East Grinstead Spinners

At our picnic last month Nicola, Madeline and Inge spoke about ways of dealing with raw fleece. We found that we had worked very differently with our recent fleeces, and we thought it might be interesting to compare these ways in a blog post. There can be many reasons for choosing a particular way of preparing a fleece for spinning. Some reasons for scouring (washing) the fleece that came up were: the quantity of fleece that needs to be prepared within a particular time frame, the space available for washing (a whole fleece as described by Nicola, or small parts of a fleece as described by Madeline and Inge), the quality of the fleece and how clean it is, and the personal preference for one or other way of working. We may also have a particular way of spinning in mind which can guide us in the final steps before spinning. Madeline I have been asked by Inge to describe how I sort a fleece. I did tell her I didn't think anyone would do it like I do, but after a lot of arm twisting I

Our group had a picnic on the forest in the first week of July, we were all so excited at meeting up again that none of us remembered to take photos. But we all enjoyed ourselves. On Saturday 10th July, Laura and Linda ventured over to Withyham to represent us at our first outside event since the start of the pandemic.      Withyham Village Fete is an annual joyful event where local people and businesses come together to celebrate summer with Maypole dancing, a dog show, races for the children, a band, stalls, raffles, etc., which makes it a fun day for all who attend. We put on a display of spinning and weaving.   We also had a display of items made by members of the group, and information about our Guild. The organizers provided a gazebo so we were protected from the rain, which came down in stair rods!, so a lovely day was had by all. Hopefully, we will be able to attend next year and the sun will shine.

  Elizabeth has finished weaving this scarf, using hand spun dyed tops Edda and Stephanie did some more experimenting with  1% acid dyes in percentages   These samples are Yellow, Blue and Red mixtures   and these are Yellow, Magenta and Turquoise mixtures Inge  acquired some Gotland fleece a couple of years ago. The best of it having been sent to the mill, she was able to extract short, very slippery, but usable, locks. For ease of  spinning she blended these with Blue Faced Leicester Now spun and plied it awaits a project Whilst she was working this a beautiful grey moth  settled on the window near by.

Jane has knitted this lovely cushion cover   Cushion Front and back East Grinstead was yarn bombed to mark Dementia Awareness week  these are some of the Forget me Knots members contributed One of the members knitted and felted this bag from yarn scraps. Whilst she was not impressed with it, others were and it was snapped up and given a loving home After Linda's Zoom weaving tutorial Carol T made this textured hanger  incorporating some driftwood she had collected several years ago Inge has been busy braiding on her Marudai  This is the Sasanami braid created   She has also been having fun with Fingerloop braiding. Here are some examples Jane shared this woven scarf incorporating floating wefts at our recent virtual Show and Tell    It has finally been possible for our small spinning bubbles to meet up again in members' gardens   Carla's Needle Felted Swallows Hanger

By Stephanie Before Covid restrictions our group have enjoyed an annual summer's day in a member's garden (latterly Jane's), spinning, knitting, chatting and, most importantly, dyeing. Various acid and natural dyes were available to dabble with on each occasion. This inspired Edda and I to have a bit of fun trying the effects of different recipes, using controlled dye solutions. For the two experiments below, we used acid dyes from DT Crafts. On one occasion, we experimented with 1% solutions of acid dyes to investigate the effects of the addition of brown versus black on the shading of colours.  Four basic colours (blue, magenta, yellow and turquoise) were mixed with either brown or black in the following proportions: 10ml base colour : 10ml brown or black 15ml base colour : 2ml brown or black 30ml base colour : 2ml brown or black These were added to 10g skeins of wool yarn, which were wrapped in clingfilm and microwaved for 2-3 minutes. Lovely shades were obtained. Brown,

Our members have again been busy and produced many different types of textile works, and this post contains a mini project from Kate - an Easter egg made with yarn, glue and a balloon. Carol C was inspired by a friend's sheep and made these two. Kate has been busy making Easter eggs. Using balloons, yarn and glue The final thread egg Carol T has been busy experimenting with her weaving. Carol T first woven scarf. Carol C wove a rug. Kate made various bags from some woven Jacobs fabric. Carla produced a few blankets and an octo for the QMCG. And Madeline knitted a pair of mittens. Carol C knitted a jumper. Inge worked with different ways of spinning the same fibre. Inge also had fun experimenting with variations of Yorkshire buttons. The orange and red buttons are those traditionally known as Yorkshire buttons. And she had fun with working with two colours. Kate also had a go at a Yorkshire button variation. Carla worked a felted picture. Inge finished her first acid dye experiment