Redlands Spinners & Weavers founded on 8 ... - WordPress.com...Great use of theme and the dressmaking finishing was done to the highest professional quality. The title of the entry

The Redlands Spinners & Weavers Inc newsletter is photocopied with the compliments of Page 1 Andrew Laming, Federal Member for Bowman (07 3821 0155)

www.redlandsspinnersandweavers.wordpress.com/

The Redlands Spinners & Weavers meet at St Paul’s Anglican Church Hall, 4 Cross Street (corner North Street), Cleveland on the 2

nd and 4

th Tuesday of each month between 9am – 12pm and their Knit and Knatter

gatherings are held on the 2nd

and 4th

Saturday of each month at Hoya Garden Plaza, 546 Redland Bay Road, Alexandra Hills between 1.30pm – 3.30pm – please join us!

Message from your President

Hello everyone, since our last newsletter, I and several of our

members went to the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in

Bendigo. It was an exciting and interesting experience, and as

some of you will know, Shirley Graham and Lindy Boshler won

awards in the categories they entered. It was an excellent result

and well deserved by both of them for their hard work and

inspirational designs; they are both such talented ladies. Photos

of their entries can be viewed on our website, and Shirley’s

beautiful gown with accessories, and fine lace shawl are on

display in the foyer of RPAC in Cleveland until the end of

September. We have just completed our September Camp at

Bribie Island. Another great success and thoroughly enjoyed by

everyone. Many thanks to Jan Bowell for the hard work and

exceptional job she does of organising and planning these

camps; each one is a unique event, with imaginative theme and

table settings. Both workshops were excellent and kept us busy

for some hours. Thanks to Linda from the Redcliffe group and

to our own Shirley McLean; they were both so patient and first-

rate teachers. October is our election month, so please think of

what you can do for the group as a committee member or to

assist the committee in the following year. I look forward to

another successful and eventful year at Redlands Spinners &

Weavers with you all. Until next time keep safe. Gillian

Message from your Newsletter Editor

Our Knit and Knatter gatherings are really forging ahead. It’s so wonderful to see so many of you attending. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some fellowship whilst crafting, drinking coffee and sharing knowledge.

President: Gillian Smith (3206 0718) V/President: Merhyl Shevill (3341 5015) Secretary:

Desley Murray (0400 130 641) Assist Secretary: TBC

Treasurer: Charlotte Kennedy Assist Treasurer: TBC Librarian: Miriam Elkin Assist Librarian: Merhyl Sheville (3341 5015) Camp Convenor: Jan Bowell (3207 2732) Open Day Convenor: Shirley Graham (3206 8967) Archivist: Sandra Davis (3822 1759) Newsletter Editor: Melanie Jonker (0402 109 499) ([email protected]) Please address all correspondence to Desley,

our Secretary

Our new website address! http://redlandsspinnersandweavers.wordpress.com/

The website is proving to be popular and we have lots of information and photos on it. Take a visit one day and make sure you click on the ‘Follow’ button so you’re informed every time a new informative post is released. And don’t forget to check the Upcoming Events page too. This newsletter contains an easy pattern for a baby’s mock cable knitted hat. I’ve made a few of these and they look gorgeous. Plus (with the permission of the pattern writer) there’s also a pattern for the very easy Citron Shawl which has been made by a couple of members. I’ve made three of them! Thank you to those who contributed to this newsletter. Until next time…Melanie

Ewe’s News

Redlands Spinners & Weavers Inc

PO Box 3255

Birkdale Qld 4159

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Redlands Spinners & Weavers founded on 8 August 1978 and still going strong!!

mailto:[email protected]

http://redlandsspinnersandweavers.wordpress.com/



Mock Cable Baby Hat

I love mock cable; it’s so easy and looks so effective. This gorgeous little hat will fit a newborn. However I’m sure it would be easy to adapt this pattern to fit a toddler. There’s quite a bit of stretch in this hat.

