American Wool Industry

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The Outside Online magazine recently published an article on the Resurrection of the American Wool Industry that gives some hope to Wool Growers throughout the United States. It's an article worth reading.

Local Quilt Show

Wet-felting Class

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Next month, Nancy J. will be teaching a Wet-Felting class after the February 20, 2016 Fiber Guild meeting, so the meeting will be held at the Lander Art Center. The following links should help get some creative juices flowing and give some ideas of what can be done with the felt.

Wet-felting technique

Wet-felted bookmarks

Felted postcard or artist trading card

Felted landscape picture

Felted picture with stitching added- part one and part two

Felted coasters

Scroll through this page for multiple ideas

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Nancy told Guild members if they want to participate in the class to bring the following items:
    •  sack lunch (class will take approximately 2 hours)
    •  large 9 x 13 " cake pan OR some other pan like a roaster
            the pan should be deep enough to work the wool
    •  rubber gloves
    •  foam pad and needle-felting needles (if you have them)

January Show and Tell

Cinde P. discussed the cost of producing yarn: she started with raw
wool which she cleaned and then spun and finally dyed. 

Brenda H. shows the yarn bin that Cinde P. received from a friend.
Two holes were drilled in the bottom of a plastic container. It keeps
the yarn clean and prevents tangles. 

Salli A. shows her current knitting project. Also shown Colleen J.,
Laura B., and Buttons A. 

Salli Al. models the coat that she crocheted and lined.

Cinde P. knit some scrubbies from this yarn. No one
at the meeting had seen the yarn before.

Colleen J. finished a cowl

Colleen J. displays a cowl that she is knitting 

Vicky B. models a shawl knit by Colleen J. 

Colleen J. drapes another knit shawl around Vicky B. 

Back view of Colleen J. shawl shown above

Laura B. models a cotton sweater that she
recently finished

Rachel B. wears a hat she made from the yarn she
selected in the December skein exchange

Bea R. knit a head cover (helmet) for a baby.

Jane W-F. finished a hat from yarn she received
 as a Door Prize at the December meeting.

Jane W-F. made a oven mitt from some wool batts.

* all photos courtesy of Katheryn E.

Quilt of Valor Sew-In Schedule

Mark these dates on your calendar.

Note:  fabric kits (donated by local businesses and individuals) are provided to those who come to sew

Scissor Case

Scissor cases

Mary H. made several scissor cases for the Door Prize table at the December meeting, and they were a hit.

In October the Lander Sewing Sistas group had a program on making the cases, and the ones they made are shown above. The scissor cases are made from two 8.5 x 11 inch pieces of coordinating fabric and a piece of fusible interfacing.

Each case holds three pair of scissors, two on one side and one on the other. It was a fairly quick and fun project.

The tutorial for the cases can be found here.

Random Stripe Generator

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If you like adding stripes to your knitting or crochet projects, but don't know where to place the various colors to get the best result, Biscuits and Jam has made the chore a little easier with the Random Stripe Generator.

It will generate random stripe patterns for sweaters, scarves, blankets, etc. It'll give you an idea of what the finished object will look like, but it still leaves some unpredictability to the stripe pattern.

December Show and Tell

Rachel B. knit a festive stocking cap

Dana H. is knitting bandages

Colleen J. knit several skinny scarves 

Colleen J. displays a nearly finished shawl

Julie W. works on a lace shawl

Nancy J. finished a knit serape shawl 

Cheryl O. knit a shrug for her new granddaughter

Laura B. has been busy sewing and shows a
photo of her project

Sandy W. shows the group the shawl she is knitting

Linda W. felted a handbag

*all photos courtesy of Katheryn E.

Display Stand

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Perhaps the Guild should make some of these simple stands to display shawls and scarves at the County Fair, the Fiber Fest, or at another exhibit, should we have one.

No directions are given on the website other than the drawing on the graph paper. The measurements given in the top left corner of the graph paper state it is 12.5 inches by 10 inches.

