2011 Sheep to Shawl

The start of Sheep to Shawl (STS) is now less than two months away. We hope everyone is working away on items to sell at the STS shop and perusing your calendars for days and times to work at STS. For those of you who have joined Las Arañas since last September, you will be receiving a letter about Sheep to Shawl in the mail in the next day or so. You can also get more information by reading pages 28-31 in your membership book. Sheep to Shawl takes place at the Dairy Barn at Expo New Mexico during the New Mexico State Fair in September. The entry gate is #6 off San Pedro, just south of Lomas. This is our “big” volunteer/educational project each year and this is the 41st year for Las Arañas and the Wool Growers Association to cooperate in presenting this program. We will begin signing people up for working shifts at the July 26th meeting. If you have particular areas, days and times you want to work, you can sign up early. (A few are already signed up!) just email or call Ruth Ronan (268-0726 or rbronan@gmail.com) to get your name on the schedule. If you have 6 or more items to sell in the shop, you will need to work six shifts (or get some one to work for you). If you are selling fewer than 6 items, then one shift per item. You don’t have to sell to work at STS. Here is a summary of the various shifts and the number of people needed for each.

Wednesday, Sept. 7—Move equipment from storage and set it up—6 people (need 3 pick-ups); 9 AM—2 shifts earned.

Thursday, Sept. 8—Inventory Check-In—8 people; 9:30 AM—1 shift earned (if want 2 shifts then also sign up for Shop Set-Up.)

Thursday, Sept. 8—Shop Set-Up—6 people; 10 AM—2 shifts earned.

During the fair the regular shifts are 9:30—1:30 and 1:30—5:30. (There are special shift times for the Creative Arts Building-see below.) Our days to work are Friday, Sept. 9—Sunday, Sept. 11; Wednesday, Sept. 14—Sunday, Sept 18; Wednesday, Sept. 21—Saturday, Sept. 24

For each shift we need:

Note: in addition to regular shifts, the Shop will be open on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 12 & 13 from 10—2. We will need 1 person for that shift each day. Creative Arts Building is a special case—there is one shift per day and the 1 person taking that shift can help fair goers weave a scarf on the portable loom or, if preferred, can spin or work on an ETC project. The main purpose of this position is to advertise STS in the Dairy Barn and encourage people to go visit. We have signs and a display case at the work site. The shift times on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are 10:30-2:30, The shift times on Saturdays and Sundays are 1:30-5:30.

STS is a fun time of sharing and a great time for beginners in weaving, spinning or dyeing to get to know our members better, get mentoring on your new skill and share your love of fiber with the public. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact Becky Arnold—281-5542, bekkjohn@gmail.com, or Ruth Ronan—268-0726, rbronan@gmail.com.

STS Carding

Both electric drum carders will be at the fair this year. One for fine fiber, one for the more coarse fibers. The rules are the same: Clean, clean, debris free, dry fleece. If it is still damp from washing it will stall out the carder. Training Required if you have never used the New Carder: Contact Phreadde Davis to arrange for training. phreadde@comcast.net or 239-6506. Demonstration times will coincide with all the other shifts, one AM & one PM. Please remember you are demonstrating so try and talk to the public as much as you can about what you are doing and why. Leave the carder clean for the next person. Questions and to reserve your time: contact Mary Ellen McMurtrie, 281-0306

STS Dye-Pot

STS will be using leftover yarns from last year (superwash sock weight) and 4 ply worsted from 2009. We will also be dying more colcha churro yarn – this sold very well. Also if you are going to put in roving, please make it superwash. The regular wool is felting much too much in our dyepots. We might try adding them to the dyepot after the hour of cooking and let them sit all night without movement. We can also put in up to 4 oz extra skeins for dyeing. These should be pre-mordanted with 8% alum. Denise usually runs an alum pot at the beginning of STS. I have experience a bad year with my Mexican Hat (rabbits are very hungry ) so anyone with MH we would love to have the dried blossoms. There are lots of blooming plants out there guild members, yard plants as well as local native plants. We will always take marigolds, Mexican hat, dyer’s coreopsis, red dahlias, peach leaves, chamisa (rabbit bush), mullein, 4 wing salt bush and many more. It takes about a ¾ to one grocery size paper bag full of dried material - if you have less we still could use it. If in doubt, please call Linda or Denise and ask. We only have a month and ½ to prepare. I know many of you have taken natural dye classes - volunteering at the STS Dye Pot will be a great way for you to get more hands on and love the process. Of course we always plan to overdye to make many more colors. The Dyepot is some of the best hands on experience you can get and of course these skeins are sold to benefit STS. Please consider volunteering and/or collecting dye stuff!!! Linda DeBlois and Denise Davis. Our telephone numbers are in the Guild Book.

STS Etc

Bring your favorite small fiber craft to demonstrate. Show Weaving on different looms, Knotting, Colcha Embriodery, Braiding, Knitting, Crochet, Needle Felting, and any other fiber activity that you find interesting and wish to share with others. Call Carol Grimm at 281-4910 or starlightacre@q.com to schedule.

