September 2009 Notes
 
5 September Book club meeting

Jackie writes:

Here's a re-cap of our September meeting, "Knitting for Men".

It was fun to hear your successes and "lessons" with this topic. May we all go forward better armed with options for knitting stuff our men will actually wear!

Patterns and book ideas---
Penny Straker patterns.
Alice Starmore's Book of Aran Knitting - pattern "Irish Moss"
(Elizabeth - please correct if I'm wrong on the pattern)
Son of a Stitch and Bitch by Debbie Stoller (I loved the wrestling masks! No, this wasn't just about sweaters!)
Going Straight by Woolly Wormhead. Interesting hats
Brooklyn Tweed by Jared Flood
Viking Patterns for Knitting by Elsbeth Lavold
Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Workshop
"Aunt Pat's Slippers"
Socks For Soldiers
Fold-over Mitts (Knitting Daily, PBS TV)
Best of Interweave Press (several patterns for men)

 "A Christmas Past", men's Fair Isle sweater by Dale Long

Let me know if I'm forgetting any.

Hot tips---
Conservative color
simple, basic shapes
school colors
machine washable yarn
involve them in planning the design - pattern and yarn
get into the spinning instead (if you are going to have to knit a large boring sweater with small needles)

Good luck!

See you October 10. We'll look at knitting for kids. An easier-to-knit-for group, perhaps. Please note the meeting is the second Saturday, not the first.

Best wishes, and enjoy your fiber!

--Jackie


12 September Second Saturday all fiber arts meeting

Hosted by Carolyn Beasley.  Thank you, Carolyn!


17 September Third Thursday Guild Meeting

Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild  met on September at the NCSU Crafts Center with 10 attending.  Welcome new members, Katherine and Rachel!

We held a wheel round robin, everyone got a chance to try the eight wheels which were brought to the meeting.  Each person took her or his own fiber and tried out each wheel for about 10-15 minutes.

Jame's 19" Reeves frame wheel

 

Rachel's Clemes and Clemes
 

Katherine's new Lendrum folding wheel

Judy's experienced Lendrum folding wheel

Marilyn's Majacraft Little Gem

Punky's Schacht Matchless

Carolyn's Kromski Symphony

James's Kromski Sonata

Jan's Majacraft Little Gem

Thank you all for bringing your wheels!  It's a great experience to see how another wheel feels when spinning (even a different one of the same make), to compare different tensioning and whorl ratio systems, and to learn how to lean back and relax while spinning (thank you, James).


22 September Fourth Tuesday lapwork meeting

Held at Glenaire. 

August 2009 Notes

First Saturday Book club meeting.

Jackie writes:

Thanks to all who participated in the discussion on using color! Lots and lots of inspiration form your work, and so many great ideas and tips! Here are a few I noted. Please add/correct. I know I didn't get everything-------------

-Keep a portfolio of pictures that inspire you. Magazine clippings of garments, or postcards of museum paintings could give ideas for   puttingcolors together.

-Practice often! It builds confidence and skill.

-Look for inspiration in the world around you.

-Wrap lengths of each color around cardboard and place them side by side. See how the various colors look together. Play with hanging the arrangement. (weavers' tip)

- Take yarn to a dimly lit room to get an idea of value - which ones stand out?

- Look at yarn under different lighting.

- Photocopy yarns together on a copier to see contrasts

- Use the color wheel to find a particular harmony, and choose  colors accordingly.

- Suggestion for Fair Isle (Erika Raspberry) - choose all solids or all heathered colors - don't mix, and put anything back you don't like.

- Technique can play a role in determining which colors stand out  more. For example, how you hold yarns for Fair Isle can make a difference.

- Get feedback from others regarding your ideas - particularly in using your own left overs. A "fresh pair of eyes" is often helpful.

- Slip-stitch techniques can add texture as well. It's also an interesting way to use variegated yarns.


Books and resources. Please add to this- I think I'm missing a few of the many books we had.
-Spin Control by Amy King
-Poems of Color by Wendy Keele,
-Tudor Roses by Alice Starmore
-Fair Isle Knitting by Alice Starmore
-How to Select Color Palettes for Knitting and Other Fiber Arts by
Nancy Shroyer
-Colorworks by Deb Menz
-The Art of Fair Isle Knitting by Ann Feitleson
-Slip-Stitch Knitting by Roxana Bartlett
-The Knitting Experience: Color by Sally Melville

These two commercial yarns were mentioned a few times: Noro, and  Koigu.

The author of Jane's biochem book, The Theory and Practice of Wool Dyeing, (from last month) is Peter Bird.

Looking ahead --------We'll kick off the fall knitting season with September's topic of "Knitting for Men". (These projects might be a whole lot less colorful! switching gears...) Our featured book is The Knitting Man(ual) by Kristin Spurkland. Book club discount is $18.38 with tax. (retail is $24.95). Please let me know by August 19 if you'd like me to order one for you. I'll send out another reminder later on. Book club date is September 5.

Also - The October date was changed from the 3rd to the 10th so we can go to Montpelier, VA for the Fall Fiber Festival, if we like. Would be great if a bunch of us could carpool/tailgate up! I think its about a 4 hour ride from Raleigh.

That's it. Again, please add what I have left out. See you next month. Hoping we can keep up the breakfast and/or lunch tradition!


--Jackie

Second Saturday all fiber arts meeting

Hosted by Amy on 8 August.  Thank you, Amy!


Third Thursday Guild Meeting

Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild  met on 20 August at the NCSU Crafts Center with 12-14 members attending (the scribe forgot to count accurately).  Welcome new member, Jan!

Jane led the business meeting.  Topics for the next 4 monthly meetings are as follows: 

• September  - Wheel Round Robin
• October -  Support spindles
• November -  Finger weaving
• December -  Swap.   Bring your unwanted but usable fiber arts items to swap.  This activity is for dues-paying members only.  Dues can be paid at the meeting for 2010. This meeting will be held on a Friday (date and location TBA) rather than the usual 3rd Thursday.

Planning is underway for the Fiber Festival as part of NC AgFest.  TTFAG will host a demo booth.  Carolyn is helping to organize.  Some proposed activities are a sheep to shawl contest/demonstration, a fleece display, and a kid's area.  The weaving guild will participate as well.  Volunteers welcome!

The evening's topics  were lucets, nalbinding, and corking.  Jame, Carole and Jane brought lucets and demonstrated their use.  Jame did a brief tutorial on using a nalbinding needle, and brought a book on spool knitting: Kids Can: Corking by J.A, Sadler as well as some spool knitters made using the instructions in the book.  This book is available from the Wake County Library System.

Program ideas for the coming year are welcome.  Some suggestions made are making color choices and combining colors, and fitting patterns.


Fourth Tuesday Lapwork Meeting


Held at Glenaire on August 25.  The alt lapwork meeting was cancelled due to poor turnout at meetings on the 4th Tues over the summer.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jame
Volunteer Recording Secretary