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A Publication of the Northwest Regional Spinners’ Association

FEBRUARY, 2019

In this issue ...

NwRSA is a member organization -- we depend on each other to handle not just the every day tasks such as maintaining membership records and keeping our finances straight but to put on the annual conference, publish the newsletter, train judges, educate the members on spinning, and communicate amongst ourselves and with the fiber arts community. If members do not volunteer, it won’t get done. Your support is needed to help run NwRSA by volunteering to serve on both regular and special committees. Two areas are in critical need of volunteers -- the annual Elections Committee and the 2019 Conference Committee. Please contact me at president@nwrsa.net if you can work on either or both of these committees. Our Bylaws require that an Elections Committee be appointed annually and stipulate that the Committee consist of three members, one from each of the 3 districts (W Washington, E Washington/Idaho/Montana, Oregon) who are not current Board members. The Elections Committee is charged with running the 2019 elections; one of the three members will chair the Committee. The 2019 elections will be for the positions of the 21 Area Directors and Alternates, Vice President and Treasurer. Beginning on July 1, the Committee solicits nominations from the general membership for each position and formulates the elections ballot. The Committee then receives and counts ballots and certifies the election results. Voting is open between September 1 and October 8. Both nominations and ballots are submitted to the Committee by either online service (Survey Monkey), e-mail, or USPS. In the most recent election, 127 of the 136 ballots cast were cast using the online service (Survey Monkey). Support to formulate the online nomination and voting ballots is available so that basic computer skills are adequate for serving as a committee member or chairperson. The 2019 Conference Committee needs volunteers to work on registration, running the Area basket raffle, organizing the open spinning activities, assisting teachers with their classes and all the other tasks that are required to have a successful conference. Please pitch in and help by volunteering.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Pamela McGarvey

Northwest Regional Spinners’ Association

editor@nwrsa.net

Deadline for submissions for next edition: February 20, 2019

2019 Annual Conference Member News Volunteer! PNW History in Wool

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Our Annual Conference will be taking us “BACK TO BASICS: FIBER, PREP, TWIST” July 26-28, 2019. Based on feedback from attendees last year, Conference is returning to the Hotel RL in Olympia, WA where we appreciated the comfortable accommodations in rooms with full baths located a short indoor walk to the classrooms, vendors and informal spinning area. It is not too early to make your hotel reservations and travel plans. Reservations may be cancelled without penalty until 24 hours before scheduled check-in time. Special Conference room rates per room per night are: Single/double: $109 ($109 for a single, or $54.50 per person for a double) Triple: $119 ($39.65 per person) Quad: $129 ($32.25 per person) To reserve your room at the Conference rate, you can either phone or go online. To make your reservation by phone, call 1-800-REDLION (1-800-733-5466) and provide the group code: NWRS0724 To make your reservation online, click on this link: https://www.redlion.com/group-booking?property=6116&start=2019-07-24&end=2019-07-28&group=NWRS0724 Classes will be scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. Instructors interested in teaching at Conference should submit the proposal form included in this newsletter or download it from the website at www.nwrsa.net/events. We will also have a little more space for vendors. Interested vendors should download the vendor form from www.nwrsa.net/events and follow the instructions to submit their application. There will be plenty of learning opportunities, a raffle of Area baskets to raise funds for use in local activities, a gallery to train handspinning judges and some new and fun surprises. Putting on Conference is a huge undertaking and the support of all our members is needed to make it happen. Please consider volunteering to help out with registration, Area basket raffle, teachers’ hospitality, and other tasks. Please send an e-mail to conference2019@nwrsa.net to volunteer.

2019 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Go to www.nwrsa.net for more details

2019

Feb 14-17 Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat, Hotel Murano, Tacoma WA

Mar 14-17 NwRSA Camp Burton Spinners Retreat, Vashon Island WA

Mar 16 NwRSA Area 4010 & Log Cabin Fiber Arts, Spin-In Fiber Fest, Couer d’Alene ID

Mar 16 NwRSA Area 6030, Abernethy Spring Fiber Sale, Oregon City OR

Mar 30 High Desert Wool Growers’ Fiber Market Day, Redmond OR

Apr 6-7 Whidbey Weavers Guild Spin-In, Oak Harbor WA

Apr 11-14 Shepherds’ Extravaganza, Puyallup WA

Jul 5-7 Black Sheep Gathering, Albany OR

Jul 25-29 NwRSA Annual Conference, Hotel RL, Olympia WA

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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CLASS PROPOSAL

