, the more impressive our display will be.
Any suggestions and help most welcome, so please don't hesitate to speak up.
Happy weaving Sue Greig
PRESIDENT Janet Allsworth* 9407 9025 [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT 1 2
Candace Gibson* Rachel Meissner*
0424984883 0439595928
[email protected] [email protected]
TREASURER Charmaine Pedrick* 0401342278 [email protected]
SECRETARY Jenni Talbot*
9417 5197 0488941751
COMMITTEE Margaret PC* 9403 0394 [email protected]
Alaine Haddon-Casey* 9383 7603 [email protected]
Keilo Wise* 0403812246 [email protected]
CONVENORS
INFORMATION Candace Gibson* 0424984883 [email protected]
LIBRARIAN Anne McAdam* 6460 2102 [email protected]
YARN AREA Sue Greig Jo Rhodes*
9448 0840 9561 5776
[email protected] [email protected]
EQUIPMENT HIRE Sue Greig 9448 0840 [email protected]
YARNSPINNER CO-EDITORS
Cecilia Jordan* Evelyn Cousins*
0406506941 9446 7026
[email protected] [email protected]
MEMBERSHIPS Evelyn Cousins* 9446 7026 [email protected]
RAS REPRESENTATIVE
June Lynn 9310 2161
ARCHIVES Vacant
SPEAKERS Margaret PC* 9403 0394 [email protected]
WORKSHOPS Alaine Haddon-Casey* 9383 7603 [email protected]
HOUSEKEEPER Yvonne Sly 9409 6860 [email protected]
SHARING TABLE Margaret PC* 9403 0394 [email protected]
WEB PAGE EDITOR Candace Gibson* 0424984883 [email protected]
AUDITOR David Williams
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Guild Membership Fees for 2015
Full —$40.00 Pensioner—$30.00 Associate—$30.00 Student—$30.00 Family—$65.00 Group—$45.00
If renewing by mail, please include your Renewal form (or if you don’t have that, then your name, postal address and phone number) and a stamped self-addressed envelope for return of your receipt and year badge. Half fees apply after 1st July, and late arrivals who join after 1st October have the option to pay in full which then includes their sub for the following year.
New members: contact the Membership Officer for details on how to join.
MELVILLE WEAVERS
would like to welcome new members!
We meet each Friday from 10am until 3pm, at the corner of Stock Road
and Canning Highway in a lovely large windowed room with air
conditioning. It is a friendly and helpful group. For enquiries, ring Joy
Skinner @ 6162 9317
Dates for your diary
Sunday 31st May Fibre Festival Toodyay 2015
Saturday 13th June Guild Spin-In—(p.7)
Saturday 11th July Project of the Year—‘Colours of the Kimberley’
17th—19th July The Australian Sheep and Wool Show—Bendigo, Victoria (p.14)
11th—13th September Scarf Exchange Exhibition of completed articles, Peppermint Grove Library (p.15)
19th—20th September York Bzzaar (p.12)
26th September—3rd October
Perth Royal Show —details to follow
16th-18th October Guild Retreat at Avalon Homestead, Toodyay—details to follow
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York Bzzaar: CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN THE HANDMADE
WHERE: York Town Hall, 81 Avon Tce, York WHEN: 10am - 4.30pm, 19th & 20th September ENTRY FEE: $5.00 (children under 12 years free)
For more information contact Jenny Cornwall:
T: 0403 467 502 E: [email protected]
W:www.yorkbzzaar.com.au or www.facebook.com/yorkbzzaar
what literacy was and why she was so uncomfortable with these obviously highly skilled women were being described in this way. While they may not have been taught to read and write they were clearly able to communicate very well and was not their work a form of text or communication. What stories were they telling through cloth? Jess became experimental in the way she wove herself and what she asked of some of her workers. She tried changing the colour of her warp when she took a break for any reason and then when weaving did the same thing. In conjunction with this she kept a journal of what she was doing and the reason for the breaks – for her the cloth now tells a story. She then tried to incorporate the same idea with one of her workers by asking her to change colours in the weave every time she took a break but quickly realised that the worker might feel that she was being assessed against how many breaks she was having so she did not repeat the experiment. Jess’s respect for the skills of the Bhalo workers was certainly evident in how she spoke about them.
Jess’s talk was informative and her ideas around sustainable and ethical clothing are obviously something she is very passionate about. It is so refreshing to see someone living their ideals through their work and I hope that she is able to inspire others to emulate her example and educate more consumers about the work that actually goes into creating garments.