Materials: Size 4 mm double point needles Size 5 mm double point needles Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash 10ply yarn (I used 37g – each ball is 100g)

Instructions:

With size 4mm dpn needles, CO 70 sts. Join being careful not to twist sts. Mark beg of round. K3, P2 across every round until work measures 2 inches. Place stitch marker between last 2 purl stitches (begin pattern after last purl stitch).

Change to size dpn 5mm needles. Round 1: * sl 1, K2, psso, P2; rep to end of round Round 2: * K1, yo, K1, P2; rep to end of round Rounds 3 and 4: K3, P2; rep to end of round Repeat Rounds 1 to 4 until work measures 7-7½ inches, ending with Round 1.

Shape Top

Round 1: K2, P2 to end of round Round 2: K2tog, P2tog to end of round Round 3: K1, P1 to end of round Round 4: K2tog to end of round Round 5: Knit Round 6: K2 tog to end of round

Cut yarn, leaving about an 8 inch tail. Thread through tapestry needle and pull through remaining

sts on needle; draw together, then darn the yarn on inside to secure. You may add a pompom if you wish.



Bendigo Sheep & Wool Show – Juy 2014

Woolcraft Section

Congratulations to Shirley Graham who was awarded first prize in both the Wearable Art and Handcrafted Article categories in the Woolcraft Section at July’s Bendigo Sheep & Wool Show. In the Wearable Art section, the theme of the competition was ‘A Riot of Colour Inspired by Australian Native Birds’ and the criteria for the Wearable Art section was that it had to be a ‘complete outfit, should be unique and surpass cocktail/evening wear; be predominately wool; original, creative, innovative and of good construction and sufficiently robust to withstand quick changes in the fashion parade’. It also had to be accompanied by a story board which had a detailed description of the development sequence of the exhibit. It was open to individual or group entry.

Judges’ comments on Shirley’s entry were that “the overall design and concept was excellent. It looked impressive on the model. The cape attachment at the bodice was very clever. Great use of theme and the dressmaking finishing was done to the highest professional quality.” The title of the entry was The Ethereal Exuberance of Fleece and Feather, inspired by the jewel colours of the Gouldian Finch, Eastern Rosella and the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

Shirley’s entry for a Handcrafted Article



using any technique with hand spun or unspun wool, was a hand spun, hand knitted and beaded shawl. It was also accompanied by a story board. The judges’ comments were that “it was a lovely pattern with effective beading and an attractive shawl.” Shirley was given 10 out of 10 for presentation and 5 out of 5 for overall impression. The title of this entry was Gossamer Wing inspired by the colour in the wings of the immature laughing kookaburra.

For more photos please visit our website: http://redlandsspinnersandweavers.wordpress.com/our-super-stars/shirley-graham/

Shirley’s entries are currently on display in the Concert Hall Foyer, Redland

Performing Arts Centre, 2-16 Middle Street, Cleveland until Monday,

29 September. Don’t miss the opportunity to see these beautiful pieces of

handcrafted art in all their glorious colour.

The Foyer is open from 7.30am – 4pm Mon-Fri and 10am-1pm Sat

Drop in and enjoy a tea or coffee at RPAC’s new Sundial Café open from

7.30am and 1pm Mon-Fri.

Redlands Spinners & Weavers 2014 Camp

What a wonderful and exciting RS&W camp we’ve just attended! A merry band of around 25 of us experienced a weekend of spinning, knitting, yarning, laughing, eating, enjoying some mischievous behaviour and revelling in the wonderful company of our crafty friends. Old friendships were reinforced and new friendships were made. Our thanks must go to Jan for the huge task it is to pull such a successful event together. Not only was she busy over the weekend making sure everything ran smoothly but all the work in the months beforehand. THANK YOU JAN!! I think you are a superstar and appreciate all your hard work and passion.

