From our new friend Ellen Zepp of Orchid Patch/Andes Alive . . .

"Mike and my Winter project is underway - sleeve, sort chronologically and scan the postcards my grandfather ( Herman C. Maddocks aka Pappy ) sent to his eventual wife during his tour of duty on the USS New Maine . This was part of the Great White Fleet that was commissioned to circle the globe between 1907 & 1909. Among these, we came upon the attached photo of Ifigau ( Philippine Islanders ) spinners. Check out the elevated tube with the hole in the bottom - kind of like a combination of a distaff and a diz. It makes the process stationary but I'll bet it goes lots faster. Wonder what they're spinning."

Oh, the joy of it all!

The Gathering 2010 in West Dover, VT at Mount Snow was a memorable weekend. Classes Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus diversions into the fiber vendors' hall, chatty meals with new friends, and late night spinning/knitting/laughing sessions were so so so satisfying. Chris, Betsy and Lori discovered some new Central MA fiber folks, and met great mentors and students from Michigan to Maine. This time next year the Northeast Handspinners Association takes us to Rhode Island for the one-day event, and in 2012 we heard it will be Connecticut that hosts the three-day event.

We're posting some highlights from the weekend: teachers Jody Stoddard, Kate Walsh, and Nancy Morey's classes, plus scenes from the dining hall, spontaneous spin-ins, and beautiful results.

Plus, one shot from a happy family member who approves of the Deb Menz color work class finished products!

Japanese Indigo that will grow (annual) in New England and produce blue!

Heating up the dye baths in Jody Stoddard's class.

After hours spin-in for Betsy and Chris.

Chris' beautiful batts she brought with to spin.

After lunch Betsy digests with some knitters.

Master needle felter Kate Walsh demonsrates bird-making.

First attempts in needle felting are seasonal!

Marvelous spinners basket -- woven reeds and deer horn.

Rug hooked project in the gallery display.

Dyed mohair projects in Nancy Morley's class.

Chris's beautiful end product created in Deb Menz's color work class.

Betsy's Growlbert approves of the weekend's results!

Three spinners off to The Gathering this weekend

Chris, Betsy and Lori are attending the 2010 Gathering in at Mount Snow, Vermont this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. What an indulgence into all things spinning and fiber! This biennial convergence of handspinners from throughout the Northeast is such a lot of fun. We're holing up at Mt Snow's resort lodge, with sauna and heated outdoor pool at our disposal, plus the company of hundreds of like-minded fanatics! We three are taking different workshops, so we'll have much show-and-tell fodder for subsequent meetings.

Upcoming Guild meetings are the 13th and the 21st this month.

Sheep to Shawl fun

Ellen Zepp and Oberon at Sheep to Shawl, plus a short video by Dave Niles of the Telegram and Gazette.

Safe to say that Betsy, Christina, and Dottie all had a good though chilly time at the event. Turnout was up according to past participants. Lots of kids, adults fiber folk and newcomers to it. Thanks to all who came and planned the day.

Tomorrow's the Day for Worcester's Sheep to Shawl, Llama to Pajama 2010

Think we have nice seasonable weather in store for our Guild's appearance at the SSLP 2010. Betsy, Dottie, and maybe a one or two others will help show how do card, knit, spin and more. Loads of publicity will hopefully have reached curious minds and we'll  see all ages come for a look and hands-on. Will have my camera at the ready to document much of it. Can't wait to observe the llama shearing at 2PM, when Oberon of Orchid Patch in Southbridge MA will get his "haircut" and share his fabulous fleece with observers. Then, Elaine is hosting our next Guild meeting on Sunday. Lots to do!

Update on Sheep to Shawl, Llama to Pajama 2010

Save the date for Sheep to Shawl, Llama to Pajama 2010, a free festival on Saturday, October 23, 2010, 12 noon to 4PM, rain or shine at Green Hill Park Farm in Worcester. Watch a llama get a haircut, learn to weave, meet some sheep, try spinning, and knit some stitches! Enjoy games, music, giveaways, and more. Learn about fiber farms, fiber artists, and fiber businesses found throughout Central MA. For all ages and wheelchair accessible, this fun outdoor fest is sponsored by the City of Worcester and VSA Massachusetts, and made possible by a grant from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. For more info, visit the event facebook page or call (508) 757-4646.

Our own Betsy will be doing a hands-on activity with carding wool, and Lori will do the same with spinning. Come join in the fun!

Flyer for the Worcester Sheep to Shawl, Llama to Pajama 2010

Guild members will be participating at this upcoming event in Worcester at Green Hill Park Farm on October 23, 2010. Many fiber folks from around the county will be on hand to make it fun and educational for all ages. Hope to see you there!

Guild Goes to NOFA Summer Conference!

Four of us are off this weekend to give a presentation at the annual Summer Conference, a NOFA sponsored event, at the campus of UMass Amherst. Betsy leads the way with help from Maile, Chris and Lori. From sheep through spinning and dyeing, we'll share our knowledge and passion at the largest venue yet. We've got our fiber map, and a working business card, so things are feeling pretty official. We've all been busy learning and experimenting all summer. Dyeing season is upon us, and new tools have entered the mix. Should be an exciting fall!

