HTS Newsletter, April, 2009Volunteer editor: Gary Lee Phillips, fuffle@ix.netcom.com
HTS Newsletter, April, 2009
Volunteer editor: Gary Lee Phillips, fuffle@ix.netcom.com
Our next meeting will take place on Saturday, April 11, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at The Fold, 3316 Millstream Rd., Marengo (directions available here.) This month's meeting will feature a mini-workshop on plying techniques and goals. As always, you are welcome to spin or knit during the presentation, and bringing lunch is encouraged.
May 9 meeting reminder: Topic to be announced.
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The deadline for the next
newsletter will be April 25, 2009. If you are submitting material for inclusion in the newsletter, I really would appreciate having it by the deadline. The newsletter continues to be delayed by late announcements and information, and I would much prefer to get it out to you several days earlier than is now possible.
A reminder: your dues for 2009 are payable now. Your $25 helps support the guild's activities, including subsidizing the show in October, our participation in various events, and our many learning opportunities during the year. If you haven't paid yet, please see Toni or Nan and take care of it. Thanks, from all of us.
Time to start your garden plants. It may be too early to put many seeds outdoors (except of course for peas and lettuce) but it's time to start the tomatoes and cucumbers indoors. You might want to think about some dye plants while you're at it. Marigolds can produce a variety of shades. Coreopsis is an attractive yellow flower that also dyes wool nicely. Or maybe you should plant some flax. It has lovely blue flowers even if you don't actually get around to harvesting the fiber.
Don't forget to be planning your entries for the show next fall. There are only six months left, folks. I'd like to see lots of small projects, so please consider mittens or a hat at least. We could use more felting entries too, both needle felted and wet felted.
It's spring, the time of year when a young spinner's fancy turns to fiber festivals. Not that my older spinner's fancy doesn't also turn to fiber festivals in winter, summer and fall, mind you. But there's something about shedding the gloves and the ear muffs, something about losing enough layers that I can actually raise my arms above my shoulders, something about greening grass and colorful crocus, that gets me thinking "road trip."
Yep. It's April. As I write this, Tall Grass Farm in Delavan Wisconsin is holding their Spring Fiber Jubilee. Their website is www.mohairconnection.com. I'll let you know what I find.
Our group, the Hollow Tree Spinners, meets the week after at Toni's. I know you know that and we'll see you all there, with plenty of singles, ready to play with plying. I'll bring a small test skein of some spooky blue black blue-faced leicester I recently plyed up with green silk. (So much fiber. So little time.) See you there!
There's a tough choice to be made on the weekend of April 18. One can either attend the 13th Annual Stephenson County Fiber Art Fair, in Cedarville, IL (www.suzybeggin.com/faf.htm). Or, if you want to stay local, Grace Fiber Farm, just east of the Fold on Franklinville Road, is holding a Fiber Dye and Paint Retreat. The weekend following, Grace Fiber Farm will have drum carders, hand cards, flick cards and spindles, all so you can begin spinning the fiber you dyed the week before. To register, check out: www.gracefarmstudios.com.
And that's just April. The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival will be held the first weekend in May. As an unrepentant spindle junkie, I'm going! My first stop on Saturday morning will be the Golding booth. I've been lusting over their specialty spindles for some time and want to see them in person. Is anyone else going? By the way, count your lucky stars. Members of the Ravelry MdS&W group like to talk about their favorite booths. Prominent among the faves is our own Toni and her collection of Socks that Rock. One raveler even had to interrupt the discussion to remind people that Toni also carries lovely fiber for spinning.
And just think - we get to shop at The Fold any time we want to. We are indeed blessed.
So what are your favorite fiber festivals? Share your stories.
I'll see you on April 11, to play with ply.
Programs for the new year: This year's schedule will be announced as early as possible both at meetings and in the newsletter. Note that all workshops are optional, and you are welcome to come and socialize or sit & spin during workshops. All of this year's presentations will be led by members, so there will be no fees. Refer questions about events or schedule to Susan at SusanRubendall@aol.com.
There are just six months left until all show projects for 2009 must be complete. NOW! is the time to start planning for next year's show.
If you know of an upcoming event, or have a press release or web link, send it to Gary (fuffle@ix.netcom.com) in time for the previous month's deadline in order to make sure it gets into the newsletter in time.
Space permitting, members and their friends may submit notices and classified advertisements to appear here.
Did you miss the March newsletter? It's still available online, right here. Past newsletters are retained online for one year before we retire them to reuse the space.
Are you receiving a monthly e-mail telling you that the newsletter is ready? If not, you need to sign up for the Hollow Tree Spinners e-mail discussion group.
We are trying a Web-based newsletter instead of e-mailing the actual document. This should mean that anyone with access to the internet will be able to see the newsletter, regardless of the kind of computer or software they are using. Most public libraries now have internet browser access as well. An e-mail will be sent to members once a month when the newsletter is ready, reminding them to look at it and print it if they wish. Please let us know what you think. E-mail the editor, Gary Phillips, or guild manager Toni Neil with your comments or suggestions.
Meetings are on the second Saturday of each month unless otherwise announced. The newsletter should be ready by the Saturday before the meeting. Please get items, announcements, etc. to the newsletter editor, Gary, at least a full week in advance of the newsletter date (TWO weeks before the next meeting.)