Our theme this year was Jazzy Jumbucks and a few of us went to a lot of trouble to dress up on the Saturday night as Jazzy Jumbucks. What wonderful imaginations some of us have! There were even a couple of jumbuck catchers looking for stray jumbucks! We were also lucky enough to participate in two wonderful workshops. Shirley M showed us the intricacies of folding and interlacing 16 pieces of square paper into beautiful boxes that had a base and a lid. I am still mentally folding those bits of paper so I can make a few more once I find the right paper.

http://redlandsspinnersandweavers.wordpress.com/our-super-stars/shirley-graham/



We were lucky to have Lindy’s and Angela’s Shorn Fibers’ shops with lots of yarn and fibre goodies and 24/7 shopping!!

Linda showed us how to knit these adorable little sheep. Making poonies was the order of We ended up with an assortment of different sizes and the day with a few of us investing in colours but more importantly we had a lot of fun blending boards. Wow, the colours making them. Thank you Linda! created were amazing. For a camp first timer’s recap of the weekend you can visit: https://melsnattyknits.wordpress.com/?s=sensational+spinning&submit=Search



All animal fibres will felt eventually with enough work - heat, soap and friction.

Sheep's wool is by far the easiest as it has tiny barbs along the strand that

catch each other to assist in the felting process. Ashford’s Corriedale, Romney

and Perendale Slivers are probably the easiest, being a higher micron (thicker

individual strand) and already prepared so that all fibres are aligned and an even

density. Being a heavier, stronger fibre they are great for hats, bags, slippers,

etc.

Any of the Polwarth and Merino Slivers would come next - I felt the

Silk/Merino, Alpaca/Merino, Merino/Bamboo or Hand Dyed Merino 19 micron

Slivers into cobweb scarves with embellishments in around an hour from start to

finish. Having a smaller micron, they are much softer to wear around the neck. I

find the variance of colouring makes for a beautiful finish and the silk especially

will wave through the scarf as it doesn't felt when the merino pulls it in during

the process.

When using natural fleece it is more difficult to keep fibres aligned and the

same thickness, but of course this was how it was always done prior to being

spoilt.

D e m o n s t r a t o r , T e a c h e r & D i s t r i b u t o r o f

P r o d u c t s & P a r t s ,

H a n d D y e d F i b r e s & Y a r n s & S p i n n i n g A c c e s s o r i e s

85 Duffield Road, MARGATE. Qld. 4019 Phone: (07) 3883 2982 Mobile: 0403 505 042 Email: [email protected]

Lindy BOSHLER

FIBRES FOR FELTING



English Leicester is fabulous to hang loose at the edge of projects for a natural

fringe.

All of the above fibres are also great for embellishment, but you can also add

other fibres including Silk, Tencel, Angelina and anything else you may have in

your stash including yarn, metalic threads fabric and ribbons. However, because

these don't actually felt you must ensure they have a light covering of wool over

the top to latch in to the base fibre.

I stock smaller quantities of all Merino/Silk, Merino/Baby Alpaca and Corriedale

Stripey Slivers at all times for those who only want enough for the project they

are working on. A cobweb scarf uses less than 50 grams, a thicker scarf 50

grams and a hat between 100 and 150 grams. All these slivers are sold in 50

gram plaits at $8 each for the Merino/Baby Alpaca and Merino/Silk and $6

each for the Corriedale Stripey. I also have a limited amount of Bendigo Fibre,

in a variety of colours which they are no longer producing, and sell it for $6 per

50 gram plait.

I sell hand dyed Merino (19 micron) for $8 per 50 gram plait and have a variety

of colour blends available. I dye 100 grams of each colour blend, but can make

larger quantities in the colours you desire on request.

I also hand dye Merino, Mulberry Silk, Tussah Silk, Tencel, Linen, Merino/Bambo

and Alpaca Slivers and English Leicester Staples, plus many thicknesses of wool

yarn from lace weight to 8 ply. Weights vary according to my initial outlay, but I

sell all plaits for $8 each.

All these products are available undyed for $6 each for the equivalent weight.

