Guide to Wool

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Clippers Ireland posted an interesting graphic about the different kinds of wool, the animals that produce it, and the uses of the wool.

The informative graphic can be found here on Clippers Ireland.

Quilt Basting Spray

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Quilt basting spray can be used by sewists, quilters, and machine embroidery enthusiasts. Hancock Fabrics has an good tutorial on How to Use Quilt Basting Spray.

Blooming Yarn

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Nature blesses us with blooms for several months of the year, but "blooming yarn" is the bane of knitters and crocheters. Every wonder about blooming yarn and how to determine if a yarn you plan to use will bloom.

Heart Strings Fiber Arts has a web page that may give you some tips and advice.

Wool Insoles

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Sure winter is starting to loosen its grip, but cold weather may still strike at any time. If your winter boots don't keep the cold out much anymore, you might try making some wool insoles to help you make it through the remaining winter days with warm feet.

A complete tutorial can be found here.

Blanket from Scarves

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Turn those old wool scarves into something that can be used year-round - a cozy blanket.

Sadie Seasongoods provides a photo tutorial.

Weaving Calculator

The Weaving Calculator on Weavolution is a helpful tool to calculate warp and weft yardage, as well as project costs.

A Weaving Sett Calculator is also available on Weavolution. 

Click on the links and be directed to the calculator pages.

Stranded Knitting

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Need a refresher on how to knit with two or more colors of yarn? Knit Picks' tutorial (video and photos) of Fair Isle or Stranded Knitting presents information to assist those who knit either Contential or English (throwing) style.

Secret Luggage Tag

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When traveling (especially by air) all luggage should have an identification tag attached. However, in today's world it might not be a good idea to have your contact information visible to everyone.

The Secret Luggage Tag conceals your information neatly inside - away from inquisitive eyes.

A complete photo tutorial can be found here.

Meeting Reminder

Guild Meeting - Saturday, February 20, 2016

 (note change of location below)

Lander Art Center

   224 Main St.

   Lander, WY 82520

after the meeting, Nancy J. will be teaching a Wet-Felting class

Some ideas for wet-felting projects can be found on this earlier blog post 

If you plan to participate in this FREE class, then please bring the following:

              •  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)

Long Draw Spinning

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According to the Craftsy blog, spinning long draw is a great way to create light, soft, fluffy yarn. As you spin, air is trapped between the fibers, which creates a warm, nicely insulating yarn. Long draw spinning can be a bit frustrating at first, because you need to manage your fiber and twist a little differently than in short draw spinning, but it’s a lovely method once you get your rhythm down. You can spin long draw with wool, silk, alpaca and other types of fibers.

Craftsy's photo tutorial found here demonstrates the technique of Long Draw spinning with wool.

Dyeing Yarn & Roving with Food Coloring

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An earlier post explained the process of dyeing wool with Kool-Aid, but dyeing can also be done with common food coloring. Many people prefer to use Kool-Aid and food coloring because it is safer for children to use them.

Becky's Project Journal explains the process of using food coloring to dye wool in this post.

Formulas for dyeing with food coloring:
    McCormick Formulas
    Wilton - dyeing hints
    Wilton Formulas
    Easter Egg Dye Formulas

Sew Paper and Fabric Cards

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Use your sewing machine to join paper and scrap fabric to create greeting cards for Valentine's Day or other celebrations. This tutorial on ScrapBusters provides complete directions, a printable template for the card as well as the wording.

Helpful Tools for Selecting Colors

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If you own a smart phone (Apple or Android), the ColorSnap App might come in handy in selecting colors for your next project. If you see something with colors that catch your eye, simply snap a photo and then ask the app to show you the colors that were used.

(click image to enlarge)

Search the App Store for ColorSnap by Sherwin Williams.

If you don't have a smart phone or don't want to download an App then the helpful tool found online at Design Seeds can help you select colors based on photos. Spend some time browsing the site and use the "Search" feature to look for specific themes.

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The App and Design Seeds can be handy tools for quilting, knitting, crochet, weaving, and even spinning.

Love in Every Stitch

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Classic Elite Yarns posted a stranded heart pattern this week. While you might not have time to finish it by Valentine's Day, it will still reflect love every time it is worn.

Click on the link for the free pattern for the hat - Love in Every Stitch

Crochet Roses

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Roses are commonly seen as symbols of love and of Valentine's Day. Fiber Flux shares links to 16 free patterns for crochet roses from bouquets, to brooches, pins, wreaths, scarves, headbands, and even bookmarks.

Valentine Dishcloths & Bibs

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These heart-shaped dishcloths wouldn't take long to make. The free pattern on Ravelry can be found here.

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If you prefer a square dishcloth, then this pattern from Kris Knits may be just what you are seeking.

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Adorable bib and cloth patterns can be found on DownCloverlaine

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Those who crochet may want to try this pattern 

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or perhaps this pattern with four hearts.

I Heart You Mini Quilt

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It's not too late to dip into your stash make some decorations for Valentine's Day.

Cluck Cluck Sew is offering a PDF pattern for this mini heart quilt here. It measures 10 x 19.75 inches. The pattern could easily be adapted to make placemats or a pillow.

Spinning Wheel Spa Day

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Is your wheel long due for some tender loving care?

Knitty's photo tutorial will guide you through the steps that will make your spinning wheel feel and perform better. 

Baby Hat

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This cute baby hat is knit with fingering (sock) weight yarn. It would be a good pattern to use all of those small balls of scrap sock yarn.

The pattern is for sizes: 0-3 (4-8, 9-12) months

A PDF of the free pattern can be found here.

Valentines for Gal Pals

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Want an inexpensive and fiber-related alternative to typical valentine cards? Simply Notable provides the answer with cardboard hearts and a bit of yarn. Click here for the full tutorial. 

The clever valentine printable and heart template are available here. 

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Missouri Star Quilt Company coined some “punny” phrases about quilting and sewing and turned them into cute printable Valentines for you to give to all your quilty friends. The quilting and sewing themed valentines can be found here.

Understanding Yarn Twist

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Spinners are probably more familiar with yarn twist than other fiber artists, but understanding it can make knitting and crocheting easier and provide a more attractive result.

YarnSub's article on Yarn Twist can be found here.

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