Gloucestershire Guild of Weavers,

Spinners & Dyers – June 2012

Portland Ewe and her Lamb

Owned by Guild member Sarah Reid

Editor’s Note –June 2011

Janet Holman

This is rumoured to be the Summer edition of the Newsletter - so here's hoping. Must say it doesn't look promising so far. Still if you can't get into the garden that means more time to spin, dye or weave. The next big event on the calendar is the National Exhibition in July. It's a pity Chichester isn't nearer but if anyone can get there the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum is well worth a visit in addition to the exhibition.

Mavis Atkinson represented GGWSD at the National Association's AGM in York and we have her reflections on this. Closer to home our guild has had a very successful visit to Wonderwool Wales, a talk on indigo dyeing and a members' dyeing day. Thanks to Chris May, Sally Dopson and Liz Ashley for their reports on these. Sally's appeal for contributions resulted in some very welcome items including a poem, a book review, a tempting description of a Welsh Woolen Mill and some facts about Sarah Reid's Portland sheep together with a beautiful photo . Thank you to Su Bittleston, Griselda Forbes, Margaret Tattersfield and everyone who responded.. If your contribution is not included this time we have it stored for a future edition.

Committee for 2012

Chairman Caroline Faulkner-Aston Secretary Christine May Treasurer Margaretta WilliamsMembership Secretary Elaine AllenProgramme Secretary Margaret Tattersfield & Anne ClarksonNewsletter Janet Holman (editor)

Sally Dopson (production, printing & distribution)Sales Table Veronika MadsenLibrary & Notice Boards Carole Evans & Cristine Bailey

A True BlueTeresinha Roberts – March 2012

It was lovely to welcome Teresinha back to the Guild for another of her very informative talks. She last visited us in 2010 and talked about all the different animals and their fleeces. The clue is in the title, this time the talk was about all things blue, mainly Indigo and Woad.

Indigo and Woad are very important in the dyeing world for several reasons, they don’t require a mordant especially for cotton because the majority of clothing all over the world is made from cotton. The dye works at 50o thus enabling the use of wax for batik, Indigo in particular is very fast which makes it excellent also for tie dyeing and shibori. Another wonderful thing about Indigo, it repels moths.

Teresinha then told us also about the history of denim jeans which were originally dyed with Indigo, although nowadays synthetic dyes are used in the main. These synthetic dyes are made from petrochemicals which is half the price of nature indigo but the colour is standard, there is some talk of returning to natural indigo because of the huge variety of colours produced from different plants from all over the world, depending on the climate where it is grown. Indigo is a member of the legume plant family.

In Europe woad is the main source for blue dye; it is a member of the cabbage family and is prevalent in our climate. Indigo would need a greenhouse. Woad apparently had magic powers and Teresinha sell to witches to use in shape-shifting! The woad seeds should be sown in March and harvested in August before the plants flower as they lose their blue when they flower, they like lime soil however, it can be very invasive, so be warned and ensure that it is all cut down.

There is evidence that Woad first appeared approximately 5000bc, after the ceramic pot (7000 BC) but before the wheel, silk or glass (3500bc). Early knitted socks have been discovered about 1000 years ago; in comparison knitting is a newcomer. Teresinha gave us a very detailed history of woad right up to the present day and the research into the possible anti-cancer properties. More details of the history can be found on http://www.woad.org.uk. This website also gives lots of information about growing woad, extracting and storing the dye and making up a dye bath.If you only grow woad, weld and madder you will produce so many different beautiful colours by over-dyeing as was evident from the lovely examples Teresinha had brought with her. Arilda thanked Teresinha at the end of her talk, describing it as a history, science, gardening and dyeing lesson all rolled into one, I couldn’t agree more.

Sally Dopson

Wonderwool Wales 28 th April 2012

Thanks must go to our chairman Caroline Faulkner-Aston for her splendid organizational skills in arranging a most enjoyable day at Wonderwool Wales in Builth Wells on Saturday 28th April 2012.