STS Creative Arts Building

The schedule for the Creative Arts Building has changed this year. During the week, the times will be from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM. On the weekend, the times will be from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM (the same as the second shift in the Dairy Barn). There will be a warped loom that you can use to assist people to try weaving and, at the same time, weave part of a scarf for the people undergoing chemotherapy at the UNM Cancer Center. You will also point people to the main Sheep to Shawl demo area and shop. You will be provided with the weft and shuttles so you do not need to bring any yarn or equipment. The weave structure will be plain weave. If you have not done this before, it is a lot of fun! The kids just love to weave on the loom and often adults will try their hand at it. The Creative Arts building has a lot of people coming though so people are always walking by. You are encouraged to volunteer to man the Creative Arts Building even if you do not want to show people how to weave. You can do any fiber arts activity you want to at the Creative Arts Building – all the things that are done at the ETC table can be done here as well as spinning. Thanks for helping!!!!!

STS Spinners

The time for spinning at Sheep to Shawl is rapidly approaching. Once again we will be demonstrating outside the Dairy barn in our own tent next to the sheep shearing. We have three slots for each shift. Sign up with your friends or alone to make new ones. All levels are encouraged. It is a great place to get some practice, and there will be others to share with and learn from. Hope to see you there! Any questions? Feel free to call Diane Witt at 897-6747 or 321-223-0336.

STS Weaving

Signing up to weave at STS is really great for beginning weavers or those who would like to try weaving—after all the warp has been measured and threaded on the loom so all you have to do is press the pedals and throw the shuttle. Several members, including President Jaye did their first weaving (and got hooked) at STS. Remember to bring yarn for weft, shuttles, bobbins, scissors and any other weaving aids you might need. A pillow for the bench is also a good idea. This year both the 4-harness and 8-harness looms will be warped with a “Gamp.” Gamp: A woven sampler in which each warp sections is arranged differently and crossed by weft sections in corresponding arrangements. (Pattern Devices for Handweavers, Doramay Keasby 1981.)

According to Mary Black, there are 3 types of gamps—one based on changing colors for each stripe (a color gamp.) The 2nd showing how tweeds interact with each other. The 3rd, which is used for STS 2011, is based on using different threadings for each section. Therefore each section shows a different weave. The term is based on a character by Charles Dickens – Sairey Gamp (in Martin Chuzzlewit, chapter 19). Mary Black in New Key to Weaving – 1957, p. 540) “The multicoloured umbrella of Charles Dickens’ Sairey Gamp gives us its name.” Don’t panic if you get the inevitable question – “What are you weaving?” You can answer “A GAMP!!” and proceed to explain that there are various patterns emerging from your work. There will be a fuller explanation of Sairey Gamp – which you can read. (PS if any of you ever remember reading Dickens’ Martin Chuzzelwit, you are well ahead of me!!!) Samples of the gamps, colors and yarns used will be displayed at the July meeting.

4-H WEAVING The warp is Harrisville Shetland wool in the same colors as the cotton warp on the 8-harness loom. It is set at 12 epi. The picture of the gamp along with the threading and treadlings are being sent as a separate document. You can pick one of the treadlings and use it for your weaving or you can use several treadlings to show the varied patterns. Treadles 1 and 2 will weave plain weave.

8-H WEAVING

The picture of the gamp along with the threading and treadlings are being sent as a separate document. For sake of sanity, the tie up will allow for 1-8 treadling, with tabby on the sides. Other treadlings are also shown. You can use only one treadling or multiple treadlings. The thread is 5/2 pearl cotton set at 20 epi in the following colors. I chose these colors from a project by Robyn Spady – Handwoven, March/April 2011. I am including the UKI color numbers: Deep Lavender # 93; Gold # 10; Bermuda Blue #109; Lt. Orange # 67; Dark Fushia # 56, and Scarab # 53. Lavender is the main color. Village Wools has extra cones of the above colors if you want to match them in the weft.

STS Parking and Admission

Admission and parking passes will be distributed at the August meeting of Las Arañas. Please try to attend in order to pick up all passes for the days you’ll be working. This year, the parking passes will have the rules­­­ printed on the back of the cards. Please read and comply, so that we remain good friends of the Barber College, whose lot we use. Also, if you are staying after 5:30 to visit the fair, don’t forget to go inside to the office and pay for your evening parking ahead of time. Our costs for entry passes have almost doubled this year so, when possible, plan to work a full day rather than working two days for only a half day each day.

STS Shop

If you plan to enter items for sale in the STS shop, please read the guidelines in the Membership book on pages 29 thru 31. You will note that you need to work one shift for each item entered up to six shifts. If you are working six shifts you are requested to work one of those shifts in the Shop. In addition to Shop assistants during the Fair, we also need help delivering and setting up items from storage on Sept. 7, checking in inventory and shop and demo area set up on Sept. 8. We will also need help with shop take down and returning items to storage on Sept. 25 and checking out inventory and cleaning the STS space on Sept. 26. Working at any of these times will count toward shifts needed. There will be sign up sheets at the July and August meetings.

The design for our t-shirts is on the front page of this newsletter. Martha Alvarado did the design and Jaye Whornton Helped with the lettering. The shirts this year have the design in white and are either black or sapphire. We will have them for sale at the July Las Arañas meeting but, if you are going to IWC and want a shirt to wear there, contact Nancy Brouillard at 265-9053 and arrange to get one from her early. The price is $12 a shirt with 2X for $14 and 3X for $15. There are a limited number of long sleeved t-shirts this year—they are priced at $22. In addition we have ordered some natural colored cotton tote bags (appox.15”x15”) with the design on them (without the year) in black and with black handles. These will sell for $10 and we will have them at the July meeting.