2019 NwRSA Annual Conference July 26-28, 2019

The Northwest Regional Spinners Association (NwRSA) invites you to submit a proposal for teaching classes with direct relevance to the art and craft of handspinning fiber at its annual conference July 26, 27 and 28, 2019 at the Hotel RL in Olympia, Washington. NwRSA is a four-state organization of more than 500 handspinners located in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Historically, the conference attracts 100-125 registrants of whom about 60% enroll in one or more half-day classes and about 15% enroll in a full day class. The focus of the conference is on both formal education and informal exchange of ideas and expertise. In addition to classes, the conference offers informal social spinning activities, participation in training of handspinning judges through evaluation of entries in handspun articles gallery, vendors, and a dinner. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Multiple classes are encouraged. A separate proposal must be submitted for each class. 2. Deadline for receipt of proposals is March 1, 2019. 3. Submission by email is preferred. Please create each proposal as a WORD doc file and save it. 4. Attach your proposal in WORD doc files(s) to an email and send the email to: conference2019@nwrsa.net 5. Submission of a proposal is not a guarantee of acceptance. 6. Please address any questions you have to conference2019@nwrsa.net

Your Name: Contact Information: Mailing address, Email address, Phone number(s).

Name of Class: Title

Class Description: Length of the class: ________ half-day (3 hour) OR _______ full-day (6 hour) Preferred date: ________ FRIDAY _______ SATURDAY _________ SUNDAY (AM)

A 100 word description of the class content -- what the students will be doing in the class; skills/knowledge they will acquire; and the end product, if any, they will take with them Experience Level required of students: If any. Materials to be Provided by Instructor and Materials Fee: The type and cost to the student of materials that YOU will supply for the class. (Please note: this does NOT include the cost of the class for the student.) Materials Required by Students: Any equipment or supplies the students will be requested/required to bring. Minimum Number of Students: # Maximum Number of Students: # Bio: A brief bio (100 words or less, please) and a list of classes that you have taught previously and where. Optionally, any of the following: Web address, Instagram Account, Facebook Page, Photos of your yourself and your work (please attach photos rather than embedding in the .doc file) References: 2 References (unless you have taught classes at the NwRSA Annual Conference before, then references are not required).

RFP for 2019 Conference Classes

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An Exhibit at the Tulalip Tribes Hibulb Cultural Center, Tulalip, WA From Margie Wetherald

Fiber artists in the Pacific Northwest are fortunate to live in a region where indigenous communities have strong fiber tradi tions of their own. This winter, the Hibulb Cultural Center in Tulalip, Washington features an exhibit on the history and importance of wool and weaving to the Tulalip Tribes dating from pre-contact through the present. For the Tulalip Tribes, woven textiles communicated wealth and power and weaving is considered a gift that has passed from generation to generation. The small exhibit chronicles development of the Tulalip Tribes’ use of wool and the different cultural and economic roles that textile production has played. At first contact in 1792, when Captain Vancouver landed it Hibulb, he documented the Tribes’ use of wool from small white dogs. The Tribes bred the valuable dogs for their wool, fed them salmon and kept them separate from other dogs to ensure production of the dogs’ wooly undercoat. The Tulalip Tribes also traded with other tribes for wool gathered from mountain goats in the Cascade Mountains. Dog wool might be used alone or blended with mountain goat wool. A tribal elder commented that: “A wool blanket made in the pre-contact period took a long time and was a labor of love.”

