If you were one of the more than 6,000 persons who attended the 6th Annual Wool Gathering in September, 2004, you may know we’ve already set the date for the next Gathering. We’re looking forward to September 17 and 18, 2005, so mark those new calendars as soon as you put them up. There are many individuals and groups to thank for the success of this year’s Gathering. Once again Eugene Haudenschield taught us the right way to remove a fleece from a sheep; this year we located him and all the sheep in one smaller tent, and we thought the move made shearing, sheep petting, and lamb watching more enjoyable. Thanks to Lori Noll for bringing the shearing sheep and the Dorset ewe with triplets. We have Lori’s ewes on contract to produce at least one lamb right before the Wool Gathering (not easy because most lambs are born in late winter or spring). Thanks also to Marge Finnegan for bringing her Tunis sheep and information on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Many breeds of domestic animals are disappearing, and the Conservancy, along with interested and conscientious breeders, works to preserve them. It’s not only about preserving diversity for an uncertain future, it’s about developing fiber quality for the present. Marge’s Tunis sheep are listed as a rare breed, but one that is increasing in number. A previously endangered sheep breed now listed as “recovering” is the Shetland, a primitive sheep that comes in many colors and gives a fleece greatly prized by hand spinners. Marsha Kerr brought her Shetlands to the Wool Gathering and also brought those wonderful autumn decorations. John Allread and his remarkably talented and well trained Border Collies performed right in front of our tents this year so as our guests entered and left the Wool Gathering they could marvel at those ducks being herded across an obstacle course. Again this year Jeff McKinley brought his collection of rhythm instruments and his fiddle and made music with kids of all ages. Jeb Mac’s Picking Band is lots of fun for the children and delightful to watch and listen to. Many individuals demonstrate their arts at the Wool Gathering. This year’s physical arrangement, a little more spread out, encouraged our guests to spend more time talking with demonstrators. The demonstrators, always generous with their time and talent, thought that was a good thing, and so do the members of our committee. Thanks go to the Weavers Guild of Miami Valley for showing us how, and why, people spin and weave today, and to the Society for Creative Anachronism whose re-enactors remind us that today’s contemporary art was once an essential skill. Thanks also to demonstrators Diane Turner and JoAnn Molk, who spin with us every year. Thanks to Linda Donaldson, Laurel Shouvlin, and Janine Hickey for bringing their alpacas and llamas to the Gathering. Linda and Janine also recruited several of their 4-H Club members to help with the make-it take-it crafts. Susie Smithers assembles an army of volunteers every year for our crafts project. This year we distributed 200 CD spindles, and we know that some of those new spindlers will become accomplished fiber artists in the future. Something new this year was the antique sock machine demonstrated by Donna Peters. The circular handcranked sock machines were popular during and immediately after World War I and are sometimes found in attics or antique stores. Donna restores, sells, and teaches how to operate these machines. If you’d like to know more, check out Thanks also to Linda Newman, who provides the technical skill that makes this newsletter and our other mailings possible. By Lois Pelekoudas I’ve become more courageous about adjusting patterns since I’ve been knitting with my handspun. I like simple patterns that show off the color and texture of the handspun and that provide some “fudge” room to compensate for the unevenness that is a frequently unintended feature of my spinning. This fall’s project has been simple hats. I knit a swatch from my worsted plus and found the gauge to be 3.5 stitches to an inch on number 9 needles. For the hat, cast on 77 stitches (22 inches around) on a 16 inch number 9 circular needle. Knit around (stockinette stitch) until the hat is about 8 inches deep. Decrease as follows: *Knit 9 stitches, knit two together* for one round. Knit one round. *Knit 8 stitches, knit two together* for one round. Knit one round. Continue to decrease one round and knit one round until 14 stitches remain. Knit two together for one round and run the yarn through the last 7 stitches. Fasten off. The hat will be a little large, and I full it to give a closer fit and a firmer texture. I put it in the washing machine with a couple of towels and run the hot cycle, checking frequently to make sure it doesn’t shrink and felt too much. The hat will shrink lengthwise more than widthwise....so be careful! (I should note that some fiber, even some wool, does not felt, or full, at all, and you might want to practice on a small swatch to see what happens.) Dry the hat on a hat form or on an inverted bowl. I used variegated yarn in some of my hats, and for one I used three strands of fine worsted, or DK yarn to get the gauge I wanted. You can also make stripes of different colors....there are many possibilities. Upcoming Fiber Events...
First is Lucy Neatby’s Tradewind Knitwear Designs site: www.tradewindknits.com. Lucy’s site includes tips for knitters, colorful and fun items to buy, and a newsletter, Spun Yarn. One of her tips describes a method for cold-water blocking, definitely an advantage over the traditional steaming. The second knit-oriented site is www.knitty.com a web-only knitting magazine. Knitty has real articles; in the December issue I found a helpful review of techniques for picking up knitted stitches and an article on adding set-in sleeves to sleeveless tops. Both articles were complete and easy to follow, with diagrams. On my own I discovered a web site created by Vera Hazelgrove, a tapestry weaver and designer from Adelaide, South Australia, that gives detailed directions for building and weaving on a tapestry loom. I didn’t try building one, but I have a tapestry loom and I’m sure the directions will work. www.geocities.com/Paris/Metro/7388/DIYloom.html. Finally, Interweave Press hosts a general fiber art site at www.interweave.com. Interweave publishes several fiber-related magazines, including Spin-Off and Handwoven, and the web site features patterns and projects for all the fiber arts plus an on-line “shop” for the many Interweave publications. Interweave has information on basketry, beading, knitting, and a variety of traditional fiber crafts. Our Wool Gathering was one of the fiber shows featured in the Fall, 2004, issue of Interweave Knits. For the 2005 Wool Gathering, we’re keeping the same general physical arrangement (two large tents with an east-west orientation for vendors, crafts, and demonstrations and one small tent for animals and sheep shearing). We are enlarging the vendor spaces, from the current 10' deep by 8' wide to 10' by 10'. Several vendors felt the smaller space was too small, and we agree...especially since we do want to limit individual vendors to a maximum of two spaces. Since we will have fewer inside spaces available, we increased the vendors’ fee commensurate with the additional space. For more detail about this change, check the vendor contract and information sheet enclosed. Also, we’d like to encourage our vendors and fiber arts organizations or guilds to provide us with web site addresses that we can link to our web site. Please send the appropriate information to our web master, Nancy Fisher, at our site, www.awoolgathering.com. Or, for vendors, include it on the vendor application form when you send it in. We can be contacted at our site, at the 4400 Gateway Blvd. address, or by phone: Ruth Ann Rahim at 937 969-8587, or Lois Pelekoudas at 937 325-7781. An alternative is Paco-vicuna fiber, developed by the Switzer family of Colorado, who imported from Peru a small group of alpacas whose DNA showed vicuna origin. (Vicunas are the ancestors of alpacas.) From a paco-vicuna shearing, done every 2 to 3 years, one gets fiber from 14 to 23 microns, colored from cream to rich cinnamon. Raw paco-vicuna fiber sells for $25 to $42 an ounce, compared to $250 an ounce for pure vicuna. For more about these animals and fiber, visit www.alpacaland.com. |