Batting Time

Maile, Betsy, Dot, and Chris had a grand time in June playing with Chris' new large drum carder. Can you tell?! Since then, the batts have been flying! Chris is so generous with her new toy, and we all appreciate being able to move our raw fleece from fluffy fiber to beautiful batts, ready to spin into glorious and unique yarns. At our last meeting on July 11th, Lisa brought her awe-inspiring picker, and those of us with dense fleece watched the transformation with amazement. In one end went the locks and such, out the other side came the most delicate, airy clouds of spinnable fiber. Thank you to both women for rocking our fiber processing worlds!

Old Sturbridge Village | Activities & Events | Events: Wool Days

Sheep shearing at OSV end of May!
Old Sturbridge Village | Activities & Events | Events: Wool Days

New Lamb at Old Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village | Press Room | Online Video

Sunday's Workshop with Bev Mulcahy, Rug Hooking Teacher

Thank you Maile for organizing a wonderful afternoon workshop last weekend with your "hooking" teacher Bev. Her dyeing demonstrations were fun and easy to follow, and the range of colors was spectacular. We are all inspired to do much more dyeing in the future. Bev is a delightful person and we can imagine how terrific it must be to be one of her regular students. No wonder your hooked rugs are so fabulous!

Click on this link for a PDF of our new Fiber Map!

Download our new map as a PDF here.

Or, place your mouse/cursor over the map image and right-click your mouse. From the menu that appears, select "Save picture as" -- you can save it to your desktop and then print it out. You will have to do this for each side of the map.

Many thanks to graphic designer Alyson Lee for her invaluable expertise.

PDF Version of 2010 Fiber Map Arrives!

We've done it! Our Fiber Map project has now expanded to a pdf format, downloadable, printable, and immensely enjoyable (we hope!). Thank you so much to everyone on the Map Project Team: Betsy, Maile, Chris, Elaine, and to our friend Alyson Lee for the glorious graphic design.

While we work on getting it uploaded to this blog, if you would like an emailed version sent to you, contact schafer99@gmail.com.

Guild Member Sara's Shearing Day

Sara has Merino-Romney crossed sheep and this year the shearer arrived on the first day of spring. Here are a few photos:





One of her chickens looks particularly interested in the proceedings!

Betsy's List of Great Ideas for Guild Members!

Upcoming Fiber Opportunities for Wachusett Spinner’s Guild

Sat. April 3 Wachusett Meadows, Shearing Day, 1-4 - we’ll do demos & activities

Sun. April 11, Spinning Guild Meeting, Dorothy’s in W. Brookfield. Contact her at: dbenedict6111@charter.net if you need directions.

Because of all the festivals and activities in April, we will only meet once- the 11th- to spin.

Sun. April 18 afternoon, Dyeing with Beverly at Maile’s house, details to follow

Sat. April 24th CT Sheep Festival- all day

May 8-9 NH Sheep Festival

May 15 RI Sheep & Wool Festival

May 29-30 MA Sheep Festival

June 5 - 6 Maine Fiber Frolic in Windsor Maine

Aug. 14-15 we will be leading a NOFA workshop, don’t know when yet

Then in the fall will be Common Ground Fair in Maine in Sept. & Sheep to Shawl at Greenhill Park on Oct. 23. And surely more!

Post-Meeting Thoughts

Betsy hosted us yesterday and Dorothy broke the news that she is moving out to CA to be with Ace, and so must sell or rent/lease the sheep farm in West Brookfield, AND sell some of the Icelandics. We will miss you Dorothy! We suburban and urban members were surely all secretly wondering how to stash some of her sheep in our backyards. Betsy composed a great list of upcoming fiber events and activities,and we finalized changes to our Alyson Lee-designed fiber map. We're looking forward to a dyeing workshop with Maile's rug hooking teacher next month, as well as a demo at Wachusett Meadows Sheep Shearing Day. Member Sara's sheep were shorn on Saturday and Betsy got to observe (on the first day of Spring!). The season is truly kicking into gear!

Nice March 7th meeting

Guild members Sharon, Maile, Sara and Elaine joined Lori at her house for the March 7th meeting. We spun in a circle facing one another, and it felt a bit like a sheep-to-shawl contest! Sharon joined us for some knitting and chatting before heading off to her daughter Claire's concert. We discussed a variety of upcoming events and ideas: our Guild's first workshop at NOFA Ma's Summer Conference, our fiber map now in rough layout format thanks to Alyson Lee, our April dyeing workshop with Maile's rug hooking guru, and more.

The next meeting is at Betsy's house on March 21st.

Get Spun: The Step-by-Step Guide to Spinning Art Yarns (Pre-Order) - Interweave

Spinners! Another new book on the way from Interweave. Looks great!

Get Spun: The Step-by-Step Guide to Spinning Art Yarns (Pre-Order) - Interweave

Mark Your Calendar!

Prepare to meet these two fellows and more cloven hoofed fiber beasts at the 2010 Sheep to Shawl, Llama to Pajama Family Fiber Event slated for Saturday, October 23rd, 12 noon to 4PM at the Green Hill Farm in Green Hill Park, Worcester MA. The event was first held in 2004, then again in 2005. It is being revived under the awesome organizational leadership of a planning committee headed up by Nat and Mihoko of Saori Worcester Freestyle Weaving Studio. Fun fiber-related games, contests, songs and other activities along with plenty of demos by area fiber farmers, spinners, knitters and dyers all to education young and old about how we end up with the clothing on our backs! Should be a fun fall fiber day!