Embellishment fibres are available in small packets for $3. Each packet contains

a variety of fibres in co-ordinating colour ranges to assist those who are not

sure what colours go well together (or as yet haven’t collected enough stash to

find the right blend).

Doctors say fibre is good for ewe, so enjoy!!!

Lindy Boshler

Webb

Works



Spinning Quotes

“I claim that in losing the spinning wheel we lost our left lung. We are, therefore, suffering

from galloping consumption. The restoration of the wheel arrests the progress of the fell

disease.” - Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine

of nonviolent protest, 1869-1948)

Many estates are spent in the getting, since women for tea forsake spinning and knitting, and men for punch forsake hewing and splitting. - Benjamin Franklin

Crafty Fibre Quotes from Kathleen

“But unvented - ahh! One un-vents something; one unearths it; one digs it up, one runs it down in whatever recesses of the eternal consciousness it has gone to ground. I very much doubt if anything is really new when one works in the prehistoric medium of wool with needles. The products of science and technology may be new, and some of them are quite horrid, but knitting? In knitting there are ancient possibilities; the earth is enriched with the dust of the millions of knitters who have held wool and needles since the beginning of sheep. Seamless sweaters and one-row buttonholes; knitted hems and phoney seams - it is unthinkable that these have, in mankind's history, remained undiscovered and unknitted. One likes to believe that there is memory in the fingers; memory undeveloped, but still alive.” - Elizabeth Zimmermann, Knitter's Almanac

“Achieving the state of SABLE [Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy] is not, as many people who live with these knitters believe, a reason to stop buying yarn, but for the knitter it is an indication to write a will, bequeathing the stash to an appropriate heir.” - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much

“A half-finished shawl left on the coffee table isn't a mess; it's an object of art.” - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

A #6 aluminium needle has been known to furnish an excellent emergency shear pin for an outboard motor. - Elizabeth Zimmerman

There is no right way to knit; there is no wrong way to knit. So if anybody kindly tells you that what you are doing is "wrong," don't take umbrage; they mean well. Smile submissively, and listen, keeping your disagreement on an entirely mental level. They may be right, in this particular case, and even if not, they may drop off pieces of information which will come in very handy if you file them away carefully in your brain for future reference. - Elizabeth Zimmerman.



Library News

We have four new books donated to our Library: No 210 Think Outside the Sox - Knitter's Magazine – Contest St Dakota, USA No 211 Artful Color Mindful Knits – Laura Militzer Bryant (Explains dyeing by hand using maths) No 212 Entrelac – The Essential Guide to Interlace Knitting – Rosemary Drysdale (Explains the technique and with patterns of jackets, beanies, scarfs & throws) No 213 Crocheted Flowers – Jan Ollis

Our latest “YARN” magazine has arrived Issue 34 – June, 2014 – Book No. 9 (in folder) Knitting items include:

Bulky jumper – 12 ply

Beanies – very ornate, with flowers, leaves & watering can - using entrelac technique

Toy - Quackosaurus

Alpaca wrap

Vintage short sleeve cardigan

Hats – made with magic kite – woven garter

Sock – with diamond pattern

Miriam Elkin Librarian

Diary Dates

Sep 23 – Meeting # 16 Oct 8 – Craft & Quilt Fair, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Bank

Oct 11 – Knit and Knatter Oct 14 – Meeting # 17 AGM

Oct 25 – Knit and Knatter Oct 25-26 – Christmas in Cleveland Craft Fair. Cleveland Assembly Hall, Smith Street, Cleveland. Phone (07) 5545 2822 or 0407 738 799. Email: [email protected]

Oct 28 – Meeting # 18

Nov 8 – Knit and Knatter Nov 11 – Meeting # 19

Nov 22 – Knit and Knatter Nov 25 – Meeting # 20 (last for 2014)

Dec 9 – Christmas Gathering, The Old Courthouse, 1 Paxton Street, Cleveland

Dec 13 – Knit and Knatter (last for 2014)

