Come spin along with me!

SUMMER SPIN IN at the farm on July 8. The activity will run morning through afternoon. If it rains we have lots of space in the barns. Bring your wheels and lunch, I will have coffee and drinks. If you have fibre to dye, I will have a pot of walnut skins going. Perhaps, you have other materials we could use to dye….bring them along and see what happens.

Looking forward to seeing everyone. Hope the Back to Back team will come and celebrate their 2nd place finish in Canada!!!!!!! Let me know if you can come.

Please contact Kay If you are able to attend email her at amispin@ca.inter.net

OLD FASHIONED BARN DANCE!!

Here we go again!!!!! A real OLD FASHIONED BARN DANCE complete with many fiddlers called the Fiddleheads,square dances, a caller, snacks, and cash bar.

It is a fund raiser for the TEXTILE MUSEUM originally to be held at another venue but had to be moved so on short notice, it will be held Saturday June 27th at Cuil Aitinn Farms, 4356 Appleton Side Road, Almonte after 7:00 p.m. The museum staff is doing the work, cleaning, decorating, all kinds of chores. Whew!!!

If you like, please, bring your cameras, knitting, your wheel and enjoy the entertainment from the balcony. It is a large balcony. I have lots of fleece and my wheel is available. I will have 2 grandkids so if you find yourself with little ones also, please, bring them along....no charge.

Tickets can be purchased for $20.00 at the door or from Vintages (originally the old Timmons clothing store) 80 Mill Street, Almonte. Please pass on this short notice.

I hope you can find time to join us for a cause we all can celebrate.

A job well done!!

The Woolly Wonders placed 7th in the world for their construction of a sweater from fibre to a wearable art. The international competition was held on the the 7th of June. The Woolly wonders created their sweater in just over 7 1/2 hours.
Look at the previous post for picture of the group as well as an explanation of the competition itself

And a good time was had by all!!

http://www.carpfarmersmarket.com/

Five representatives from the West Carleton Fibre Guild displayed their talents at the Carp Farmer's Market in Carp, Ontario. Each having their own area of expertise from knitting, felting, lacemaking,spinning,weaving an active display was under tent. Many onlookers stopped to observe and ask questions of technique, some reminiscing of crafts of times gone bye. Kindling memories of Grandmothers who crafted their wares in front of the open hearth, with eager youngsters at their foot.

The Woolly Wonders and their Woolly product!

Back L-R Betty Laakso, Sandy Mcmanus. Front L-R Time keeper Gertrude Thibeault, Kay James, Debbie Etherington, Beth Dennis, Kelly Plewes, Louise Rosch.

The Woolly Wonders completed their sweater in 7 hrs 37 mins this year at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ont. This includes the 5 min penalty for having the fleece hand shorn ahead of time. The team bested their time from last year by over 2 hrs. Our sponsors this year were The Carleton Co-operative Wool Growers-practice fleeces, Hewlett Construction-team aprons, Upper Canada Village-a room for competition day.
We raised $603.00 in ticket sales for the sweater.

INTERNATIONAL BACK TO BACK WOOL CHALLENGE

LOCAL RESIDENTS TO COMPETE IN THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL BACK TO BACK WOOL CHALLENGE

A group of 7 spinners and knitters from the Ottawa, Lanark County and St. Lawrence Valley guilds known as the Woolly Wonders are competing as a team in the International Back to Back Wool Challenge where the objective is to shear a sheep, spin its yarn and knit a sweater in less than eight hours following strict rules and a set pattern. The Wooly Wonders will take a 5 minute penalty to accept previously sheared wool from the Carleton Co-Operative Wool Growers.

Upper Canada Village will be hosting this event on Sunday June 7th 2009 from 9 a.m to 5.p.m. Tickets on the finished sweater will be on sale for 99 cents each.

All the money raised from the sale of tickets will be given to the Lymphedema Association of Ontario, a debilitating fluid retention condition affecting both men and women which commonly occurs when the lymph nodes are removed during cancer surgery. The team's goal is to raise $1,000.

This family event will be a great opportunity to learn about this international challenge, about wool, spinning and knitting and the Lymphedema Association of Ontario.

The team consisting of Beth Dennis, Debbie Etherington, Kay James, Betty Laakso, Nancy MacMillan, Sandy McManus, Louise Rosch would like to thank their sponsors: Carleton Co-Operative Wool Growers, Upper Canada Village and Hewlett Construction.

This International contest started in Berkshire, England in 1811 when a 1000£ wager was given to the team that could make a man's coat from a sheep's back in one day. It took the winning team 13 hrs to complete. In 1992, a young spinner Richard Snow from Scotland recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer, decided to continue this contest to raise funds for cancer. The trophy would go to the fastest team to spin and knit a sweater and, in 2004, the Guinness Book of Records became involved.

Today, the contest runs around the world and coincides with the Australian Wool Festival held in mid-June. The Canadian Co-Operative Wool Growers sponsors the Canadian Trophy. In 2008, the Toronto Spiders were the recipient of this trophy and also won the International championship with a time of just under six hours. The Guinness World Record Time is 4 hours 51 minutes 14 seconds held by the Merriwa Jumbcuks, Merriwa NSW in 2004.

St. Distaff Day

The Twistle Spinners and Weavers guild of Glengarry and the Carmen Forward Fibre guild hosted the 8th annual St. Distaff Day in Winchester On.
From spinner to knitting, felting to basket weaving many stations were full with enthusiastic students. The workshops were followed by a much appreciated catered lunch.
In the afternoon much to the participants delight a local literary artist awed us with her collection of delightful poetry. WE also had the grand pleasure of being presented with a slide show to document the construction and trials and tribulation in creating the famous" Quilt of belongings"

From fleece to fine art!

In the month of May 2009 the West Carleton Fibre Guild celebrated it's 20th anniversary

http://www.andrea-graham.com/index.html

Andrea Graham of Odessa Ontario was a guest of the West Carleton Spinners and Weavers guild. A seminar was given at the Mississippi Valley Textile Mill in Almonte Ontario. The seminar comprised of Andrea's works of Art, both in text and samples of her works. She presented us with a slide show of textile art in the many places that she had visited, as well as her inspiration. The following day Andrea conducted a " Felting Workshop" to allow many of us to experience the craft of Wet Felting.