A coach full of ladies and gentleman set off just after 8.30a.m. from Norton Village Hall. Members who lived in Stroud fortunately were able to board the bus at 8.00a.m. nearer to their home. The weather was quite a change from last year; there were certainly no summer tops, as a north east wind blew down from the Welsh hills on our arrival. Caroline kindly gave out her mobile phone number in case anybody needed it which was reassuring for anyone who had not been before.

Luckily there was a programme and map at the entrance so that members could get their bearings. Many people had chosen to come specifically to purchase particular fleeces or equipment for their craft but I had just come to experience the broad range of textiles on display and what a diverse range there was from rag knitting on large knitting needles like broomsticks for rugs to the original Burial Cloud (an eco-friendly woven-wool enfolding coffin) to mention but two!

Carol Evans and I spent quite a while enjoying IST Crafts the drop spindle expert and I was quite pleased to produce a respectable metre or so of spun fleece on a Turkish spindle. There were many stalls associated with accessories such as buttons, buckles and luxurious labels to adorn your completed garments or articles.

Towards the end of the day at the far left of the first hall there was a “fashion show” entitled Sheepwalk where exhibitors displayed their products. This year there were some items made from recycled knitwear as well as virgin wool.

Members certainly had plenty of opportunity for a full day and returned to the coach laden with their purchases for the journey home at 4.30p.m. Chris May

Dyeing Skills DayMay 19th 2012

Dyeing activities were still in full swing by the time I arrived in the afternoon. Everyone looked very busy and animated. I felt a panic attack coming on, there was so much to try out, would I fit everything in?

In the Hall, Ros had set up a wonderful display of prepared yarns, dyes and mordants from Forest Fibres, for us to look at and to buy. Various other tables were kitted up with materials to try out painting yarns with synthetic dyes and then setting the dye in a microwave.

I headed off for the kitchen area, where natural dyeing was taking place. Some of the more experienced dyers were lending support and advice to the rest of us, and keeping an eye on the dye pots. Sue was demonstrating dyeing with brazilwood, which by now was producing wonderful candy-floss pink yarn, after about 20 minutes in the dye bath.

Meanwhile, Carol was showing us the subtleties and variations that synthetic indigo and woad can produce. Indigo dye produces a clear blue with an infinite number of tones, depending on how long the skeins of wool are left in the dye bath, whereas the indigo derived from woad, produces a very attractive greenish blue, once exposed to the air. Carol explained that the extraction of indigo comes from a variety of different plants.

Two dyebaths of onion skins produced different results - the dye bath with alum added to it, produced a lighter yellow than the dye bath with no mordant added, but it has the advantage of retaining its colour for longer. Carol had also prepared a dye bath with the chopped stalks and leaves from Queen Anne's Lace, (found at this time of the year growing freely in the hedgerows), and an alum mordant. This produced a pretty yellow, similar to that produced by weld.

As usual, there were lots of useful tips and discussions - for example, how to grow your own woad and whether microwaving weakens dyed yarn or not. I was impressed on the care taken on health and safety, especially around separating dyes containing mordants, from ordinary kitchen utensils and the tea cups.

Many thanks to the organisers for planning, preparing and organising such a successful event. Natural dyeing can be a time consuming and frustrating business for a beginner, but having the opportunity to experience some instant success was extremely gratifying, and certainly gave me plenty of inspiration to continue my dyeing experiments at home.

Liz Ashley

Welsh Woollen Mill

On a springlike day in March Ian and I took off for North Wales with a B/B booked at Trefriw in the Conway Valley. This village is on the west side of the River Conway on the B5106. If you are in this area, as well as Bodnant of course,just to the north, stop off at the Trefriw Woollen Mill, with its working machinery, washing, carding, dyeing, spinning and weaving of local wool into traditional Welsh honeycomb weave bedcovers, amongst other things. It is also a place to spend some money if you like beautiful clothes in natural yarns and lovely colours: linen, hemp, banana fibre, organic cotton, as well as wool, and smart, lined leather gloves much cheaper than Cav House!!

Margaret Tattersfield

My Portland Sheep(see front cover)

The Portland is a heathland sheep, which originated from Portland Bill off the Dorset coast. Despite rescue from near-extinction in the 1920's it is still classified as a Rare Breed. The breed has been noted since the time of George III of England (1790-1820) for the delicacy and flavour of its mutton.

