September Meeting : Colour

 Jan led the September discussion on colour, giving us a different viewpoint from the way we have worked in the past. She has attended various design courses and showed us some of the interesting material she has accumulated. Here she is, flanked by Nancy and Tricia. Note Jan's music embroidery in the background.

 Barbara and June discuss some of the books in our Guild library relating to colour.  Nancy watches and listens.

 Win, Beth and Noelene deep in conversation.

 New member Jen is making good progress and getting to know the rest of the group. Here she is with Betsy.

Tricia, Rose and Chris have a multitude of resources to work with.

Chris's show and tell was a table runner made with the three-shaft petit point technique and this photo shows both sides with the colours reversed on the back. Chris said it was faster to weave than she expected it would be. Well done Chris.

Weaving Workshop

"Small Stuff" was the title of a weaving workshop held at Bobbin Cottage on Saturday 15 September.  Seven looms were warped up with narrow sample warps, all with the same yarn and sett. (An eighth loom from a previous project was brought along by Tricia for an optional extra.) With hindsight, it may have been easier weaving and better for the participants done on a larger scale but the lovely wool yarn was donated and it seemed like a great opportunity to challenge people with 20 epi.  The jumping off point was a number of different small drafts used by Rose for a collection of scarves.

Here is Rose, armed and dangerous!

And here are 'the troops' working on a round robin system, trying out the samples.

Betsy gets to grips with mock leno.

June is enjoying a refresher of patterns she knows well.

Tricia (in her lovely hand knitted jersey) is ready for action.

Jen is our newest weaver but she managed to get around all seven looms to weave samples.

Win has completed the seven samples and is now catching up on the three shaft petit point technique we studied while she was away (swanning around in Italy no less.)

Not in the photos but also present were Beth, Barbara, Noelene and Chris.   Thanks to Chris for these photos.

Congratulations!

National Adult Learners' Week was launched in Blenheim on Monday evening. Our very own Jen Smith was presented with an award for "Outstanding Adult Learner," and her tutor June McKenzie was awarded "Exceptional Adult Learning Provider." Congratulations to these two and to all who are prepared to teach or learn new skills.

Thanks to those who made an effort to join with the rest of the Guild to put up an impressive display at the Stadium on Tuesday as part of the Adult Learners' Week. It takes quite an effort, and quite a bit of weaving time, to do these community activities but it is important that we wave our creative flag and make ourselves known.

More Show and Tell

These items made it to the August meeting only as photographs as Rose was away.  The four scarves in the first photo are made from a beautiful fibre blend; 55% silk and 45% cashmere.

This is a very lightweight throw in thick brushed wool and a  very fine synthetic yarn.

Chris has added further colour variations to her collection of blankets.  Some lucky children will receive these and probably keep them as favourites for many years.

August Meeting - Fibres

The meeting was held at Barbara's home and members were asked to bring samples of various yarns used in their work and examples woven with them. Here are some of the woven fabrics using both natural and man-made fibres.

Betsy brought along her lovely soft lightweight throw made with merino, possum and mohair fibres. It is woven in a rosepath twill which shows a completely different pattern on the reverse.

Here is a close-up of the yarns, with the space-dyed warp showing up prominently in the fringe.

Joan's warp repp table runner is made with very closely set rayon.

A natural fibre we don't often see in loom weaving is phormium tenax (New Zealand flax or harakeke). It is seen here in a wall hanging by June in which she has used many hand manipulated lace weaves.

This beautifully knitted shawlette was knitted by Nancy and of course the fibre is alpaca.

Not Weaving, but just have to share

Weavers need a break now and then. When Chris was in Christchurch recently she found this 'gap-filler' sculpture display and it's too good not to share.

Continuing the piano theme, how about this one displayed in the Museum .

Or this, from some place unknown. Maybe not weaving but it least it has a textile component.

Happy weaving. I hope the wet weather has given you an opportunity to get to your looms.

Guild Meeting 8 August

Chris showed her small menagerie of animals - an update on the three-shaft pick-up weaving started at the July meeting. Here we can see the side uppermost on the loom (top) and the reverse (lower).

At the Guild meeting Nancy demonstrated what can be done with a niddy-noddy, a plastic plate, some yarn and a few odds and ends.

Jen and June collaborated on this model.

Looking forward to Christmas?

July Show and Tell Part 4

Rose produced a baby wrap made with chunky threads in plain weave, finished with a wide crochet edge.

And a larger throw in different colours, woven in a texture weave suited to the slub yarn.

This wrap has a silvery thread incorporated in the yarn used in both warp and weft in a complex twill pattern. It is finished with a silver-grey satin ribbon along the edges and a silver rat-tail cord to enhance the ends.  This is a UFO that has finally become a FO.

That wraps up the July news but there are more pics to come so keep watching.

July Show and Tell Part 3

Chris shows one of her lovely generously large throws. In spite of her intention for it to be a 'stash-buster' Chris confirms there is just as much stash as ever. Stash-busting just never seems to work!

Here is a close-up of the clever colour blending and the goose-eye type twill construction.

Again, Chris goes for generous size and bold colours for this baby blanket. The crochet edge makes a good finish.

A close-up showing the huck blocks within plain weave squares with a light-coloured outline. The crossing of the colours gives a multi-hued effect.

July Show and Tell Part 2

Judy wove a table runner in beautiful mercerised cottons using a draft called "Indian March" from Marguerite Porter Davison's Pattern Book.

You can see here the sheen on the yarns and almost see the subtle colour combination. There is a bit more of the turquoise colour in it that doesn't show up well in the photo.

Here you can see some of the complex block pattern more clearly.  All this on four shafts!

Tricia showed a piece of fabric bought by one of her friends. Unfortunately no information came with it. It is well woven but with a very course yarn that some people thought might be goat hair.  Everyone joined in the discussion and gave advice about wet finishing it and what it could be used for.  Perhaps we'll see it again at a further stage in its development.

Tricia had knitted a pair of gloves that kept us all guessing. She knitted them sideways, starting at the little finger side. I think there must be magic involved as there is no sewing up.

Parts 3 and 4 still to come.

July Show and Tell Part 1

Win's alpaca scarf is as light as a feather. She used a combination of loom-woven lace and hand-manipulated leno.

Another scarf from Win - alpaca of course.

And, for a change, Win had knitted a hat in the entrelac technique.

Joan is showing Betsy's runner, woven following the Maryanne Stamford workshop.

And here is a close-up. Very nice Betsy.

More photos to come.