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a twill weave dog wool and mountain goat blanket donated by a tribal elder to the Hibulb Cultural Center. A video explains the DNA testing undertaken to confirm the blanket’s fiber content. This precious artifact provides an extraordinary connection to the past. When the Hudson Bay Company arrived in the area in 1824, it brought the famous Hudson Bay Blankets made on industrial looms from English and Australian wool. It was no longer necessary to make blankets from dog and mountain goat wool. Blankets could be obtained in trade or woven from wool from sheep. Wool from sheep was more available and more water proof than dog wool and the little white dogs were allowed to inbreed with other dogs by the 1890s. Traditionally, wool from dogs and mountain goats was carded with the fingers and spun on large spindle whorls and against the thigh. Archeology suggests the Coast Salish Tribes have used spindle whorls for over 1000 years. By 1900, it was more common for women to use spinning wheels made from treadle sewing machine tables. Knitting arrived in 1857 with Catholic nuns who taught at the reservation school. By 1950, the combination of spinning wheels and knitting offered women a way to make a good income. The master knitters of the Tulalip Tribes sold their distinctive bulky yarn sweaters, socks and hats, in cream and natural brown through the Eddie Bauer Company in the mid-Century period. Coast Salish weaving enjoyed a resurgence in 1937 when eighteen Tulalip women formed the Tulalip 4-H Club and one of the members introduced Coast Salish wool weaving to the group. The exhibit displays a wealth of photos from the 1930s to the 1950s documenting the woven goods produced by the Tulalip

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Interwoven History: Coast Salish Wool

Blanket woven in a twill pattern using yarn spun from dog wool and mountain goat fleece.

Spinning wheel adapted from sewing machine.

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weavers. In 2000 Coast Salish wool weaving was reintroduced at the Hibulb Cultural Center where workshops and classes keep traditional wool weaving arts alive for new generations. Information on the exhibit and the Hibulb Cultural Center is available on their website at www.hibulbculturalcenter.org

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Salish knit items sold by the Hudson Bay Company in the mid-20th century. A modern item woven from traditional Salish handspun yarn.

MEMBER NEWS

Area 2030 (Burien WA) - Debora Frank Reporting

Our group meets on the second Saturday of the month at the Burien Church. Our membership is around thirty with anywhere from six to twelve people showing up for our monthly meetings. In September we try to sketch out what we would like to do each month for the coming year. In January, we had fun blending fiber, and in February we have Allison Harding coming to teach a class. We are planning on participating in the Sheep to Shawl at the Black Sheep Gathering and have been busy finding a suitable fleece and pattern. We do a raffle basket every month to help pay for use of the church. This past year we have had several wheels donated to our group and we are using them as loaners for new spinners.

Area 2060 (Bellvue WA ) - Linda Hosea Reporting Area 2060 continues to hold its own on membership, with a current total of 21. We continue to loose some and gain some. Our meetings have also attracted visitors from other areas, as well as non-member visitors, a phenomenon we value! Our meetings typically range from 10 to 16. The January meeting had a recent high of 17 participating! Our show and tell activities foster sharing of projects in work and complete. Kitty has proposed that we start keeping a running tally of all the group’s productivity. It was enthusiastically embraced (“rules” being worked out!), and the counts begun! We also share lessons or new skills learned and other important steps and activities in our fiber and life journeys. These active discussions typically occupy a significant portion of each meeting, with active intervention required to curtail this, when we have a fixed program planned! To the members of and guests to 2060, this coming together is a significant part of our spinning community. In November, the October Board meeting was discussed, and there was a wide ranging discussion on judging and “art” yarn… Members have volunteered to make some good and bad examples of art yarns, as learning and potentially teaching tools. In December we had our traditional gift exchange. January’s program was making creative/art batts with Donna demonstrating her approach and techniques. Our monthly meetings are (typically) on the third Sunday. We do make adjustments for other conflicting calendar items. Our 2019 dates have not yet been firmed up (we know what we are requesting, but the paperwork is dragging.) When “official,” a file with the dates will be uploaded to our FB page. It is a closed group – but no one has been turned away!

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Area 6030 (Clackamas County OR) - Elaine Love Reporting

Back in December, at our annual holiday party, we brought together all the blankets completed for the FACES Foundation, along with over 50 hats and toy donations. I am so glad our group decided to work on a charity project. At the very least it gives members something to do with leftover yarns from other projects. The FACES Foundation provides cleft lip and palate surgeries on medically isolated patients as well as speech therapy, education and many other services. Please visit https://facesfoundation.org/about-us/ to learn more. Quickly approaching is the Abernethy Spring Fiber Sale hosted by our area. Please mark your calendars for March 16th from 10am–4pm at the Abernethy Grange 15745 S. Harley Ave. in Oregon City! https://www.abernethyspringfibersale.com/

Area 4030 (Tri-Cities, Walla Walla WA / Lewiston ID) - The Desert Fiber Arts By the Book Knitters Study Group was asked by Merrie Greenwood Players to knit for their Costume Library. Knitter who participate received a day pass to the renaissance faire.

