creating_fibre

Thursdays are Fibre Arts Days at MERA

A casual gathering to explore various fibre techniques - including spinning, knitting, crochet, weaving, basketry - anything to do with fibre!

Mornings, 10-12 (all year round) - spinning, knitting, crochet, sewing... bring your projects and enjoy the morning in work and conversation. Help and materials are available if you would like to learn to knit or spin. Info: Mona 613-278-0291

Lunch, 12-1 - bring a lunch and continue (or join!) the conversation...

Afternoons, 1-3'ish (September to May) - different workshops each Thursday to explore something new in individual and group projects... Info: Cathie 613-264-0705 (see schedule below)

Quilting Wednesdays, 1-3 pm. Info: Joan 613-278-2962

Weaving Thursdays 1-3 pm. Free community warps available in the MERA weaving studio. Info: Mary 613-267-3447

THURSDAY Fibre Arts Workshops at the MERA Schoolhouse

Thursday, May 2nd at 10 am - Leek Walk with Hilary

This is becoming an annual event - a great way to welcome Spring. We will meet at the schoolhouse at 10 am and carpool from there to the lovely area where we will find leeks. You may pick some for your own use - to eat or plant. It's a lovely walk. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

Along with comfortable clothing, you will need to bring a trowel or small shovel and bag(s) to carry your leeks. You may also want to bring bug repellent.
Remember the early start - 10 am. We'll enjoy a coffee at MERA and leave the schoolhouse around 10:30 am.

A reminder to the Spinners:

This is the first Thursday of the month, so bring your spinning wheels.

Please let me know if you are interested in the yarn dyeing workshop. Alanna needs to know how many balnks to make and what weight yarn you wish to use.

Alanna will make sock blanks for us and do a dyeing workshop. You will need to buy your yarn from Alanna or Jan or get your own “natural” wool yarn and give it her to make a sock blank before the workshop. After discussing this workshop with Alanna, you make wish to dye heavier yarn and make mittens or gloves. This process will give you two balls of yarn that are identical in colour so your items match, whatever you chose to make.

For double strand blanks, the choices Janice and I have are:

· alpaca sock yarn - 80% alpaca + 20% nylon = $28.

· Light Worsted - 85% alpaca + 15% merino (for mitts/gloves) = $25.

· 100% wool DK (for mitts/gloves) = $12
　
Ideas for May
***May 7^th - Sheering The Alpaca at Victory Farm 9am ***
Thursday, May 9^th and May 16^th- Weaving Wicker Trays
Thursday, May 23^rd - Dyeing Sock Blanks with Alanna
Thursday, May 30^th - Potluck and More!!!!
Thursday, May 30^th will be our last scheduled Fibre Arts activity until September

A Request For Assistance From MERA Spinner and Weavers

The Highland Heritage Day celebration, to take place on Saturday, July 6, has asked me to organize a sheep-to-shawl as part of the event. Actual spinning/weaving would take place on the grounds of the Middleville Museum (if you haven't been there, they have a fabulous collection), and therefore could be indoors if it rains.

Here's the scoop: Ross Creighton will scissor-shear a sheep to start things off (and I think -- but I'm not sure yet -- would supply a fleece ahead of time for us to use in spinning a warp). Then all spinners and weaver(s) will card the fleece, and start spinning and plying. When there's enough backlog of yarn, the weaver will stop spinning and start weaving -- after which, she's not allowed to spin any more. And by the end of the afternoon, we will have created a shawl, complete with fringe!

Well, of course there's more to it than that. We'll have to meet to decide on a pattern for the shawl, the weight of yarn we want to use, how much warp yarn we need, whether or not the warp yarn should be dyed, and so on and so forth. Then, of course, we have to spin the yarn and warp the loom in preparation for July 6. And we have to make sure we have an appropriate drum carder and a transportable loom.

I hope MERA spinners and weavers will form most (or all) of the sheep-to-shawl team! Please let me know if you're interested and I can get you further information.

Susan
susan@susanberlin.ca
613-259-5036

Call Cathie Huffman at 613-264-0705 to confirm your attendance at the workshops - she'll let you know what you need to bring.

If the topic on any particular day doesn't appeal, join us anyway! We could use your knowledge and expertise!