Knitting Social Evenings

Textile Photo Gallery

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According to his biography Christopher Payne, a photographer who specializes in architectural photography and the large format documentation of America's industrial heritage, was trained as an architect. He is fascinated by design, assembly, and the built form.

His images of the American textile industry show the beauty of the fibers and the machinery used to create the products that fiber artists use every day.

Payne's images of the American Textile Industry can be seen here.

Meeting & Dues Reminder

Fiber Guild meeting 

Saturday, January 16, 2016

10 AM

REACH Foundation

   622 N. 8th W.

   Riverton, WY 82501

(bring $1.00 for building fee)

If you haven't paid your dues for 2016, 

please bring $20 and give it to Treasurer, Jeni V. 

at the meeting

Knitting with Heart

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These Tawashis (mini scrubbier) would make a cute Valentine's Day token for a neighbor, a friend, or for yourself.

The free pattern can be found here on Simply Notable or here as a PDF.

Quilt Row Markers

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Sew Many Ways has found a use for all those bread tabs that you've been saving. In a Tool Time Tuesday post she explains how the tabs can be used by quilters to mark rows or block pieces. Check it out her tips here.

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Knitters and crocheters can use the bread tags, too, as bobbins.

Six-in-One Warmer

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Crochet this item and use it six different ways.

Free pattern can be found here.

Rose Cards

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It's not too early to plan for Valentine's Day, and the best way to say, "I Love You" or "I'm Thinking of You" is with homemade and creative cards.

Who would think that celery (it's a natural fiber, right?) could create such lovely roses.  Check out the directions on this blog post.

Lace Making

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Lace Making is nearly a lost art, but at least one of our Guild members (Laura B.) has created bobbin lace.

Lorelei Halley's website is for those who love to make lace, who want to learn lace making, or who love to collect lace.

Bobbin lace is her specialty, and the site is mostly dedicated to that craft.

However, Lorelei also creates needle lace, pulled thread work and Hardanger embroidery.

On her website you will find descriptions of the working methods of many forms of hand made lace, and lessons for bobbin lace, needle lace, pulled thread embroidery (also called drawn fabric embroidery) and Hardanger embroidery.  She has included information on books for needle lace, as well as links to a few tutorials.

The website has free patterns for:

Bobbin Lace

Needle Lace

Browse the website for other types of lace and patterns

Up-cycle Project - Ruana Shawl

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Directions on turning a wool blanket into a versatile coat or ruana shawl can be found on the Cwtch blog.

The project requires minimal cutting and sewing. A diagram at the end of the post gives cutting directions.

Needle-felted Pincushions

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Looking for an idea of how to use some scrap roving? Deonn (Quiltscapes) has some darling pincushion designs and sells kits for many of her Lil' Woolies.

If you already have supplies, Deonn provides directions for the basic shape on this post. Make this shape for the body and then let your imagination take over to create unique pincushions.

Quilters, you might be interested in some of the small project tutorials on the Quiltscape website.

Back in Time - Spring Retreat 2014

Mary (our instructor) reviews Jeni and Jean's work. 

The first Fiber Guild retreats were held on a warm Saturday in May 2014. Two, all-day classes were offered: Beginning Crochet and Dyeing Natural Fiber.

Cheryl (the instructor's assistant) checks Vicky and Jeni's progress.
Near the end of the class, Vicky was crocheting with a tiny hook and
crochet thread. Each person mastered Single and Double Crochet and
started a Granny Square. 

Instructors for the classes were Guild members, and they were paid a stipend for their expertise.

Colleen (plaid shirt) was the instructor for the dyeing
class. She raises sheep and angora rabbits and has a
small yarn shop on her farm. 

Rachel (a new Guild member) and LeAnn tend their
dyeing pots. 

Maia watches as Sally adds dye to the dye pot.

The Beginning Crochet class had 9 students, and the Dyeing Natural Fiber had 7 students.

Another retreat was held in 2015 at the Lander Senior Citizens' Center. Previous posts of the 2015 retreat can be seen here and here (retreat class discussed at the end of this post).

New Year Blessing

Happy New Year!

In 2016, may your stash be plentiful

&

your unfinished projects be few