Twist Collective is an interesting online knitting magazine. You can scroll through the pages (look

for the arrows on the left and right hand sides of your monitor) and if you find a pattern you like

you simply hover your mouse pointer over the name of the pattern and details of the price and

pattern appear. You can purchase a download of the pattern online.

www.twistcollective.com

http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/product-enquiry.cfm?productUUID=FB6633AC-9484-56EE-FE49-000EE8BDAAB8&overridePageTitle=Christmas%20in%20Cleveland%20Craft%20Fair%20-%20Contact%20the%20operator

http://www.twistcollective.com/



A Great Scarf Tying Idea

Mention must be made of Sandra who, each year, selflessly participates in

the World Vision 40 Hour Famine to help those of us who are less

fortunate. By giving up food or something else that really matters to you

for 40 hours, you can raise money to help kids living in poverty overseas.

Each year, malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of

deaths in children under five in developing countries.

Great work Sandra!!



Railway Knitting

(Thank you Kathleen for this article)

Railway knitting is another term for what is popularly known as Tunisian crochet and is named after

the factory girls travelling to work by train in the 1800s who occupied their travel time with this yarn

skill.

Tunisian crochet is also known

as German Work, Russian Work,

Tricot Work and many more

titles including Royal Princess

Knitting (apparently after the

young Queen Victoria who was

an adept) The technique

combines elements of knitting,

crochet and weaving.

According to Dela Wilkins: "The

first written reference to this

stitch is in the 1860 'Ladies'

Companion' where the stitch

was called Princess Frederick William stitch. The project was a soft pillow and the hook was carved

with a pen knife from a wooden knitting needle."

Dela Wilkins is officially known at The Railway Knitter on board Via Rail Canada. Dela travels back

and forth from Vancouver to Toronto, riding up to 4 times a year in both directions during journeys

to visit her family. This is a 4 night and 3 full day journey

In 2010, an employee on board Via Rail approached Dela about becoming ‘On Board Entertainment’

during the journey. They had noticed she spent a great deal of time teaching strangers how to knit

and crochet along the journey.

She now teaches free classes in both Tunisian Crochet and knitting on board Via Rail.

Passenger board the train having no idea what the journey's entertainment may be. Specific cars -

often 3 out of the 30 cars hooked up for the journey - are designated as "community areas".

Sometimes up to 40 passengers show up at the designated carriage and begin to learn the basics of

"Railway Knitting".

This link will give you Dela's free e-book called "Railway Knitting".

http://www.kbnfibres.ca/images/Railway%20knitting.pdf

http://www.kbnfibres.ca/images/Railway%20knitting.pdf



Are you a Freecycler?

https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RedlandsOzFreecycle/info?tab=s

The Redlands Oz Freecycle™ group is open to all who want to "recycle" that special something rather than

throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano or an old door, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're

looking to acquire something yourself? One main rule: everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate

for all ages.

You will need a Yahoo email address to join the Redlands Oz Freecycle group. Once you’ve signed up it’s easy

to get started. Simply click on the New Topic icon and in the subject line state what you have to offer or what

you want, eg OFFER: Empty glass jars with metal lids (Cleveland) or WANTED: Empty glass jars with lids.

Generally when you offer an item you put your suburb in the subject line so others know how close or far away

you are. There’s no need to do this in the subject line when you want something as you will determine this

once you start receiving replies. You will then enter more details into the main body of the message, eg “I have

30 glass jars of varying sizes with metal lids. Most are the large jam jar size. Pick up is only on weekends”.

Once someone emails you and you decide which person to offer the goods to, it is a courtesy to post another

message advising others the goods have been promised. In this instance you only need to fill in the subject

line, eg PROMISED: Empty glass jars with metal lids (Cleveland). It is up to you to whom you give the goods to;

you don’t need to give them to the first person who responds.

Once the goods are collected, again it is a courtesy to advise others so another message should be posted, eg

TAKEN: Empty glass jars with metal lids (Cleveland). This is the end of the transaction.