Candace
(Continued from page 6)
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Pages from the President’s Notebook
Again a good turn-up for our general meeting. I hope, like myself you were captivated by Jessica and her presentation. How good it is to have so many talented young people joining the guild.
Thank you to members who contributed great soup, tasty bread and yummy sweet things on the day.
It was so good to hear of the birth of Alastair, congratulations Cecilia and Vernon.
I am not sure if it is in the wind or in our water supply but just now there is a destashing bug going around! The trading table was groaning under the weight of the latest assault. Thank you Giuliana and all your willing helpers for your ongoing work.
The busy year is in full swing. Please sign-up to help in any way you can for our Spin-In on 13th June.
We will soon begin to receive back the first of the finished Scarf Exchange articles. Thanks Charmaine for the smooth running of this event.
Please consider supporting our country members by attending the Toodyay Spin-in on Saturday 23rd May or the Fibre Festival on the following Sunday 31st. Spinners are needed on the Sunday.
Thank you to members who are helping Candace at The Quilt and Craft Fair, the Guild will be well promoted. Thank you Candace for the extra work you put in to get us our much better position at the Fair.
Apologies to Wendy Garrity who did tell me she was unable to be at the meeting. Details in this Yarn Spinner of her Bhutanese Weaving workshop—check it out.
Thank you Sandra for your help at the show table while Margaret P C was recovering from her surgery. Extra hands stepping up to take on some new task means we all have the time to enjoy our craft.
Janet
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Jess Priemus, our speaker this month, is co-founder of the clothing company Bhalo (www.bhaloshop.com) and a doctoral candidate and lecturer at Curtin University in their Architecture department. As she pointed out unfortunately Curtin no longer has a textile department. The primary thrust of Jess’ work is ethics and sustainability in the clothing industry and why there is such a great disconnect between the public’s perception and understanding of where their clothing comes from and how it is made. Jess is currently doing her Ph.D. on this and is so passionate about it that she and her husband set up a clothing company in Bangladesh which is recognised by the World Fair Trade Organisation and is currently undergoing registration with Fairtrade Australia.
Her company adheres to the principles of Fair Trade which centre on providing opportunity for disadvantaged producers, transparency, Fair Trading practices, fair pricing, no child or forced labour, free association, no discrimination, good work conditions and correct capacity building and respect for the environment. All elements which one would hope were part of the textile industry globally but sadly many countries and companies seem to fall short of this.
Bhalo also uses a lot of natural dyes and all the cloth the company uses is hand loomed. Many of the designs have been centred on ensuring as much of the cloth that is produced is used and so what might previously have been discarded as offcuts (or made into outfits for baby goats in the particular area the company is located) is actually incorporated into finished garments as detail. Jess was telling us how in one of her earlier collections she was delighted to find a bolt of cloth which had
been rejected by a clothing company because it had some slight variations in the weave. She saw this as having character and quite lovely and went on to incorporate it into her work very successfully.
Part of Jess’s discussion centred on our ideas of literacy and how disturbed she was when she was introduced to some of her workers and they were described to her as being illiterate. She then thought good and hard about
(Continued on page 12)
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TAPESTRY CHALLENGE 2015
At Craft House at present are the varied responses to this tapestry Challenge with the theme of MY PLACE.
Tapestry weavers of Australia and New Zealand and of any level of ability are encouraged to tackle each annual challenge. The finished piece can be no bigger than 20 cms square.
There are over 50 entries this year with a wide variety of interpretations. So we have books with markers, homes, including a caravan, alpine scenes - mostly NZ entries of course, table
settings, gardens, seaside views, aerial views, windows and a cat on a mat! To this mix, add circular, irregular and strip layouts as well as oblong and square shapes. Several have a dimensional effect too such woven cones with small "skeins" of cottons sitting on them, small strips of material adding to another and the
black cat with its back comfortably rising up from its mat.
We are fortunate to have these works of art and imagination to admire each year. By time you read this, South Australian Guild members will be enjoying them. Thank you too to our Yarnspinner Editor who brings us the photos to give an idea to those unable to view them in person.
Connie
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Australia’s oldest man knits mini-sweaters for injured penguins
One-hundred-and-nine-year-old Alfred “Alfie” Date is Australia’s oldest man but don’t expect that to slow him down. He is a man on a mission and what an admirable mission it is. He is knitting tiny sweaters for little Phillip Island penguins injured by an oil spill.
Alfie, who lives in a retirement home on the New South Wales Central Coast, was asked to help because of his 80 years of knitting experience. It was a favour he could not refused. A self-taught knitter, Alfie was inspired to learn the craft in 1932 when he wanted to make a jumper for his newborn nephew. Now decades later, Alfie’s nimble fingers are once again at work. He, along with hundreds of others, were responding to a plea for donated jumpers by the Phillip Island Penguin Foundation.
