A Publication of the Northwest Regional Spinners’ Association

FEBRUARY, 2018

In this issue ...

Calendar Board Meeting 2018 Conference Camp Burton Membership Renewal Date Change PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Pamela McGarvey

The 2018 Conference Committee has been working diligently on the site arrangements, teachers, gallery, raffle baskets and all the many tasks that go into our annual learning and networking event. The Conference Program will be e-mailed to members in just a few weeks and will be available for downloading from www.nwrsa.net. Registration will open on-line and mailed-in registrations will be accepted starting February 15. I hope you will all come for part or all of the Conference, May 31-June 3 at Hotel RL in Olympia. The Annual Conference and everything else that NwRSA offers us is made possible by you, the members of this four-state regional association, volunteering to work on Committees and to stand for office as a Director, Alternate or an officer. Without thesupport and participation of members, nothing much will happen. We all have talents, experience and abilities which NwRSA can use to continue current programs and to start new ones. Please take a look at the following brief descriptions of current standing and special committees and see if there are opportunities for you to contribute your skills and interests by serving. • Advertising – assists the newsletter editor in preparing ads for publication and advises the association on advertising rates. • Annual Conference – on a geographic rotating basis, plans, organizes and conducts the Annual Conference. A separate committee for each conference is appointed two years in advance of the conference date which is traditionally the end of May/early June. • Audit – performs an annual audit of the association’s financial records, including annual conference financial records. • Camp Burton – conducts annual handspinners residential retreat at Camp Burton on Vashon Island, WA • Events Calendar – maintains a calendar on the website and in the newsletter of both NwRSA and other events of interest to handspinners. • Grants – publicizes the two NwRSA grant programs (Lee Kirshner Lewis Study Grant and NwRSA Outreach Grant), solicits applications, and selects recipients for award. • Judging & Standards – conducts a training program for judges of competitions. • Library – advises the Librarian on acquisitions and conduct of the library service. • Membership – maintains the NwRSA membership records and publishes the annual member directory. • Newsletter – works with the Editor to solicit articles for publication in the monthly newsletter, LOOSE THREADS.

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Northwest Regional Spinners’ Association [email protected] Deadline for submissions for next edition: February 20, 2018 Page 1

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• Social Media – manages NwRSA’s use of social media tools, including the website, to provide electronic access to the association’s programs and services. • Workshops – organizes and coordinates workshops conducted by both teachers who are not a part of the Association as well as qualified NwRSA members throughout the 4-state region.

Please contact me at [email protected] or your area director/alternate (click HERE for a list of areas and email contacts) and let us know which committees you are interested in working on; ideas you have for new programs and/or committees; and if you would be interested in serving as an officer or Director/Alternate to represent your local area at the next election.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Go to www.nwrsa.net for more details Feb 3 Newport Spin-In, Hosted by Area 6060-Yaquina Fiber Arts Guild, Newport Middle School, Newport OR Feb 10 NwRSA 2018 Winter Board Meeting, Hosted by Area 2090, Vancouver WA Feb 15-18 Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat, Tacoma WA. Mar 15-18 NwRSA Camp Burton Spinners' Retreat, Vashon Island WA. Click HERE for details Mar 17 Abernethy Spring Fiber Sale, Hosted by Area 6030, Oregon City OR. Click HERE for details Mar 24 Log Cabin Fibers Arts Annual Spin-In, Area 4010, Coeur d Alene, ID Click HERE for details Apr 19-22 Shepherd’s Extravaganza, Washington State Fairgrounds, Puyallup WA May 31 NwRSA Annual Members Meeting, Olympia WA May 31-Jun 3 NwRSA Annual Conference, Olympia WA - check www.nwrsa.net for details Jun 8 Trout Lake Fiber Arts Festival, Trout Lake WA Jun 9 Meadowrock’s Fleece to Shawl, Trout Lake WA Jun 8-10 Vashon Classic Sheepdog Trials, Fiber Arts Village hosted by Area 2055, Vashon Island WA Jun 29-Jul 1 Black Sheep Gathering, Linn County Fairgrounds, Albany OR Sep 22-23 Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival, Clackamas County Events Center, Canby OR Oct 20 NwRSA Fall Board Meeting, hosted by Area 4030, Richland WA

