Welcome to 2023!
One month down and another almost gone already! 2023 is off to a flying start. Hopefully everyone has had a restful Christmas/New Year break and is ready to dive headlong into another year of fiber fun and wonderful creations!
Our Christmas meeting was a quieter one than previous years, but still bright, colourful and enjoyable. The usual yummy Christmas morning tea treats were well up to par and enthusiastically shared by all.
It has been nice catching up with old and new Members during our unofficial Wednesday Guild Days in January. Hearing the holiday stories, catching up on the latest news, chatting about up coming events, Shows and the coming year.
From our first Business Meeting of the year in February, our year is already filling up with commitments, Workshops, invitations and opportunities. The scarf exchange is underway again, we have a number of new Members attending our Wednesday Guild days, and various inquiries through emails, direct calls, our FaceBook page. Slowly but surely people are coming out of ISO and getting active again.
We received an invitation from our friends at Wangaratta to their 50th Anniversary celebration lunch to be held on the 21/02/23. A mini-bus mystery tour for Members attending … but when we finally arrived at our destination it was pretty amazing. The many other Guild members attending were friendly an fantastic, the cake was amazing, and the experience was wonderful for all. Our group from Albury-Wodonga traveled the furthest distance to attend!
Our Guild was represented at the Jindera Forgotten Trades Festival on a lovely sunny and mild Sunday. Photos and report below.
The Holbrook Show is coming up in March, and Deb is encouraging any members who would like to enter articles to do so. It’s a fun and friendly show that still knows how a country craft show should be run. One of the better shows in the immediate area. If you’re interested contact Deb for more information. The Show catalog is available at the Guild rooms.
After our Holiday Season hiatus we have two Meetings worth of Show & Tell to catch up on so on with the Show …
Cheers all,
KathyW, Editor.
Committee 2022 – 2023
President:
Jane Manning
Vice President:
Debbie Carpenter
Minute Officer:
Rhonda Delahoy
Secretary(communications/events):
Julie Hofer
Assistant Secretary:
Amanda Eaton
Treasurer:
Loraine Parker
Assistant Treasurer:
Rhonda Delahoy
Newsletter Editor:
Kathy Wheeler
Library Equipment Officer:
Rhonda Delahoy
Social Media Officer:
Kathy Wheeler
Public Officer:
Julie Hofer
KeyHolders Roster
Wednesday Work Days and Meetings
1st Wed of month – Pam J
2nd Wed of month – Jane or Julie
3rd Wed of month – Heather or Rhonda
4th Wed of month – Loraine
5th Wed of month *IF* there is one – tba
| Current and Upcoming Events | |
|---|---|
| February 22nd | Free-form Dyeing Day |
| March 1st | Casual Workday |
| March 8th | Business meeting |
| March 15th | Casual Workday |
| March 22nd | Spinning Linen with Heather |
| March 29th | Casual Workday |
| April 5th | Casual Workday |
| April 13th | Business Meeting |
| April 19th | Casual Workday |
| April 26th | |
Show & Tell - 14th December 2022
Julie
Kathy
Heather
Jane
Ella
Sabine
Christmas Morning Tea - 2022
Show & Tell - 8th February 2023
Kathy
Sabine
Veronica
Robyn
Julie
Jane
Wangaratta Handweavers & Spinners
50th Anniversary Celebration
"Are we there yet?"
That oft heard phrase was uttered before we had even left the Albury Showgrounds, and it set the tone for what was to be a light hearted, fun filled and wonderful excursion to the Wangaratta Handweavers & Spinners 50th Anniversary celebration.
The journey via mini bus to the venue was a bit of a mystery tour but the GPS got us there despite some back-seat driving.
The celebration was held at the Mokoan Cafe & Hub at Winton North. Guilds from the surrounding areas were invited to attend.
The venue overlooks the Winton Wetlands in a lovely bush setting. Signs declare we share the path with snakes and the copious amounts of roo poo on the ground say there are plenty of kangaroos around too. Native birds also hang around the Cafe and check out the outdoor tables for any left over crumbs.
