Joyful and Triumphant!

It must surely be only weavers who get genuinely excited and thankful when they receive a teatowel as a gift.

Happy dish drying everyone. May your kitchens be merry and bright.
 

November meeting - last for the year

Part of the programme for the day was a tea towel exchange - preferably though not necessarily hand woven. We had been warned, and reminded during the year, so it was great to see so many that were truly "home grown". The only exception was a truly special one brought back from Portugal, resplendent with its red roosters.

 A great idea for a gift exchange.

I wonder what next year's challenge will be?

More photos soon

October Meeting Part 2

 Still on the combination theme, this woven top of Rose's is enhanced with hemstitching which fits in well with the hand-manipulated leno weave.

 And another top is embellished with crochet and beads.

 Jan brought out a waistcoat from a previous era. Here she is showing hidden pockets

 , , , and a not-so-hidden butterfly.

And it's reversible.

 Tricia had been working on her last piece of show and tell and it is almost ready to wear.

 It will be just the thing to wear in the Far North where she is going to live. We will miss you Tricia.

 Chris has produced yet another comfy cushion. It is woven with handspun yarn which is quite impressive for a not-very-often spinner. The reverse side is not for publication yet. That is to be her entry in the Guild President's Challenge. Well done Chris.

October Meeting, Part1

The challenge this month was to show something wearable using two or more techniques in the the same piece.  A combination of weaving and knitting was the first pairing to come to mind but there were others.

It just won't wear out! Win's woven jacket with knitted ribbing and hand made buttons must be at least thirty years old but looks as good as ever.

And Chris's Sherpa Jacket dates from the seventies. Likewise, it is still in great condition and the design is timeless. The braid trim is one of Chris's signature features.

Weaving and felting (or heavy fulling) were combined in Win's scarf. One edge had been warped with undescaled merino and the shrinkage on that side caused the other side to fall into frills.

Another scarf from Win, first woven then dyed and felted in the same process.

This one from Rose is a woven cowl with a crochet edge.

Not hand made, but Jan's jacket would be a superb design to combine weaving with knitting or crochet.

 Tricia had made this piece with ribbons and other fibres machine stitched with dissolvable fabric. After it was washed in made a perfect pocket for her new skirt.

Chris's trendy patched pants were not hand made but again gave ideas for trimming garments with leftover scraps of woven fabric or braids.

There's more to show so look for another post soon.

September 2017 - Part 2, Show and Tell

Tea towels from Joan - zingy colours, and don't the narrow stripes add class!

Linen table runner from Rose, since sent to the Area Exhibition

Is it Saori? or not? lovely colour and texture from Tricia is destined to be a summer top.

Chris has responded to the President's challenge and spun multiple skeins from different coloured fleece

Multiple luxury yarns in this scarf indicate it was made by Wendy

Watch this space. This scarf is a work in progress.

September Meeting - Part 1

Honeycomb and Waffle were the weaves chosen as the topic for the day. Very little waffle was in evidence in the show and tell though there were masses of examples in the collection from Cross Country Weavers.

The cell-like texture of this piece evokes both waffle and honeycomb.

CCW has built up a collection of waffle weave samples over the years. On top of the this heap is a nice one from our own Judy Bool.

 

We have not seen much honeycomb in our group in recent times but these vibrant cushions of Joan's look as fresh as they did several years ago when she made them.

 

 

Also from Joan, and from even longer ago, this is a sleeve from a jacket, worn and worn and eventually deconstructed. It is a good as ever and would still fit Joan so it may possibly be put back together!

This is the reverse showing the stranding of the pattern weft across the back. Various yarns have been used and even though some have fulled more than others, they all work together.

Two samples from Rose showed double weave honeycomb, so there are no loose strands at the back; they are woven into another layer. The multi-coloured sample is a turned version.

More photos to come in a few days.

Guild Day Show and Tell

We got to have a good look Chris's lovely large soft blanket which incorporates her handspun yarn which has been maturing for some time.

Also from Chris - can't you tell from the colours and the block design. This scarf is a "repeat order" from someone who bought one over a decade ago and liked it enough to order a replacement when it started to get tired.

Felters have been having fun making "neckies". Small but perfectly formed (or ruched, gathered pleated or whatever) they are a quick way to make a fashion statement.

Nancy chose a wider fabric border on her neckie.

Pam demonstrated that there are multiple ways of draping this knitted model.

Betty's scarf came in for a lot of admiration.

These creatures are the product of Pam H attending a class at Festival. They are meant to be monsters but they are far too cute.

Just had to include a pic of this tiny ceramic treasure brought along by Dawn. 

There was much more to see and feel - knitting of all shapes and sizes, lovely bulky hats and tiny baby singlets - what a diverse collection of indeed creative fibre.