NwRSA BOARD MEETING AND SPIN-IN Saturday February 10, 2018

Hosted by: NwRSA Area 2090 (Southwest Washington) Location: Camas High School, 26900 SE 15th Street, Camas, WA (approx. 17 miles east of I-5. Go east on WA SR14 and then WA SR500). The North Commons has lots of windows and views. Lots of room for spinners and vendors. Time: 9AM – 4PM (doors will open at 7AM for NwRSA vendors) Suggested Donation: $5 for NwRSA members, $7 for non-members, $5 plus door prize donation for vendors Judges Training: We will have a room available for practice judging. Food: We will provide coffee and tea and will have plates, napkins, etc. for a potluck. Please bring something to share. Contact: Elizabeth Palmer ([email protected]) with any questions or suggestions (this is our first time hosting). If interested in being a vendor, contact Adrienne Borders ([email protected]).

The NwRSA Board meeting will start at 12:30PM. Electronic attendance via ZOOM videoconferencing service and by conference call telephone service will be available. Area Directors/Alternates and Committee Chairs who wish to attend electronically please contact Sheila McLean at [email protected] for set up and instructions.

As you may know we lost Barb Quinn in September. Although her family had a celebration of life in December, we thought that NwRSA members would like to share some memories at this spin-in. We will have a microphone handy. Proceeds from the raffle basket(s) and Silent Auction will go to the Barb Quinn Memorial Scholarship Fund. If you have items you would like to donate for the silent auction and/or for door prizes, they would really be appreciated.

Interested in a tour of the Pendleton Mill in Washougal on Friday, Feb 9, in the afternoon? Let Adrienne Borders ([email protected]) know that you are interested and we will make a group tour reservation. www.pendleton-usa.com/mill-tours.html

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NwRSA 2018 Conference – A New Twist May 31 – June 3, 2018 Hotel RL, Olympia, Washington SPINNING, , FELTING AND MORE

READY FOR A NEW TWIST?

Mark your calendar…arrange for time off from work…prepare your family to be on their own… May 31 – June 3 are the dates…Hotel RL, 2300 Evergreen Park Drive, Olympia, WA is the place.

Registration opens on February 15. This year, NwRSA will use on-line registration as well as paper registration forms. Look for registration information on the website at www.nwrsa.net and in the Conference Program which will be emailed to all members and be available for downloading from our website.

And there is much more to enjoy -- vendors, tutorials and demonstrations, informal spinning and networking, a delicious banquet - all in a comfortable, affordable setting with private baths in each room, and close proximity of hotel rooms to activity locations.

One of the highlights of our NwRSA Conferences is the opportunity to learn new fiber-related skills and improve what you are already doing by taking classes with incredibly talented instructors. Did you know that a number of instructors now on the international teaching circuit got their start as instructors at NwRSA conferences?

To introduce our Instructors and their classes….. • Jillian Moreno – author of Yarnitecture: A Knitters Guide to Spinning: Building Exactly the Your Want, Craftsy online instructor, and well-known teacher at many different venues throughout the country. She will teach a full-day class on Yarnitecture and a half-day class on Gist of Grist. • Michael Kelson – has been teaching spinning techniques here in the Puget Sound area for the past few years and has developed a series of SpinPossible classes. For our Conference this year, he will feature SpinPossible – Loft and SpinPossible – Socks. • Gayle Vallance – a favorite Canadian who has taught several excellent classes for us in previous Conferences. This year she will teach Spinning Like a Viking and Opening the Door to Designer with Cabling. • Amelia Garripoli – those of us who have taken Amelia’s spindling classes know her expertise and easy going teaching make spindling fun and productive. This year she is also introducing a variety of techniques for weaving on small looms as well as Twists and Tricks with Turkish Spindles. • Samantha Loftin – many of us would like to learn more about weaving but don’t have space, money, or time to invest in looms of various kinds and sizes. With Peg Loom Weaving, expense is minimal yet easy to create useful household items. • Kim Perkins – In Art Yarn , learn to create wonderful to spin textured art batts from a large array of , alpaca, , bamboo, nylon, and multiple other fibers. • Leslie Hoex – In Getting to the Core of Things, class participants can learn various methods of spinning textured art batts, using either batts from Kim Perkin’s class or batts from their own stash. • Elizabeth Palmer – many of us have been frustrated by errors and mistakes made as we learn new skills. Think what fun it would be to learn No Fault Weaving, a Saori style technique where there are no mistakes but rather an emphasis on color and texture. • Teresa Waldo – Learn the ultimate relaxing way to spin with Supported Spindling. This class teaches the step by step techniques. Plus Teresa will be using the Living Stage at the hotel to demonstrate Viking Knitting, a technique in which knitting with wire is used to create jewelry. • Andrea Love – created Stop Motion Animation with Needle Felting techniques. Our Conference logo this year is one of her creations. She will teach two classes, be featured on the Living Stage and will be our Keynote Speaker at Saturday’s banquet.

