NOBO Handweavers

I want to extend thanks to Joan for all the work she has put into NOBO’s library – the rules are forthright and practical. They will ensure the safety and well-being of our newly acquired collection. I just browsed through the listing of our library books. Amazing!

My attempt to find some Lincoln yarn here in VT were unsuccessful with one source losing her flock to hoof disease and the other shepherdess having knee surgery. So I tried my husband’s patience and connected with Linda at Maple Ridge Farm. After a narrow dirt road tangent, we found her and her grazing sheep and 2 dogs. I came away with some Dorset roving andsome frustrated corgis who didn’t get to chase anybody! I’ll attach a photo if I can manage it on this iPhone.

Now if could only spin

Eileen

Hello everyone,

I received an e-mail recently from Kim Caufield who was spreading the word about some talks scheduled for the Big E in Springfield, MA:

#1 Fri. Sept 25 at 3 PM  on Early Development of Textiles

#2 Sun. Sept 27 at 3 PM on the History of Cotswolds and the Medieval Wool Trade.

Link to the Big E is oddly enough thebige.com

This is a big B (bummer) because it conflicts with the Common Ground Fair otherwise I’d definitely go. I promised Kim I’d get the word out. Maybe you all are aware and this is redundant?

Also Kim has been raising Cotswolds for 15 years so I asked her about getting some yarn for the bookmark exchange. She tells me that it’s difficult to find a commercial spinner due to the long staple length.  I may be switching to Lincoln for warp and am off to Vermont to find some during my vacation.

I also wanted to say how much fun I had at the Fiber Revival earlier this month. I am late to post this remark, but hope more of you will attend next year.  My completed dish towel (of cottolin) is attached. Refer to the latest Handwoven ; it’s a twill pattern used by the Vikings in the 10th century!!

A big thank you to Kathy James who provided a wonderful talk on color at the last NOBO meeting . It was impossible to get any sleep after that. I hope to see her again at Historic new England.

Cheers,

Eileen

Ok, due to the big demand for the logo merchandise, we’ve now got a shop page, linked above in the top bar. It’s easy to remember, it’s the NOBOHandweavers.com site with a /shop added to it: http://NOBOHandweavers.com/shop All the available items are shown there, with links to the CafePress site. Dozens of items, all sold at cost.
Enjoy!

If you are attending or thinking of attending the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival during the weekend of Oct 17 & 18, there are still some seats available for the annual Wild Fibers Dinner held on Sat eve, the 17th, at 6pm. Plans for International Day on Fri, the 16th, have been revised.  There will no longer be a separate event offered offsite on the 16th.  Instead, an International Tent will be on the fairgrounds during the 17th & 18th. Speakers from the international fiber community will share their vast experiences, from raising fiber animals to the processing of their fibers.  If you would like to spend more time with these special guests, in a relaxed and informal venue, as well as sharing in the stories of “Five Years of Favorites” of Wild Fibers editor/publisher, Linda Cortright, then plan to attend the Wild Fibers Dinner.  We have a good representation of guild members attending the festival and the WF Dinner, but the more, the better fun for all!  A wonderful opportunity to participate in and celebrate the International Year of Natural Fibres 2009. 

For more info and/or to order tickets  -

Wild Fibers Magazine  http://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/

Keep the Fleece   http://www.keepthefleece.org/

Here is the link to CafePress if you would like to purchase any of the items with our guild logo on them -
cafepress.com/NOBOHandweavers

I have finally confirmed a date with Ralph Hartwell who will be our speaker for the September ’09 meeting.  As we discussed at previous meetings, Ralph is not available on Thursday nights.  Therefore the September NOBO meeting will be held on Monday, September 21st, usual time 7 – 9 PM, at A Loom with a View.

Ralph has many years of experience as a handweaver.  His special love is tartan weaving and he is the designer of the NH state tartan. This is sure to be a fascinating talk, one that is sure to get us all fired up to weave tartan. See you there!