March Show and Tell

Jeni V. is working on a Brickless shawl - a class recently
 taught by Vicky B. in Lander

Brenda H. shows her finished Brickless shawl started in Vicky B.'s class

Brenda H. is knitting washcloths with Scrubbie yarn

Colleen J. recently finished knitting a shawl and
shows the members how it will be worn.

Colleen J. finished a knit baby sweater

Colleen J. is using batts of wool to make chair
pads that are two layers thick. 

Katheryn E. also took the Brickless shawl class and proudly displays her
finished shawl. 

Sandy W. is spinning on a Turtle (Turkish) spindle.
She like the portability of the spindle. 

Sandy shows the members some yarn she recently spun and plied

Brianna F. started knitting a lace shawl. 

Cinde P. brought a knit poncho and cowl (lower right)  to show the members

Sali A. finished knitting a Ruana wrap

Cinde P. talks about a "new" knitting stitch she tried.

Cinde P. also finished two eternity scarves/cowls

Jeni V. displays a scarf she recently knit - a free pattern on Ravelry
Gallatin Scarf by Kris Basta

Determining a Color's Value

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Color selection places a big role in knitting, crocheting, spinning, sewing, and quilting. Roving Crafters' post, The Value of Color is in the Gray, provides valuable of information for selecting the right colors for a project.

Snapping a black and white cell phone photograph may become routine after you read the Roving Crafters' post.

Copyright Myths Debunked

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Craft Industry Alliance debunked five common copyright myths in this January 2016 post.

•   Myth number 1: Copyright protects anything and everything I create.

•   Myth Number 2: Copyright only protects your work if you’ve included a copyright notice or registered it with the U.S. Copyright Office.

•   Myth Number 3: If someone gives something away for free or posts it online, it’s not protected by copyright.

•   Myth Number 4: I only have to change 10 percent of someone else’s copyrighted item before it becomes mine.

•   Myth 5: If something is out of print, it’s OK to make copies of it.

Information about each one of these myths can be found on the Craft Industry Alliance website. 

February Show and Tell

Maia R. displays her Tunisian crochet project

Jeni V. knit a cowl

Jeni V. also knit a hat

Vicky B. explains the lacy cowl she knit

Vicky B. shows another cowl she knit 

Nancy P. displays her current project

Brianna F. is knitting baby booties 

Brianna F. also knit gift hats for a new mother
and her baby. The booties shown above are
part of the ensemble.

Christy P. completed a loose sweater

Christy P. used a three-needle bind-off for her sweater

Christy P. also completed a knit scarf.

Diantha S. brought and explained a hooked rug she made. 

Pfixing the Pfaff

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Carole, (From My Carolina Home) provides tips to owners of older Pfaffs on how to clean and maintain the machine.

She reveals how to remove the top lid to gain access to the machine head and to even remove the batteries that power the control screen. These helpful tips may apply to other types of machines, so it's worth checking out her post, entitled Pfixing the Pfaff.

Women's Fiber Arts Retreat

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Fiber Arts Retreat

April 15 - 17, 2016 

(Friday 9AM - Sunday 3PM)

Togwotee Lodge

located on the Togwotee Pass road between Dubois and Moran, WY

The lodge will be open to retreat members only, so participants can do their own thing: quilting, knitting, spinning, beading, reading a book, or relaxing. 

Rooms are $100 a night - no matter how many individuals stay in a room. 

Food costs are shared and are usually between $20 and $35

For more information or to sign up, call Cinde at 307-856-6603

Dealing with Craft-related Pain

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If you suffer from pain after or while crafting (sewing, crocheting, knitting, spinning), you might want to watch the video on the Roving Crafters site. Doing the exercises may make crafting pain-free and enjoyable again.

Spring Retreat Classes

Spring Retreat class registration is now open for Guild members and the general public. Note the class rates are different for the public. It is advisable to join the Guild ($20 annual membership fee) and have access to monthly meetings and programs.

Spring 2016 Fiber Retreat

Saturday, May 7

Frank B. Wise Plaza, Fort Washakie, Wyoming

To register for one or more class, please contact Brianna at fremontfiberartsguild@gmail.com

Payment for the class should be made before May 7, 2016. 

Materials fee is paid directly to the instructor the day of the class. 

* * * * *

Arm Knitting with Victoria Boehmer

Morning Class: 9am-12pm

Arm Knitting is done with one's arms instead of needles. Any variety of products can be made with this process; scarves, shawls, blankets, vests, etc. We will start with a simple infinity scarf to learn the process. After the initial project students should have plenty of time to complete one or more projects as they desire.

This can be done with a large variety of yarns; ruffle yarn, ribbon yarn, bulky yarn, etc. Most projects are at least 2 strands (held double), but can go up to 6 strands if the yarn is a worsted weight. Feel free to bring any yarn you are interested in using!

Supplies: Arms, scissors, creativity, yarn

Materials Fee: For the first infinity scarf $6+ depending on yarn choice.