We arrived a little early but it was not long before the rest of the Guilds started turning up. There were attendees from Beechworth, Cobram, Benalla, Shepparton, Albury Wodonga and off course Wangaratta Guilds. During the course of the event it was announced we had 53 folk attending!
One concerning statistic I heard aired was a discussion that the average age of attendees would be about 70yrs. But what struck me most was the wealth of knowledge, experience and energy amongst all those (mostly grey haired) women in that room (no offense meant driver Joe).
The Wangaratta members circulated around the tables and our own members moved around quite a bit too socialising with people not seen for some time. Everyone was made welcome, from those who had as Jill put it, “been to these dog-fights for ages”, to newbies like myself who had been to very few. Even then there were people I recognised from years ago and different circumstances that was great to catch up with again. You just never know who will pop up at events like this!
Every now and then the MC’s would tap on a glass to get everyone’s attention. A hush would fall as folk slipped back to their tables (or the nearest empty seat). But the announcements and speeches were not long.
The staff were quiet and efficient getting food & drinks out to tables and it was all very fresh and tasty.
A stunning cake was made by Benalla Guild’s Wendy Beer, featuring spinning, weaving, knitting etc sheep and an alpaca. Our Rhonda managed to win one of the raffles to bring one of the icing sheep home.
When it came time to cut the cake, the Wangaratta Guild had managed to get their first ever President to return and do the honours. That was pretty amazing.
At the appointed time we had to leave, having the longest distance to travel home. There ensued a riotous sing-along to DJ Jane’s phone play-list although she was under strict and repeated instructions – “no country music!!!”
Arriving back at the Showgrounds everyone unanimously agreed the mini-bus was a wonderful idea. And we should do these sorts of trips more often. So a huge shout out “Thank you!” to the executive committee – Julie, Jane, Rhonda & Loraine, for deciding to take a punt on the bus. And a big vote of thanks to our driver, Joe.
Jindera Forgotten Trades Festival
Amanda reports on Sunday’s Jindera outing at the Forgotten Trades Festival where the Guild had a stall and a variety of demonstrations running:
“It was a lovely day. Lots of shady trees, lots of people. The perfect setting for Forgotten Trades. Ice creams all sold early, disappointing our Members who’d planned to get some later on.
“There was lots of interest in our activities, even from kids.
“Pam was weaving on a rigid heddle; Joe and Julie were demonstrating their equipment and talking alpaca fleeces; Jane was spinning on a wheel; Amanda was spinning with a drop spindle and Louise joined for a while and did some crochet.
“Albury’s Deputy Mayor Steve Bowen interviewed Pam and Julie.”
Sounds like all involved had a lovely day!
Photos by Amanda’s partner Fiona.
Weaving - a tie ...
... for a mouse!
When my needle-felted mouse was close to complete, he felt he needed something to complete his cheeky outfit. A tie perhaps? One he could wear half undone in a casual look. But not just ANY tie – how about a hand woven one? In embroidery thread?
So I measured the length needed with a scrap of ribbon, and set about finding something to weave it on.
Floor looms – absolutely not. Table loom – nope. Way too big. Inkle loom? No, still too big. My mini patching loom? Thread spacing too big and warp too short. Block of foam with broken felting needles as a peg loom … maybe.
So with my “loom” warped up with colourful random embroidery threads and using cotton thread tied as a heddle on alternating threads, I tried a few samples. Not liking any of them or the coarseness of the two threads weave, I re-warped another with pins to get a closer spacing and single embroidery threads instead of the double for both warp and weft. A small loom pick and needle that came with the patching loom were ideal to beat the threads down.
Being less than impressed with the random look I warped up the threads in an inkle inspired pattern, using the outer colour as the weft wrapped around an embroidery thread flat card/bobbin. Tried a half inch and liked the result.
The shed was being a little tricky to separate with the fine and closely spaced embroidery floss, so I grabbed a safety pin to help lift (or hold) the alternate threads up (or down). When the embroidery bobbin started getting hard to slide through the shed I took the remaining thread off the bobbin and threaded it through a large blunt end needle that doubled as a beater.