The Portland ewe has the unusual ability to lamb all year round, but usually has only one lamb, so is not very prolific. Lambs are born with a foxy-red coloured coat, but this changes to a creamy-white in the first few months after birth. The fine creamy fleece is in great demand by hand spinners due to is quality and good fibre length.

One of my Portland ewes has lambed (my first in The Leigh) the ewe lambs I shall keep to increase my flock, and the ram lambs will hopefully go for breeding.

Sarah Reid

THE ASSOCIATION OF GUILDS OF WEAVERS, SPINNERS AND DYERS

AGM-YORK-31st MARCH 2012

At the crack of dawn on Saturday 31st March Sue Skrine and I were on a train bound for York, we were going to the AGM of the Association of Guilds. It was an uneventful journey and we soon found a bus to take us to the University, which was the venue for the event. The bus ride to and from the campus gave us tantalizing glimpses of the city, bathed in sunshine, in particular the old walls of the city looked beautiful on top of the grass mounds that were covered in daffodils.

We arrived in time for coffee and soon found seats amongst the great throng of delegates and observers, many of whom were attending the weekend Conference. A copy of the Minutes of the meeting is available, but I thought I would highlight a few items. The President, Sheila Smith, spoke on the importance of communications- between the

Association and the Guilds, amongst Guild members and between the Guilds and the general public. It gave food for thought as it is so important but so easy to overlook.

The Association is run by the General Purposes Committee, and the Journal is organised by a different Committee, both these bodies need more members (2 on the GPC and 6 on the JC) anyone interested in the running of such a large organisation is urged to come forward and help. Everyone is a volunteer, no one is paid, each committee has 4 meetings a year in London and all travelling expenses are paid. The Journal desperately needs help as it needs to expand and start the process of making the Journal an e-mag as well as the hard copy. A Webmaster is needed as well as admin and editoral help, so if you or someone you know can help-please do!!!!!

The Certificate of Achievement continues to attract support, 11 members have registered at present the most popular discipline is spinning but the certificate can also be awarded for weaving, tapestry weaving and dyeing. The next Summer School will be at St. David’s College, Carmarthen in August 2013, the list of courses will be published in the Journal in September and will be on the web by August. By the time this article is published orders should have been taken for next years calendar and the entries for the National Exhibition will be in Sussex.

Members came from all over the country and we had lunch with a member who had flown from Isle of Man for the day. It was a thought provoking day and lovely to meet so many like minded people who had alot of different views. There are 95 Guilds in the Association so a difference of opinion is only to be expected.

Our journey home was more eventful than the journey going. Unfortunately a body on the line at Northallerton made all south bound trains late, then a length of cable had been stolen near Leeds which blacked out the signalling! Passengers were kept informed of all developments and the tea trolley kept coming, we eventually arrived back an hour and a half late! Next years meeting will be in London, so it should be a shorter day.

Mavis Atkinson

In gratitude to Sheep, by Su Bittleston

Satisfying making fleece into a threadFrom a tangle, combing out the drossThat waxy feeling on my skin,Tug out the strands to a fluff,Then to spinLetting a spiral, whorle Run down from the wheelFrom thick to thin,Holding a spiral Focused, a pinchMy fingers are thinkingMy problems forgotYarn for some knittingYarn for some socks

The beat of the feet on the foot plate Whisks the wheel spirals in to my hands Into my fingers spreading the strandsSmooth rhythm, making thread from lambs

Breathing to the sway and pulled threads. Onto a bobbin when full-- enoughI make another one the same A new bobbin joins the gameMaking 2-plyTwin spools rasp and rattleTo ply, the spin is reversed,Two threads pulled togetherAnother bobbin full, at last.I wind the twined fibres Two ply, a knitters dreamWinding, winding winding,A Niddy-noddy makes the skeinAway, away,away I wind A hank is ready all definedIt is tied in a special way,A lemniscate unless they strayThen removed and twisted roundA very satisifying mound.When it’s washed on a sunny dayIt's true beauty comes to light.In the cold and biting windWarmth and comfort in my mindI think of the lamb-in gratitudeWoolly clothing warm and brightLittle lamb, who made thee?Dost thou know who made thee?