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CAMP BURTON SPINNERS RETREAT March 15-18

February 28 is the deadline for registering for this year’s NwRSA Spinners Retreat at Camp Burton on Vashon Island, WA. Online registration with credit card payment is available at www.nwrsa-register.net or you can click HERE to download a registration form and mail in with a check. Space is filling up fast but housing is still available and day-trippers are welcome.

Host Area 2055 (Spinners Rock) invites you to join in for two and a half days of spinning, good food, friendship, fiber shopping, and fun at a woodland camp on beautiful Vashon Island, just 30 minutes from Seattle and 15 minutes from Tacoma.

Wait! There’s more …

 wine-and-cheese tasting before dinner on Friday  Friday night movie after dinner  One-hour tutorials and demo’s on Friday and Saturday including spinning, using a blending board, spinning , drop spinning, your own top, spinning a multi-colored braid, plying, hand/drum carding

And if that is not enough, here is your chance to test drive a wide variety of spinning wheels on Saturday when you can have a go at “Speed-Dating for Spinning Wheels” -- double drive, Scotch tension, single treadle, double treadle, electric, Delta orifice, bobbin-lead, flyer-lead, Lendrum, Ashford, Schacht, Majacraft, Spinolution, Hansen and many more.

A little retail therapy is always a nice option. A used equipment sales table will be available for registered participants to sell their no-longer-needed equipment items. If you don’t find what you need there, then our ten great vendors are sure to havethat special something to enhance your spinning.

Spinning, shopping, dining, chatting, learning -- two and a half days of this can be pretty exhausting. If you need a bit of help dealing with that, then a chair massage may be just the pick-me-up you need.

VENDORS Aurora Colony Fiberarts Spinning fibers, Navajo spindles, antique wheels, collectibles, jewelry BJS Fiber Creations/Merrimac Hand-dyed yarn, wool, buttons, pins Fiberworks Cabled Fiber & Yarn Tools, books, dyes, some fiber and yarn Fleebers Farm Hand-dyed combed top//batts, wool locks, rayon plying threads, Spino- lution wheels, tools, kits Glacier Water Massage Chair massage Map’s Treasures All sorts of spinning-related items and more from Map’s collection Phoenixx Fibers Vintage Czech glass buttons Plum Crazy Ranch & Fiber Art Exotic spinning fibers, felting and fiber supplies Pronkin’ Pastures Alpaca Ranch Alpaca and alpaca blends - yarns and Siren of the Skeins , blending boards and hackle sets, vintage tools, antique wheel Page 4

AREA REPORTS

Area 2060 – Linda Hosea Reporting Our October meeting included a discussion of arthritis in our hands and how it affects our spinning. Our own Dr. Karen Ball volunteered to talk to us about arthritis recovery and prevention at the November meeting. The meeting was well attended, with rapt attention from all, once Karen started hertalk (pausing all the conversations – and Fiber Fusion sharing - was a challenge!). Donna is our member having trouble with spinning at the moment, and has turned her creativity to weaving – a detail of an amazing project she is working on.