Although the jumpers are adorable, they aren’t a fashion statement but necessary to prevent penguins from licking and swallowing the oil. The sweaters would also keep them warm as the oiled feathers would stick together, allowing cold water to get to the penguins inner layers.
Despite holding the title of Australia’s oldest man, Alfie made sure his jumpers were up to scratch.
“I like to make it without mistakes and I don't excuse myself for doing it. But I think there is an excuse for a person who's gone beyond the normal span of life,” he said.
The Phillip Island Penguin Foundation officially labelled Alfie their “most senior little penguin jumper knitter” and want to thank everyone for their efforts. The centre currently has plenty of penguin jumpers and needs no more donations.
Melody Teh (oversixty.com.au) 7
Invite you to our
Spin-In
Saturday 13thJune 2015 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
At Alexander Park Craft House
Clyde Road, Menora
Entrance $6 Includes morning and afternoon tea, light lunch
and door prize
Raffles Many Traders
Demonstrations Sharing Table
(please bring your latest creation to display for Popular Vote and Prize)
R.S.P.V. By Saturday 6th June
Janet 9407 9025 OR Rachel 0439595928
The Handweavers’, Spinners’ and
Dyers’ Guild of Western Australia Inc
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Sharing Table l
The fattest wad of entry papers I’ve brought home to write up EVER! They have kept me happily busy all morning. Congratulations everyone – I hope the same will apply on “Project of the Year” day.
Candace: A 3 ply skein of merino dyed in Eucalyptus Cineria and then resist dyed in indigo – colours soft and gentle; also an 8 ply merino skein overdyed, and two plaited coils of merino fibre spot
-dyed using Gaywool and Landscape dyes.
Alaine: has also been dyeing, and produced a bundle of spun wool and a batt (merino) at a workshop in New Norcia using Princess Gum leaves and Ghost Gum bark, some mordanted and some not.
Sue Greig: brought in two lovely beanies having plied all her bobbin ends together. The pattern came from “One ball wonders” in the library.
Keilo: has been knitting commercial wool as her spinning wheel was out of commission for a while; on the table was a cosy scarf and another scarf and hat.
Helen: brought a huge skein of BFL in wonderful outback colours and a “pair” of skeins from the same batt (Ixchel Bunny) of multiple fibres; one skein was plied back on itself and the other larger one with a commercial yarn. Yummy Bunny!!
Nic Savage: has FINISHED a “Back home in Vermont” knitted top-down mens’ Corriedale jumper – semi-‘woollen-spun’ and spun in the grease; she pointed out that it was “one year in the knitting and fifteen in the spinning”! Nic also brought in an alpaca skein , 3 natural colours blended together and chain plied to be made into beanies.
Gail Campbell: A skein of Alpaca.
Giuliana Bond: wove a delightful cottolin scarf – plain weave with some hand manipulated lace.
(Continued on page 9)
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Kjersten: wove a generous but lightweight twill shawl (Don’t you just love it when she starts by saying “This is just a……..”) with a wool, silk and tencel
warp and a cashmere weft.
Rachel Meisner: A long exquisite scarf woven in 3-1 twill; I just loved how the muted colours peeped through the black warp. ….Merino-tencel warp and alpaca-silk handspun weft.
Jayne Lane: brought in a wall hanging which she wove in 1975. Vegetable dyed, and now washed and rejuvenated – it looked like new!
Lyne Jones: A large warm, light and lacy shawl knitted using handspun Corriedale fleece and merino tops. A little pink was included in the natural colour of the yarn which gave it a lovely lift.
Joseph Dennis: Wove a twill length which was sewn (by Gran) into a bag for his deserving Mum for Mothers’ Day. His only regret was that he hadn’t made it up himself. Sewing lessons to come?
Margaret PC: A pair of “Mojo” socks – toe-up with an “afterthought heel” (beats knitting a heel flap and gusset any day) and a hooded button-up tabbard (no seams) for the littlest grandson. Both knitted in commercial yarn.
Margaret PC
(Continued from page 8)
Introducing “The Basketball” (aka Alastair McQuistan Jordan) Born 05/05/2015 at 12:45am. 3.77kg 50cm long, cuteness levels off the charts! This is Alastair in the cardigan he came home from hospital in, knitted by his mum!. (An Elizabeth Zimmerman Surprise Jacket in 3 colours of Bendigo Woolen Mills cotton).
