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This week Kathy talks with WEBS Weaving Manager Leslie Ann Bestor about the upcoming Spinning and Weaving Week, Monday Oct 6 – Saturday Oct 11.

Be sure to stop into the store for lots of activities during the week, LA did a great post that details all the demonstrations and mini-workshops here, and if you’re on a Spinzilla Team get ready to start spinning! More details on the Spinzilla event can be found here.

Later this month you can check out the WEBS 40th Anniversary Weaving Contest Gallery Show. We have an opening reception on Thursday Oct 16th 5:30 – 7:30, and the exhibit will be open to the public October 17 and 18th 10-5pm.

Steve’s Yarn Picks :

• Online Supersocke 4-ply Sambia Color
• Online Supersocke 4-ply Mali Color
• Regia Design Line Colorations Color
• Opal Sweet and Spicy 2
• Berroco Lago – Closeout
• Berroco Linsey – Closeout
• Berroco Peruvia – Closeout – Featured yarn from our Titlted Duster KAL way back in 2007!
• Berroco Captiva Metallic

Upcoming Events:

It’s time for our 11th annual Knit & Crochet for the Cure! Join us TOMORROW from 1-4pm.

8th Annual Bus Trip to Rhinebeck – Saturday Oct 18th. the buses are almost full, get your ticket now!

We have an amazing line-up of guest teachers this year!
Susan B Anderson will be here Columbus Day Weekend, Dora Ohrensten is doing a weekend of crochet classes in November! And be sure to check out all of our upcoming Events here.

Don’t forget that we’re collecting Hot Chocolate Run Polar Bears for Safe Passage, you can read all the details here.

  

We have transitioned from the warmth and busyness of summer to the fall routines of school and harvest. I am enjoying the crisp mornings and the orange and red palette spreading through the trees. And, of course, I am looking forward to October, the month of fiber revelry! So many events and opportunities to connect with fiber and fiber fanatics!

At WEBS, we kick off the month with a weeklong celebration. International Spinning and Weaving Week is October 6 – 12 and in our little corner of the world that means an abundance of ways to experience fiber and textiles from fleece to finished handwovens.

Central to the week are daily demonstrations and workshops covering a wide range of techniques. Demonstrations are free and open to all who come in to the store. They take place from 11 am – 1 pm and will feature spinners using wheels and spindles to create yarn from fleece and roving. Weavers will also be showcasing their skills on a wide variety of looms. It’s a great opportunity to watch the process up close and talk with the artisans about how they create. It’s not just children who are fascinated by the rhythm (although they are welcome to check it out as well)!

Mini-workshops will also be offered daily from 2 – 4 pm. These workshops offer a taste of a new technique, a chance to learn a different way to do things or maybe expose yourself to something new. The mini workshops cost $5 each and you can register online, over the phone or in the store.

Mini Workshop Schedule:

Monday, October 6

Plying Workshop with Ashley Flagg

 Using a Warping Mill to Wind Warps with Scott Norris

Tuesday, October 7:

Temple Temptations – Create Beautiful Selvages with Chris Hammel

Wednesday, October 8

Creating Texture on the Rigid Heddle Loom with Marthe Young

Fiber Blending for Spinning Unique Yarns with Pamela Darrow

Thursday, October 9

Log Cabin Weaving with Paula Veleta

Friday, October 10

Variable Dent Reed with Paula Veleta

Two special demonstrations during the week will highlight the huge range of possible styles of weaving. On Tuesday from 12 – 1 pm, Weaving Manager Leslie Ann Bestor will demonstrate weaving on a computer-assisted loom. And on Friday we will showcase Saori weaving with Mihoko Wakabayashi from 11 am – 1 pm.

And a WEBS celebration would not be complete without some great deals and discounts! Weavers can look forward to 15% off reeds, warping mills, and Schacht Flip rigid heddle looms; 20% off all weaving DVDs and new additions to the Great Cone Sale. For spinners we will have 20% off all fiber, Howard hand cards, and spinning DVDs; 15% off spinning wheels and 30% off 8 ounce bags of Louet Dyed Corriedale Top.

Join us to celebrate, learn and be inspired!

Bonnie Lemme, our Assistant Store Manager has a great recommendation for prepping small amounts of fiber.
The Colonial Needle Company Fiber Blenders are used mostly for preparing fibers before you needle felt. I have used them many times in my spinning process. They are a great tool for preparing a raw fleece to comb out the locks before you spin. It will help remove some vegetable matter and align the fibers before you spin. They are like having a mini hand carder. I also recommend these Fiber Blenders for a newbie. They are an inexpensive and great for beginners who may just want to try their hand carding before purchasing an expensive pair of hand carders. Great for young children to handle too!

Today, Debby Cook shares with us her the must-have book for her weaving shelf.

My “must-have” weaving item is Deborah Chandler’s Learning to Weave. Because I also knit, work full time AND part-time and have a full family life, I can sometimes have months go by between starting new projects.   Deb Chandler’s book always has the answers I need to jumpstart my memory!  It keeps me on track from winding my warp, warping back to front, right through treddling and finishing techniques.  Oh, and the reed substitution page is well worn! This is the one book I would be lost weaving without.

What’s your must-have weaving book?