Class fee for Guild members - $10.00. Non-guild members - $35.00

* * * * *

Sewn Pillowcase with Mary Haper

Morning Class: 9am-12pm

Make a take-home pillowcase by sewing it "burrito" style. Quilting cotton fabrics are best, choose coordinating pieces as below. Once you get the technique down, you can make several during the class. Sewing machines, notions, scissors, irons, etc., will be provided or bring your own sewing kit. These make great kids' gifts, holiday gifts, or for your own bed. If you want instructor to provide fabrics, get in touch at least two weeks in advance. Cost will then increase to cover the fabrics. 

Materials:

· 3/4 yard (27″ x width of fabric from selvage to selvage) of the main fabric

· 1/4 yard (9″ x width of fabric from selvage to selvage) of coordinating fabric for the cuff

· 2″ x width of fabric (from selvage to selvage) strip of solid fabric for accent, pressed in half lengthwise to make a 1″ folded strip

No materials fee unless instructor provides fabric.

Class fee for Guild members - $10.00. Non-guild members - $35.00

* * * * *

Dyeing Silk Scarves with Nancy Stearns

Afternoon Class: 1pm-4pm

Create unique silk scarves by simply dyeing with bleeding art tissue. Participants will dye two (2) silk scarves (one 8” x 54,” and the other 8” x 72”) during the class. No experience is needed for this easy and fun class.

Each person will need to bring:

• 2 plastic bags with “zip” closures (gallon-sized)

• a small spray bottle (check the Beauty aisle in the Dollar Store)

• rubber or vinyl gloves

• an adventurous attitude

Materials fee will be $5 per person

Class fee for Guild members - $10.00. Non-guild members - $35.00

* * * * *

Kool Aid Dyeing with Briana Franks

Afternoon Class: 1pm-4pm

Kool Aid is an easy, safe, and inexpensive way to add vibrant color to your yarn. We will practice various methods of applying Kool Aid to yarn for a variety of color effects as well as learn how to set the dye.

Students may choose to bring their own yarn (it must be animal protein fibers such as wool, alpaca, etc.). If you would like to have yarn provided, please contact the instructor in advance.

Students should also bring the following:

• 2 plastic bags with “zip” closures (gallon-sized)

• rubber or vinyl gloves

• a quart size glass “Mason” jar if you have one and wish to dye solid colors

Materials fee if yarn is provided: $6 per person.

Class fee for Guild members - $10.00. Non-guild members - $35.00

Using a Blending Board

Sali A. demonstrates how she uses a blending board
March 2016

After the Guild meeting on Saturday, Sali A. demonstrated how she uses a blending board to mix colors for spinning.

Once Sali had several layers of various colors, she rolled the wool on to wooden dowels, creating a tube. She then removed the dowels and the wool was ready to be spun. When spinning, Sali pulls the fiber from the center of the tube, and is always surprised at the different colors that emerge.

Sali A. rolls the fiber from the blending board onto the dowels, creating a tube.

tubes of blended fiber, yarn spun from the tube, swatches knit from the yarn

The photo above shows the tubes of blended fiber: note the white fiber on the right extending from the tube. Sali pulls the fiber out of the center of the tube as she spins. The hank and cake of yarn show the results of the blended fiber. The knit swatches reflect how the blended fiber would look in a project.

Prayer Shawl Cards

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If you sew, knit, or crochet Prayer Shawls for those struggling with an illness or just need a caring hug, several printable cards can be found on the Lion Brand website. Scroll down the page to find sample sentiments to write inside the cards. Also note the things to avoid saying to those who are gifted Prayer Shawls.

Lion Brand also has numerous free patterns for Prayer Shawls.

Meeting Reminder

March Guild Meeting

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Riverton, WY

10 AM

(location address given below)

REACH Foundation

   622 N. 8th W.

   Riverton, WY 82501

Please bring $1.00 for the use of the building

"No Sew" Method of Attaching Buttons

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Check out this method of attaching buttons to knit and crochet items. The technique is explained and pointers provided on the post.

Felted Jewelry

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Stumbles and Stitches creates jewelry - combining wool-felting and other creative objects. Some tips on creating them can be found on this Felt Week post.

Crochet a Romanian Cord

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This technique may stretch your crochet skills. A video can be found on the Roving Crafters' website.

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Another Romanian Point Lace Tutorial can be found on Thread Head.

Magic Yarn Balls

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Is your scrap yarn multiplying? Do you have small balls that are not sufficient to make a project? If so, you might consider making a Magic Yarn Ball.

Tutorials can be found here:
   
•  Classic Elite Yarns: Make Your Own Ball of Yarn!  This post gives guidelines for making it a group project.

•  Simply Notable - Wind Up a Magic Ball  This post gives information on how to join the different yarns.

Handbook of Weaves

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Published in 1915, A Handbook of Weaves is a treasure trove of unique source of weaves (over 300 pages) are available in a variety of downloads (see below).

Keeping Track While Weaving

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Weavers may find the tips for Keeping Track of weaving sequences posted on the WEBS Yarn Store blog helpful.

Duct Tape Dress Form

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Several years ago, Guild members made personalized dress forms. So Sew Easy provides an extensive photo tutorial of the process to Create Duct Tape Dress Forms.