RIGID HEDDLE STUDY GROUP Up Shed, Down Shed, Pick up stick A and B; if that wasn’t enough, we have added Heddle 1 and Heddle 2, tie down threads, upper layer light color, lower layer dark color, now let’s switch those and we’re doing double weave!. And one of our diligent rigid heddle weavers is perfecting twill with 3 heddles. We have explored so much this year: from log cabin and textures to Theo Moorman and the latest, double weave. All of these experiences have added to the possibilities when we are thinking of creating something for our home, clothing or accessories. As we explore and add these techniques to the repertoire of our creations, Rigid Heddle Study group is honored to have been chosen as the Featured Artist Group for the Biennial Membership Show at Allied Arts January venue. The next few meetings will consist of planning our display and activities for this show. The group has been approached to offer some type of class setting for the public. We welcome ideas from other guild members for creating our presentation. 4+MORE WEAVING STUDY GROUP Some of the tips shared at the 4+More Weaving Study Group in October:

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Phoenix-Wing knit by Joyce

Autumn Leaves knit by The By the Book

Knitters

Interview with a Vampire

Shawl Knit by Kirsten

Dryad’s Shawl knit by Lindsey

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• For a KNITTED BINDING: Measure the width of the binding you want. CO enough stitches to knit a long band of that width. Row 1: K1, P1, (K ½ width - 2 stitches), P1, (K ½ width - 2 stitches), P1, K1. Row 2: P1, K1, (P to midpoint), K1, (P until 2 stitches remain), K1, P1. Repeat these 2 rows until you have the desired length. [Thanks, Mary Thomas]

• EASY-TO-TURN HEMS ON HANDWOVEN: Insert as weft a slightly larger and slippery yarn at the turn lines for your hem, about d inch from end and about ½ inch from that first inserted weft. After wet finishing and pressing, pull the turning weft, closest to the end of the piece. Fold up the first turn of your hem, press and secure with pins. Pull the second turning weft. Fold up the hem, press and machine or hand sew the hem into place. [Thanks, Cheryl Reed]

• WEAVING SPACE FOR FRINGE BETWEEN PROJECTS ON YOUR WARP. Weave scrap yarn at end of first project, enough to secure your woven piece, about 1 inch. Next zigzag that same scrap yarn up through your warp, changing the shed each time you change the direction of your shuttle. Don’t beat between picks. After you have zigzag the length of 2 fringes, 1 for the first project and enough for the second, secure the start of the second piece. Weave that scrap yarn, now beating as usual between each pick, for about 1 inch. Then weave your second project. [Thanks, Clifton Door]

• KEEP TRACK OF YOUR WARP COUNT WITH A COUNTER ON YOUR FINGER. They go by many names. Use a small hand-held counter clicker on your finger to keep track of your warp threads on your warping board or warping reel. [Thanks, Sharon Ofsthun] DRAW LOOM GROUP The Draw Loom is up and weaving beautifully! Marion will be finished soon with her upholstery fabric. Check out her progress when you come into the Guild House. Our wonderful Draw Loom has more warp on it! Plan a project and get your name on the schedule! Our next Draw Loom Study group meeting is January 8th from 1-3pm at the Guild House. Please calculate the amount of warp you used on your previous projects on the Giant 30-yard warp. We need to settle up on the used warp and begin planning for our next warp.

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Area 2015 (Bellingham/Skagit WA) - Brigid Wilson Reporting Even with wide-ranging members, we always seem to have a large group each month, especially in these winter months of much gray and rain. With SpinDrifters, there’s always fun, good food to share, support, encouragement, and inclusion. In keeping with our guild’s mission, we attend various spin-in events throughout the year, provide some public outreach to introduce folks to spinning, try new ways of dyeing and spinning, and teach, as well as, learn from each other and workshop teachers. Some of our group went to Fiber Fusion at Monroe County Fairgrounds. Gotta say that 2 1/2 Men BBQ and the coffee gal make it plush in Monroe. The spinning circle is kind of small, but there are so many workshops and vendors, you hardly have time to sit down there. One of our own spinners, Kelley Dragon, bought a wool processing business and set about making it her own, Pacific NW Wool. She created a SpinDrifter fiber blend of blues, greens, purples for our area to spin and continues to experiment with blends and felting (she bought a huge felting machine). Kelley gamely welcomed our group out for Dye Day this past August and a great time was had by all attending. Joanne Lennox instigated a dye blank experiment group this past summer. The group knit up loose blanks made up of multiple strands of undyed sock yarn. Then they dyed the blanks with a gradient (or whatever colors they wanted) and knit mitts or socks with the dyed yarn. Rose Nerad provided instructions on how she does a gradient mashup with multiple skeins of her handspun. She totally lost me in the directions, but it made a beautiful round blanket with a lovely color gradient. We’re gearing up for our Annual Retreat at Camp Casey on Whidbey Island; February 15-18, 2019. This year Dori Painter is teaching us natural plant dying on silk scarves. With the usual spinning, beautiful scenery and walk possibilities, excessive and delicious food, we’re expecting another awesome weekend.