Our December meeting included our Dirty Santa gift exchange, and a more glorious pot luck than the normal. A great time was had by all! An unusual detail of the event was that everyone kept the gift they selected – there were no swaps!

Area 6045 (Corvallis, Albany, Brownsville and eastward) – Kim Biegler Reporting We had our annual gift exchange at the Allan Brothers Beanery Cafe in early December. Always one of our most attended and popular group meet ups which means we had a big pile to choose from. The rules of this exchange, pick a number, starting from #1, gifts are picked and can be stolen along the way. The last person to pick – or the person that picked the highest number – gets last pick or last chance to steal. There were some hotly contested items. If you want to see the “ruthless” side to handspinners, throw them into this game with some good gifts and watch out! Exchanges were even made on the car rides home leaving the group. We all had a great time catching up and sharing holiday to stories! Our group meets every other Wednesday evening at New Morning Bakery from 5pm to 8pm, and one Sunday afternoon a month at The Allann Brothers Beanery Café in Albany from 1pm to 5pm. Email for monthly dates, or to be put on our monthly email list: [email protected] or [email protected].

ADVICE TO A NEW WHEEL OWNER Pamela McGarvey recently sold one of her spinning wheels – a double drive Saxony style wheel – and the purchaser asked this follow-up question: How did you apply the drive band and what did you use? It doesn’t have a knot so I was wondering if it was a Russian join of sorts and if I could just buy cotton from Joann’s or something rather than buying from **** and paying shipping. Hi -- the reason the drive band does not have a knot is that the ends are overlapped and sewn together using a whip stitch. I do this with all my drive bands as it is much more secure than a knotted band which can come undone (and usually does). I first tie the band and spin on it for about 10 minutes to make sure it is the right length. Then I untie it, overlap the join (which you can see by the bends left in the string by the knot), stitch the overlapped ends together, then cut off the excess band and stitch those ends down. The material I use is a Japanese kitchen string which I find in Japanese grocery stores. It has a rough surface. Otherwise, look for a coarse string that is not smooth or slick. Heavy crochet thread is an option. You want something that is not smooth so that there is some surface friction as it travels around the bobbin, whorl and drive wheel -- you don't want the band to just slip but rather to make all of those parts spin. This means that the wooden surface where the band travels should not be waxed, oiled, or polished when you clean the wheel and the drive band should not be slick or slippery. How would you have answered this question about joining the ends of a drive band? What is your favorite material for a string drive band and why? Share your favorite spinning solutions and tricks by sending in a short article to [email protected] .

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JULY 1 MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE

Last year, the NwRSA Board changed the date for membership renewals to a common, single date of July 1 for all members, starting on July 1, 2018. This was done to simplify the work of the Membership Committee and Area Directors in keeping our membership records up to date. The single renewal date also insures that dues are always paid before Camp Burton and the Annual Conference so that you will be eligible to attend these and all other NwRSA events at member rates.

Members whose membership expires BEFORE July 1, 2018 have been notified of their prorated dues amount through July 1 and, at the same time, have been offered the opportunity to renew their membership for an additional year (through July 1, 2019).

Members whose current membership expires AFTER July 1, 2018 will be notified in a few weeks of their prorated dues amount through July 1, 2019. All prorated dues will be payable either by credit card or check.

If you have questions on the change to the July 1 membership renewal date or the one-time proration of dues to implement the new date, please contact us at [email protected].

