Challenge Exhibit changed to November 12

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild will present its "Fiber and Caffeine get me going..." Guild Challenge at the November 12 guild meeting. See unique fiber art pieces inspired by a favorite coffee mug.

There will be no guild meeting in October.

Doing the Drop Spindle Twist and making Art Batts

Let's do the twist!

With CDs, rubber washers, sticks, hooks and a little hair from the Colombian sheep in hand, Riverbend Fiber Arts guild members and guests enjoyed a presentation and hands-on demonstration on spinning yarn with a drop spindle.

Spinning is the process of introducing twist into fibers so they stick together to form yarn or thread. For the physics majors out there, it's the process in which the surface area of fibers is increased so that through friction, the fibers are held together. However you choose to describe it, know that with a few simple materials, you can create your own yarn.

Mary Wells prepares the roving.

"Spinning with a drop spindle is very portable," said guild member Mary Wells, who presented the program. "Nomads spun yarn with these devices while riding their camels on long journeys," she added.

Mary described the differences between top whorl and bottom whorl spindles and how the spindle weight affects spinning thin and thick yarns. Check these links for more information on the physics of hand spinning and applying Newton's Law of Motion to spinning: how drop spindles work.

C'mon everybody, let's twist that fiber!

Experienced spinners assisted beginners with the mechanics of hand spinning with a drop spindle.

 Those who decided to give it a "whirl" adopted their own spinning style.

 

 Hand/eye coordination and practice, practice, practice...

It's not as easy as it looks.

An Intro to Art Batts

The second half of the program was an introduction to creating art batts for spinning art yarns. An art yarn is an eclectic mix of fibers, textures, or colors combined in a single yarn. 

Left: rovings ready for carding or spinning.
Right: examples of spun art yarns.

Art yarns run the gamut from thick-to-thin sections in a single strand, to the spontaneous addition of fillers and embellishments (flowers, bits of paper, ribbon, beads, etc.) that are spun directly into the yarn. Just about anything goes with art yarns.

To make an art batt, colored rovings and locks were "teased" or combed and then combined on the drum carder.

Another method for creating art batts was to make layers of different fibers and sandwich the layers together. One color of roving was laid down with a contrasting color on top. Spinning from the fold with these art batts is an easy way to add complexity to the color scheme of your art yarn.

Layering rovings to create an art batt.

Making art batts and art yarns is lots of fun and offers immense potential for creativity. And, you don't have to be an expert to use them in your knitting, crochet, weaving or felting projects. Simple stitches and patterns let the beauty and originality of art yarns shine through. So, park you camel, grab some colorful roving and sit and spin for a while.

Art Batts and Drop Spindles highlighted at September meeting

Left and center: Drop spindles made from CDs.
Right: Top whorl wooden spindle.

Want to learn how to spin your own art yarns? Join the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild on September 10 for a demonstration on spinning with a drop spindle, preparing fiber for art batts, and spinning from the fold.

For those new to spinning, CD drop spindles will be available to use and can be purchased after the demonstration for $1. These spindles spin easily and are well balanced. If you have a drop spindle and are unsure of how to get started, bring it to the meeting and guild members will be available to assist you.

How to make art batts on a carder is the second part of the program. From there, a demonstration on spinning from the fold will be provided. Experienced spinners are encouraged to bring their wheels to the meeting if they wish to try this technique. Pin drafted roving will be available for purchase as well.

Come out and take a spin with the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild at the September meeting. The guild is open to new members and visitors are welcome.

  

Try your hand at throwing the shuttle

Visit the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting this Saturday, August 6, and give throwing a try—"throwing a shuttle," that is.

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild August program:
"An Introduction to Weaving."

The program, "An Introduction to Weaving," will be presented by guild members and will provide a brief overview of several types of looms. The looms will be warped and ready for anyone interested in throwing the shuttle. Several different weaving patterns will be threaded on the looms so members and visitors can see and experience weaving different structures. There will even be an 8-harness loom warped for the more adventuresome person to try! No experience is necessary.

The guild meeting starts at 11 a.m. with a Show and Tell by guild members, followed by the weaving program.

A whole lot about buttons

Linda Rhodes, button collector

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild had the pleasure of hearing button collector, Linda Rhodes, talk about buttons and her extensive collection at the July guild meeting.

In her presentation, Linda provided information about the history of buttons, the various materials from which buttons are made and the categories that collectors use to define their buttons— linear, contour and realistic.

Interesting button history:

• While women were still lacing up their garments in the 18th century (hold it in, ladies, while we lace you up), buttons were being used on men's suits, shirts, cuffs and knee pants. 
• Did you know that in the Victorian era, the buttons on women's mourning dresses were matte black? Only after an appropriate mourning period could shiney black buttons be used.
• Before garments were discarded, the buttons—considered too valuable to discard—were clipped off and saved in the "button box." 
• In the late 1950s, "studio buttons" were made by artists and specifically sold to collectors.

Vases of button flowers and button cookies.

Show and Tell

Veronica Hofman Ortega is published in Summer Belle Armoire magazine. (left)
Kathy Swift-Lawson shows her alpaca yarn. (right)

Pat shows a lace shrug she made from just two knitted rectangles!

Needle felting and hand spun alpaca yarn.

A hand woven shawl. (left)
Hand spun art yarns. (right)

Guild members attended a workshop on the magic loop
technique and learned how to add beads to knit fingerless gloves.

Crocheted kitchen scrubbies.

A shrug made from hand-dyed yarn combines knitting and crochet.

A bit about Buttons, progam in July

Buttons, buttons... would you like to know a bit more about buttons? At the July 9 meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, button collector, Linda Rhodes, will share her insights on buttons and collecting buttons. Linda is a member of several button clubs and state organizations and loves to talk to others about buttons, her collection, and the stories behind these small, ornamental and functional fasteners. Those interested in having Linda assist in identifying a button are welcome to bring it to the meeting.

A Taste of Beaded Embellishments

Beads can add color and sparkle to a variety of items. The May program at the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting offered options for combining beads with knitting. Guild members are reminded that beading and beaded embellishments can fulfill the 2011 Guild Challenge requirement of a decorative design element for a "Fiber and Caffeine get me going..." tote bag. All guild members are encouraged to create an entry for the Challenge. Challenge results will be exhibited at the October guild meeting.

 Show and Tell

Guild members show off their fiber talents at Show and Tell.

Sally Broom models her hand knit Ruffle Scarf (left).
Martha Ooten shows her hand dyed angora fibers and
a knitted shawl from hand spun yarn (right).

Veronica Hofman-Ortega's work will be featured in the July issue
of Belle Armoire magazine (left).
A hand knit beret by Dana Huskey from her hand spun yarn (right).

Mary Wells' hand spun yarns.

Free-form crochet pieces from hand spun yarn by Martha Ooten.