NOBO Handweavers

I really tried to insert this picture into Mel’s post – this is a cell phone picture of Dave Sanderson telling us about his adventures in natural plant dying on the Parker River farm. It was a wonderful evening, always nice to see Olivia and Dave and the gentle alpaca (who give great fiber)

What a wonderful evening we had at Parker River Alpaca Farm! Olivia – did you check to make sure Milo was still there after we all left?

I wanted to share a link to the Fibershed Project, which has made me somewhat obsessed with building my own local wardrobe (woe is me that I don’t live closer to Sally Fox). I would highly recommend starting from the beginning and reading forward so that you can experience the project as it develops. You can do this by clicking on the archive tab in the upper right corner and selecting the earliest link from March of 2010.

The project focuses on a wardrobe created entirely within 150 miles of the author, Rebecca Burgess’s, home in California. Her garments are grown, processed, dyed, knit, woven and so on by a group of contributors in the same region. I am smitten.

Hello Everyone,

Our meeting on Thursday is at Parker River Alpaca Farm in Byfield, MA. Olivia has kindly given us meeting information and directions below – we are starting 30 minutes earlier to take advantage of the beautiful August evening. That means a 6:30 start time.

Please remember to bring: a chair, bug spray, and shoes to protect you from …”mud, sand, and paca poo…”. If you have any alpaca show and tell items please bring them along! Dave may have a few of his Criation alpaca socks for sale at the meeting. Please bring cash or check if you are interested.

See you there!

Directions from 95 are very easy:

From the north…take exit 55 (Central St. Byfield Newbury).
Go left off the exit onto Central St
Travel approx 7/10 of a mile and turn left onto Orchard St
Go 6/10 of a mile on Orchard and turn left into 114 Orchard.

From the south…go right off exit 55 and travel 6/10 of a mile and turn left on Orchard.

From Newburyport and Rt. 1:

Go around the Rt.1 rotary and travel south on Rt. 1. Go down the hill by the T station and turn right on Middle Road at the light. Travel 2.1 miles on Middle Road to a three-way stop. At the stop sign Middle Road bears off to the left. You want to go straight, which is Orchard Street. go approx 1.1 miles on Orchard St and Parker River Alpaca Farm will be the driveway on your right.

Coming from the south on Rt. 1, I would go past the yellow blinking light at Governor Dummer and go to the next yellow blinking light and turn left onto Boston Road. There is a farm stand that will be across Rt 1. Go to the end of Boston Rd and turn left again onto Middle Rd. go approx 1 mile to the three-way stop and follow above directions.

Bring a light-weight chair and the bug spray of your choice. Wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty (mud, sand and paca poo could all end up on the bottom of your shoes). Open-toed shoes are NOT recommended. If you are bringing the snacks, find Dave or Olivia before you walk through the barn area…we have a few alpacas who LOVE to sample!

The Sept/Oct. 2011 issue of Handwoven Magazine has arrived and lo ‘n behold the focus is handwoven wearables! How’s that for good timing? If you need me to save you a copy just raise your hand.

Hi everyone,
I just couldn’t wait to tell you all about the fabulous new fiber books that we’re putting on the shelf today! I can’t wait to dive between the covers of every one of them! I will have all of these titles with me at Fiber Revival and all of them will be eligible for the 10% FR discount! No sales tax either!  Here’s the list:
The Fiber and Fleece Sourcebook: More than 200 Fibers from Animal to Spun Yarn, by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius
The Big Book of Flax, by Christian and Johannes Zinzendorf
Warp and Weft: Lessons in Drafting for Handweaving, by Mariana Eriksson, Gunnel Gustavsson and Kerstin Lovallius
Favorite Scandinavian Projects to Weave: 45 Stylish Designs for the Modern Home, by Tina Ignell
Favorite Rag Rugs: 45 Inspiring Designs, by Tina Ignell
And hot off the presses…….Handwoven Magazine’s 2012 Calendar!
See you all at Fiber Revival!
Betsy

Saturday, August 13, 2011
9am to 4pm Spencer Peirce Little Farm 5 Little’s Lane Newbury, Massachusetts
Rain date Sunday, August 14th
$6 entrance fee ($4 children) to the property

www.fiberrevival.com

Knitters, spinners, weavers, dyers, felters, rug hookers, basket weavers and fiber animals will all gather on Sunday, August 14 – 10 to 2- at Riverslea Farm. It will be a summer style Fuzz Fest. Fiber artists will be sharing their love of natural fiber with you, answering questions, helping you try their craft, and offering their wonderful hand made products for sale.