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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

I HAVE A MASTERWEAVER LOOM FOR SALE $250.00. I'M UNABLE MEDICAL TO USE IT.

HAVE INSTRUCTIONS LOCATED OUT OF KLAMATH FALLS, OR 775-265-0349

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Newsletter Advertising Rates

Deadline for submission is on or before the 20th of the month prior to printing (i.e. February 20 for the March issue). All display ads must be ‘camera ready’ or in an approved electronic format to avoid incurring any additional charges. Rates Classy Ad: $.25 per word, $5.00 minimum Display Ad: Business cards $10.00 Other Ads: $40 per page or proportionally for part of a

page ($20/half, $10/quarter). Page size is 7.5” X 10” Discount

Member: 7.5% for 5 consecutive issues / 10% for 10 consecutive issues

Non-members: 5% for 5 consecutive issues / 7.5% for 10 consecutive issues

Contact Mimi Dillman, advertising@nwrsa.net, for requirements for submitting ads.

Membership Information

Membership in NwRSA is open to anyone, at least 16 years old, interested in spinning and who lives in Idaho, Montana, Oregon or Washington. Associate Memberships are available to those who live outside the region. Individual, Associate and Corporate/Group Memberships are $25.00 per year. Family Memberships (persons living at the same address and over 16) are $30.00 per year. To join as a new member or to renew your membership and pay by credit card, go to www.nwrsa-register.net To join or renew your membership and pay with a check, go to www.nwrsa.net and • Click on ABOUT NWRSA MEMBERSHIP • Click on and print out the membership form. • Complete the form and send it with a check to Cat Snyder, 2110 167th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98008

www.nwrsa.net www.facebook.com/groups/NWspinners President Pamela McGarvey, president@nwrsa.net Vice President Lana Danaher, vicepresident@nwrsa.net Treasurer Rachel Petrich, treasurer@nwrsa.net Secretary Dawn Schroeder, secretary@nwrsa.net Membership Chair Cat Snyder, membership@nwrsa.net Web Manager Sheila McLean, webmanager@nwrsa.net Loose Threads Editor editor@nwrsa.net

Lee Kirshner Lewis Study Grants

After Lee Lewis' death her family donated her fiber and tools to NwRSA. These were sold and the proceeds used to establish an annual grant. This grant could be awarded to any of you next year - expand our knowledge of hand spinning and fiber arts through your research and study. Application information can be found at the NwRSA web site by clicking HERE or in your membership roster, or by contacting grants@nwrsa.net

Loose Threads

Loose Threads is published 10 times a year, with combined issues in July/August (input due June 20) and November/December (input due October 20). Articles and area reports should be submitted as WORD or .txt files and sent to editor@nwrsa.net. Please do not include photos in your WORD file but instead send photos in jpg format separately as attachments to your email. The deadline for submitting material for Loose Threads is on or before the 20th of the month prior to the publication month, i.e.: Jan 20 is the deadline for the February issue.

Calendar of Events

Please send all calendar items to calendar@nwrsa.net. Include the following information when submitting your event to the calendar— Sponsoring Area, Name of Event, Description of the Event, Location (including street address; e.g. don’t just say fairgrounds), Date and Time, Cost and any other details such as will there be vendors, will food and beverage services be available. Be sure to include a contact person or website link for additional information. Basically, the Who, What, Where, When and How Much are needed for your event to be included on the calendar.

Area Meeting Locations and Meeting Information

Area meeting information can be found on the NwRSA website: www.nwrsa.net/about-nwrsa-handspinning/local-areas/.

Northwest Regional Spinners Association