LOOSE THREADS 35 YEARS AGO

From Issue 1, June 1983…. A BASEBALL YARN...from New Hampshire Spinners Spring is here, maybe. All the signs say it is: warblers, lambs, fresh greasy fleeces...and baseball. Do you know what is INSIDE of a baseball? WOOL! At the center is a golf-ball sized pellet of cork and rubber called a "pill". This is red. Then precisely 219 yards of woolen yarn is wound on. First a layer of blue-grey (dyed perhaps with sumac and over-dyed with indigo?) then natural white, then blue-grey again until nearly baseball sized, when it receives a final wind of 150 yards of cotton string. Last come the rubber cement and cowhide. They say that Cheviot wool makes the fastest balls...speedy little sheep. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< From Issue 3, November 1983... Dye Day With New Hampshire Spinners and Dyers.... The late September dye workshop was FUN with dyers scurrying busily about her kitchen following mysterious plans of their own and mumbling..."Let's see, I'll put this Bedstraw-Beige skein into the Black Walnut...rinse the Beet dyed skein...HELP! I've lost my Sumac fleece....you got THAT color from Solomon's Seal berries...to I have something in this Grape bath?" And into this cheery confusion walks a RED SHEEP...quite revoltingly marvelous and all burst into shouts of laughter. That rascal, Joan Cummer dyed her sheep Naughty Marietta, with 25 packets of Raspberry Kool-Aid dissolved in 5 gallons water. Marietta was washed with soap, rinsed and the dye was sponged on....it TOOK! Marietta was a perfect lady, wandered about calmly accepting the praise and hugs modestly as a well-bred ewe should. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< From Issue 4, January 1984.... For those of you spinning flax or interested in it.... Lee Kirschner Lewis was asked by several Oregon spinners why HGA insists linen should be spun right hand for singles and left hand or plies in their "Handspinning Certificate of Excellence" program. In nature, the flax fibers have a left hand twist. With linen, it is assumed the (TPI) will be more when you ply yarn than when your spin your singles. Therefore, given that TPI's are algebraically additive, the net direction of the finished yarn will be left handed as it is in nature. This gives a smooth and shiny yarn, an effect considered highly desirable.

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Northwest Regional Spinners Association

www.nwrsa.net NwRSA Library www.facebook.com/groups/NWspinners President NRWSA has a great library with many fiber related books. Check Pamela McGarvey, [email protected] the library catalog at https://www.librarything.com/catalog/ nwrsa. Sort by Author, Title or Publication Date Or Click out the Vice President Tags tab and find titles a different way. Find the book or DVD you Lana Danaher, [email protected] want and send an email to [email protected]. Your first ship- Treasurer ment each year is free. Rachel Petrich, [email protected] Secretary Lee Kirshner Lewis Study Grants Margaret Cook, [email protected] After Lee Lewis' death her family donated her fiber and tools to Membership Chair NwRSA. These were sold and the proceeds used to establish an Cat Snyder, [email protected] annual grant. This grant could be awarded to any of you next year Web Manager - expand our knowledge of and fiber arts by your Sheila McLean, [email protected] research and study. Application information can be found at the Loose Threads Editor NwRSA web site by clicking HERE or in your membership roster, or Jeannie Hunt, [email protected] by contacting Rocky Wisniewski at [email protected]

Loose Threads Loose Threads is published 10 times a year, with combined issues Membership Information in July/August (input due June 20) and November/December Membership in NwRSA is open to anyone, at least 16 years (input due October 20). Articles and areas reports can be sent to old, interested in spinning and who lives in Idaho, [email protected]. Please send photos in jpg format as an Montana, Oregon or Washington. Associate Memberships attachment to your email. The deadline for Loose Threads is on are available to those who live outside the region. or before the 20th of the month prior to the publication month, i.e.: Jan 20 is the deadline for the February issue. Individual, Associate and Corporate/Group Memberships are $25.00 per year. Family Memberships (persons living Calendar of Events at the same address and over 16) are $30.00 per year. Please send all calendar items to [email protected]. Include the following information when submitting your event to the To join or renew your membership, go to www.nwrsa.net. calendar— Sponsoring Area, Name of Event, Description of the Event, Location (including street address; e.g. don’t just say fair- Click on ABOUT NWRSA MEMBERSHIP grounds), Date and Time, Cost and any other details such as will Click on and print out the membership form. there be vendors, will food and beverage services be available. Complete the form and send it with a check to Be sure to include a contact person or website link for additional Cat Snyder information. Basically, the Who, What, Where, When and How 2110 167th Ave SE Much are needed for your event to be included on the calendar. Bellevue, WA 98008 Area Meeting Locations and Meeting Information Area meeting information can be found on the NwRSA website: Newsletter Advertising Rates www.nwrsa.net/about-nwrsa-handspinning/local-areas/.

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, [email protected], for requirements for submitting ads.

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