Hi all
tomorrow you are free to do your own thing again! 
So, spinners bring fibres and ideas for new projects or bring yarns projects to complete.
Weavers, including Japanese braiders, bring weaving projects - some of you are learning to warp your loom  or maradai, so we will be taking the next steps in the process.

There won't be a class on Monday 7 December  - we are taking the opportunity to go away for a week, we've only managed one week so far this year!

Just a gentle reminder, if you don't think you can make the class, please can I urge you to let me know, so that if a lot of you are absent I can cancel the hall, otherwise I have to pay to just me to turn up, which has happened!
 
 
Hi All
I'm running a Rigid Heddle weaving course this week-end, at Willington Old School, from 10am to 4pm each day, and have two places left.
All equipment, materials, lunch and refreshments are included for £120 for the whole week-end.
You will learn the quick warping method with a rigid heddle, Knitters Loom and weave a scarf on the Saturday.  On the Sunday you will learn to weave with a pre-made warp using one of a number of techniques that you will be shown at the end of the Saturday session.
To see the sort of things you can weave on this type of loom, which is ideal for people new to weaving, see the image below and follow the following link to my Flikr page and click on the right arrow below the thumb nail of the main image!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/willingtonweaver/3100530747/in/photostream/
Picture
 
 
I hope you've all had a very relaxing and creative summer break from our spinning and weaving class.

We start again on Monday 14 September at 7pm, so bring what you've been doing over the summer and anything you've bought, so that we can all share.  We will be discussing all the things we might do over the next term and I'll bring my Japanese braids and equipment, as this was one of the things several of you had expressed an interest in.

For those of you who are new to spinning and weaving we will be continuing were we left off at the end of the Summer Term.  Bring your wheels or spindles, fibres, preparation equipment and looms, etc. and we will discuss in which direction you want to go.

I look forward to seeing you all again.
 
Longdraw 07/23/2009
 
e just posted about the longdraw spinning I did at the Derbyshire Guild workshop on Saturday 11 July.  Please take a look at it here: http://willingtonweaver.blogspot.com/2009/07/update-on-longdraw-spinning.html
I've spun up a couple of hanks of my Portland fleece with some interesting results that you need to look at!
 
 


For those of you who only follow this blog,  I've finally managed to take a photograph of my Rhubarb and Custard scarf and here it is.
I can't give you the pattern for this one as it's copyright, but it's knitted on the diagonal.

I spun the Shetland fibres by taking alternate staple lengths of each colour, red lac and marigold. I didn't want precise staples so that I got a good mix of red lac with red lac and marigold with marigold and red lac with marigold when I plied the two singles.

If you're coming to the class on Monday 20 May, please bring your diaries with you as we want to plan the next term, the ideas we've had so far are - felted bowls and Japanese braid.

Picture
 
Monday 11 May 05/06/2009
 

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks, getting ready for and attending Wonderwool Wales with my dyes and demonstrating at Caulke with the Guild last Saturday.  It hasn't left me much time to blog.
This week I hope we will all be busy with our various projects, spinning or weaving. 
I'd like to do some Japanese braid work before the end of this term, so we must get out our diaries to see when a good time would be.  Also, we want to make some felted vessels, I know one or two or us bought inflatable and deflatable balls so that we can do this, so again another reason to bring your diaries with you next Monday.

See you then.
Alison

 
Monday 20 April 04/17/2009
 

Hi all
I hope you've all enjoyed your Easter break and are raring to go again.
Those of you who are beginner spinners will be looking at more ways to prepare your fibres and continuing to perfect your wheel spinning.

The weavers will be continuing with the rigid heddle weaving.  I know some of you have opted to hand spin your warp and weft yarn, so this will be an ongoing project.

For those without a loom, I will be bringing a "back strap" loom for you to look at and maybe have a go at weaving with it.

I've also been asked to bring a number of other things for you to look at, so there will be lots to do and explore for future classes.

See you all on Monday.

 
 


Hi, do you remember the hanks of wool yarn and Shetland tops I dyed at the end of last month, well I've spun up the 2% Red Lac (Rhine-M) and the 2% Marigold (Ambrosia) and here is the result.

I'm really delighted with the hank which is pun on my Jumbo flyer. I took staple lengths of each colour, alternating each colour as I spun. The staple lengths weren't accurately weighed as I wanted some overlap of the colours.

I'm going to knit it into a diagonal scarf, from a pattern I was shown in The Hague at Dineke's workshop last month, which I'm hoping will give me some subtle diagonal stripes. If I have any left I might just get out my Knitters Loom and weave a narrow scarf, too.

 
 

We should be up to weaving "Meet and Separate", but we are a little bit behind, I know!  Hazel and Tracey are busy spinning their warp and weft yarns so will be a little behind anyway, and  we now have Rich and Maria, who are learning to spin, which is great.
So bring what you want to spin or weave this week and we will take the remaining weeks as they come.

 
 

Well I've spun up one of the Shetland tops I dyed at the demo on Saturday. (Tops 6)

I spun it on Monday and have been knitting a lovely spiral scarf that I was shown in The Hague.

This is the pattern:
Cast on 20 stitches
K one row
*Slip the 1st st, K 8, Yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (10 st)
Sl 1st st, K 6, Yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (8st)
Sl 1st st, K 4, yfwd, sl 1 P wise, Turn
P to end (6 st)
Sl 1st st, K 4, (pick up loop under next st and k together with that st, K 1) repeat once, Pick up next loop and k with st. P to end
Repeat from * until desired length is achieved, cast off and secure ends.

It's a really easy and can be knitted in any yarn with any needles! Thanks to Dineke of De Spinners who showed me how!