BOOK REVIEW

Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman

Being neither a circular needle knitter nor a continental knitter but with a leisurely interest in design, I have thoroughly enjoyed my first acquaintance with Elizabeth Zimmermann’s well known work, in this new book for the Guild library. It contains a combination of classic construction techniques interwoven with ingenious knitting techniques, which serve particular ends; hems designed not to flare for instance.

She makes intelligible use of percentages which are not allowed to become formulaic, when they are put to use in the service of creativity. By such means knitting becomes so much more than the ability to follow a set of instructions. Everything she does has a reason, conveyed with enthusiasm in her conversational style. Most encouragingly she is a great advocate of the individual knitter finding their own way with the craft.

So, for my own part, I am looking forward to being ready to embark on a project involving the use of four long double pointed needles for an excuse to revisit this truly inspirational book.

Griselda Forbes

At the Edible Garden Show recently there was a stand selling fleece pellets to be used as a slug repellent. I shall try this and let you know the results. Anne Hemsley

Programme 2012

June 16th Timbertops/Woodlands TurnerySales table theme Fleece and tops etc.

July 21st – Wingham Wool Works. Try before you Buy. An opportunity to spin or felt samples of a variety of fibres including wool, silk and synthetics with advice and possibly demonstrations of techniques. Please bring your own wheel.

August 18th Garden Party 11am - 4pm, in Chris May's marquee at Harmony Cottage, Leominster Road, Dymock, GL18 2AN. Please bring sweet or savoury dish sufficient for four people also chair (suitable for spinning if that's what you plan to do). Chris will provide tea or coffee on arrival and after lunch

September 15th - Felt Maker Yvette WilliamsSeptember 16th – Felt Workshop Yvette Williams

Stitch in time scuppers knitting goalSpotted in the Glos Echo by Elaine

Knitters narrowly failed to break their own record to complete a jumper from scratch.

The Cotswold Woolgatherers fail by 30 minutes in the international Back to Back Challenge at Cotswold Farm Park.

They took 10 hours and 10 minutes to spin a freshly sheared Lleyn fleece and knit up the different parts. Eight women took part for the fourth year to raise more than £600 for Cotswold Care Hospice, in memory of the team’s friend David Nicols.

The team comprised Bridget Tibbs, Gaynor Veal, Frances Taylor, Marian Beales, Amanda Richardson, Elizabeth Oliver, Kay Ryder and Elizabeth Stanley.

NB : Don’t forget to watch Countryfile BBC1 Sunday 1st July when Frances will be sorting fleeces with Adam Hanson.

What's on

April 1 - 24 June 2012 Ruthin Craft Centre. Japanese Season in Wales.Japanese Style : Sustaining Design.Textiles Pottery Architecture.www.japanseasonwales.com

June 26th Chedworth Roman Villa 26th June. The cost of this is £3.50 which includes Lunch (soup and a hot drink) and entry to the Villa (Guild members only)

July16 - 27 2012 . NATIONAL EXHIBITION Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, Chichester, Sussex PO18 0EU www.wealddown.co.uk. Free entry tickets for Guild members only are available from Chris May.These also give access to the collection of historic domestic architecture on site

March 31 - September 2 2012 - Style AfricaTraditional and contemporary textiles and clothing which form an essential part of West African culture.Birmingham Museum, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DHTel: +44 (0)121 303 1966

Oct 20 - Dec 16 Tapestry: Weaving the century at Dovecote Studios 1912 - 2012Compton Verney, Warwickshire, CV35 9HZTuesday - Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays11am - 5pmAdmission to exhibition & grounds £11 (over 60s £9)www.comptonverney.org.uk.

Oct 27 - Dec 31 2012'Architecture of Cloth, Colour and Space' Gloucester CathedralPtolemy Mann & Anna Glasbrook - Textiles Pottery Architecture.

Workshops are held fortnightly on WednesdaysVenue : The Committee Room,

Norton Village HallTime 09:00a.m. to 4.30p.m.

Phone Frances Taylor – 01452 730891 for details

The Guild Gallery

Dyeing Day and Wonderwool Wales