If the goods aren’t collected (and this can happen), you can contact someone else who responded. If no one

else responded (ie you only received one response and they didn’t collect), you can simply go through the

whole procedure again by posting another OFFER email.

I have used Freecycle for years now and have managed to get rid of lots of my bits and pieces that I would

normally have to take to Recycleland. Freecycle offers you the convenience of others coming to your place to

do the pick-up. Late last year I decided I wanted to get rid of my garden shed in my back courtyard so I posted

a message on Freecycle stating the garden shed was in situ, the measurements of the shed and the colour (it

was a Colorbond shed). I had quite a few replies. The first person didn’t turn up to take it away nor would he

answer my follow up emails so I selected someone else who guaranteed they could pick up when it suited me.

Voila! My garden shed was dismantled and removed without me having to pay someone to take it to the

dump. It is now housing two motor bikes!

So to sum up, these notes are often posted by the moderator of the list so Freecyclers don’t forget:

If you express interest in a posted item and are gifted that item, please show up when and where you

said you would. If you can't make it, PLEASE find some way to notify the original poster so that an

alternate pickup may be arranged.

I'd like to think that within the context of humanity and the more specific context of the

Freecycle(TM) community, we are all (at least) friends. As such, we should show each other courtesy

and understanding.

At the end of the day, it's up to the donor to determine to whom a particular item will be gifted.

There is no first-come, first-served policy.

We should always remember to treat any item received as the gift it is, and the donor with the

courtesy and respect s/he deserves.

PS: When you’re searching make sure you search for Redlands Oz Freecycle as the Redlands Freecycle site is in

California!

https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RedlandsOzFreecycle/info?tab=s



Tasmanian Cormo wool processed locally in a move towards 'Slow Wool'

Based in Victoria, but working with Tasmanian wool producers, Kylie Gusset runs a social enterprise called Ton of Wool.

Ton of Wool started as a crowd-funded project in 2011 and is based on manufacturing wool as locally as possible to meet more discerning textile market.

The project uses wool from the Cormo sheep breed and Kylie works with the Downie family, the Tasmanian Central Highlands sheep farmers who were the first to breed Cormo's around 1960.

The Ton of Wool project emerged from a successful crowd-funding campaign which raised about $40,000 to make locally processed wool easier to find.

As a textiles student Ms Gusset wanted to source wool that had been processed locally. She says 80 per cent of Australia's wool is processed in China.

"One of the things that really stood out to me was that we were actually shipping lanolin, dirt and sheep dung to China in order to have it processed," she said.

The environmental impact of shipping local wool to have it processed so far away was another driving factor.

"Why can't we do that here?" she said.

For the Ton of Wool project all of the wool comes from Cormo sheep, a cross between the Corriedale and the Merino. The breed has a number of advantages.

"What's really great about Cormo is that it has a lustre and a strength, a softness and a fineness that is quite difficult to achieve." she said. "It's a multi-purpose animal in that it can be used for both wool and meat."

But while the project is based on the premise of producing and processing a product locally, Ms Gusset has had to send wool to New Zealand for processing.

"Australia is getting the bulk of their wool processed in China, so if that's happening, and that's happening at extremely large quantities, when you're looking at niche markets there's really nowhere for them to go," she said.

She mentions the rise in popularity of local, handcrafted products. "With sites such as Etsy, we're seeing this boom in the handmade and looking at the origins of what we purchase", she said.

Ms Gusset sees plenty of opportunities for other people looking for a way to market and fund new products through crowd funding.

"If you need to do something different and if you want to trial the market, it's a great way of actually showing that there was support".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-22/locally-processed-wool/5689762

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-22/locally-processed-wool/5689762







The pattern can also be found at: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/citron

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/citron

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Redlands Spinners & Weavers founded on 8 ... - WordPress.com...Great use of theme and the dressmaking finishing was done to the highest professional quality. The title of the entry