It was a fun little project, and seemed to illicit great amusement from Guild members at Wednesday Guild days. And my magnifying head piece was a must-have! Finished tie 17cm long and 5mm wide.
Fleecy Follies
Alpaca Shearing December 2022
The late arrival of summer delayed our alpaca shearing. What we’d normally have all done and dusted by mid November was delayed until the end of December!
So over two days between Christmas and New Year, made so much easier with extra hands from Julie and Paul, all alpacas were shorn.
It was the usual circus – many just lay quietly on the table, some screamed, some spat, some screamed & spat, some (mostly boys) peed. But none of them were in any hurry to exit the shed once shorn. As usual we even had the more curious try to poke their heads back in to watch what we were up to.
And as usual, within minutes the rolling in the dust ritual started. They seem to really enjoy the feel of the cool earth, grassy clumps, even piles of hay against their skin. A good coating of dust also helps act as a natural sun screen until fleece grows out long enough to protect them, which doesn’t take long.
The next task was to get all the shorn fleeces sampled, vac-packed and stored away for protection until they can be processed. Within a week that was all done too! The alpaca fleeces can wait for washing as I can use cooler water for them. Sheep fleeces need hot water scouring, warmer weather to avoid felting from temperature changes and to get their bigger, denser fleeces dry, so they get done first – after the alpaca colour samples.
Do you have a funny or amazing fiber animal story? If you’d like to share it in a future Newsletter contact the Editor.
2023 Program
| April 26th | Entrelac crochet with Julie | |
| May 3rd | Casual Workday | |
| May 10th | Business Meeting | |
| May 17th | Casual Workday | |
| May 20th & 21st | Canberra Wool Expo, old Bus depot Markets | |
| May 24th | ||
| May 31th | Casual Workday | |
| June 7th | Casual Workday | |
| June 14th | Business Meeting | |
| June 21st | Casual Workday | |
| June 28th | Demonstrations of Navajo/Chain Plying & Andean Plying | |
| July 5th | Casual Workday – Annual Cleanup | |
| July 12th | Business Meeting | |
| July 14th – 16th | Australian Sheep & Wool Show (Bendigo) | |
| July 19th | Casual Workday | |
| July 26th | Christmas in July needle felted decorations with Kathy |   |
| August 2nd | Casual Workday | |
| August 9th | AGM, Business Meeting & Guild’s Birthday | |
| August 16th | Casual Workday | |
| August 23rd | Top Down knitting | |
| August 30th | Casual Workday | |
| September 6th | Casual Workday | |
| September 13th | Business Meeting | |
| September 20th | Casual Workday | |
| September 27th | ||
| October 4th | Casual Workday | |
| October 11th | Business Meeting | |
| October 18th | ||
| October 25th | Rooms closed (Albury Show) | |
| November 1st | Rooms closed (Albury Show) | |
| November 9th | Business Meeting | |
| November 15th | Casual Workday | |
| November 22nd | Lavender Wands with Kathy |   |
| November 29th | Casual Workday | |
| December 6th | Casual Workday | |
| December 13th | Business Meeting, Christmas Lunch | |
| December 20th | ||
| More Workshop Ideas | Inkle Loom Weaving Online weaving workshop with Elizabeth Calnan |
Last words ...
A few housekeeping items:
1 – Some members have been getting spam type emails saying they are coming from Guild members. If anyone gets a suspicious looking message, do not open them or any links within them.
2 – Please do not park in front of the Guild’s side double doors. This could cause a problem in the case of an emergency. Please park in the undercover area well clear of the doors and grandstand stairs, or on the grass area.
3 – The drain area outside the Guild door that fills up with water when it rains is becoming DANGEROUS with one of our members slipping in the mud and algae growing there. PLEASE KEEP WELL CLEAR OF THE DRAIN AND MUD even when it appears dry!
Newsletter contributions are always welcome. So, if anyone has anything they want to contribute, or requests for articles, email me!
Cheers for now,
KathyW, Ed.