This week, we’ll be sharing with you a few spinning and weaving products that WEBS staffers can’t live without. First up, we have Amy Stephens. Amy is an incredible crafter and you may remember seeing her in one of our staff spotlights. Check out what she has to say about the Harrisville Designs Combo Threading/Sley Hook in Brass

Soon after taking the beginning weaving class at Webs, I purchased a loom. Weaving is still a very new craft for me and dressing the loom can still be a little stressful. During the class I used the 7 ½” Schacht Heddle Hook to thread the heddles and the reed. When I moved to my bigger loom I appreciated the length of the Schacht even more for threading the heddles. I did have trouble threading the reed with it though. I mentioned my issue to a seasoned weaver at work and she suggested the Harrisville Designs Combo Threading/Sley Hook in Brass. It made sleying the reed so much easier! When I weave, I have both tools on hand and it makes dressing the loom that much easier for me.

This week Kathy talks with Rita Petteys, owner of Yarn Hollow and chair of the Spinzilla event.

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Working with TNNA members, Rita has put together a great event to celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week, October 7th through the 13th.

The goal of the Spinzilla event is to spin as much yardage as possible during that week. You can join one of the teams on the website or you can be a rogue spinner and work on your own. There are trophies and prizes to be had and all proceeds benefit TNNA’s mentoring program, NAMP. Sign-up to join a team by Sept. 23rd. And check out the stops on the Spinzilla blog tour for more information.

Steve’s Yarn Picks

• Be Sweet Skinny Wool
• Be Sweet Grace & Style
• Juniper Moon Marlow Jewel Tones
• Noro Shiro
• Rozetti Wicked Fur
• Cascade Ultra Pima Quatro – Closeout
• Juniper Moon Yearling – Closeout

Our Fall class schedule is live on the website and should be arriving in mailboxes soon, classes begin in mid-September.

Check out the Nimblestix Mountain Retreat October 4-6, on Graves Mountain in Syria, VA , there are weekend packages and day-tripper options as well.

Registration is open for our 7th Annual Bus Trip to the NY Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck on October 19th! Are you on the bus?

 

We had such a great time this year with National Spinning and Weaving week, we wanted to share some of the fun with you! Spinners and weavers came out for great demonstrations and to enjoy each others company while crafting away.

Barbara demonstrates weaving on the Spriggs Triangle and Square loom.

During an Inkle Loom workshop, students got an up close look at how to make heddles, dress the loom, start and end weaving, and, of course, how to actually weave!

Drop spindle spinning on handmade drop spindles! These two used a wooden dowel and CD to create their spindle.

What did you do to celebrate National Spinning and Weaving week?

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Guest: Leslie Ann Bestor, our Assistant Store Manager tells us about what’s going on at WEBS for National Spinning & Weaving Week October 3-9.

Join us as we celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week at Webs, America’s Yarn store. We will be hosting a week of activities, demonstration and classes to highlight these fiber crafts. Featured during the week will be:

• Daily demonstrations (free) from 11 – 1
• Mini Workshops ($5 each) from 2 – 4
• Spinning Open House on Tuesday October 4 from 6 – 9
• Meetup Day all day Wednesday

Daily Demonstrations 11am – 1pm, free
Each day we will demonstrate weaving or spinning in many forms including spinning wheel, inkle weaving and others. Schedule to come.

Mini Workshops 2 – 4 pm, $5
These mini workshops will offer a taste of spinning and weaving techniques.
Monday: Rigid Heddle Weaving for Knitters
Tuesday: Loom Dressing
Thursday: Drafting for Spinners
Please sign up for this on our website.

Spinning Open House Tuesday 6 – 9 pm
The store will be open late Tuesday night in conjunction with the monthly meeting of the local spinning group. We will have a demonstration of the various wheels available at Webs, the store is open for sjhopping and it’s a great time to visit with other spinners and meet the local group.

Meetup Day Wednesday
We welcome weavers and spinners from near and far to meet each other and enjoy the company of like-minded fiber fiends. We will have goodie bags, raffles, a room with refreshments to hang out in and more! Barbara Elkins, Webs founder, will give a demonstration of weaving on a computer loom from 11 – 12 and Gail Callahan, the Kangaroodyer, will demonstrate dyeing roving for spinning from 12 – 1. We encourage people to bring show and tell and look forward to lots of laughter and fun.

Steve’s Yarn Picks

• Louisa Harding Simonetta
• Cascade 220 Fingering
• Be Sweet Medium Brushed Mohair
• Rowan Alpaca Chunky
• Artful Yarns Vineyard Closeout
• Reynolds Rapture Closeout
• Great American Yarns Merino Cashmere Closeout
• Noro Iro Discontinued Colors

Knit & Crochet for the Cure – Sunday, October 2, 2011, 1pm-4pm

Visit the store and we’ll be creating projects to donate to the Cancer Connection.

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Guests: Caro Sheridan and Stitchy McYarnpants share what’s up next for them – a self-published collection online. Caro also discusses the photography that she has been doing for knitting designers, Cooperative Press, and Knitty (check out Amy Herzog’s design in Valley Yarns Sheffield). She is also considering teaching some classes, so make sure you stay tuned to our class schedule in the future.

Steve’s Yarn Picks

• S. Charles Diamante
• Arucania Rinihue
• Opal Rainforest 7
• Opal Sport
• Cascade 220 Tweed Closeout
• Cascade Pastaza Discontinued Colors
• Cascade Pima Tencel Closeout
• Lexie Barnes Lady B Closeout
• Lexie Barnes Flo Closeout
• Lexie Barnes Coco Closeout
• Lexie Barnes Libby Closeout
• Lexie Barnes Pearl Closeout

Spinning and Weaving Week at WEBS
October 3 – 8

Join us as we celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week at Webs, America’s Yarn store. We will be hosting a week of activities, demonstration and classes to highlight these fiber crafts. Featured during the week will be:
• Daily demonstrations (free) from 11 – 1
• Mini Workshops ($5 each) from 2 – 4
• Spinning Open House on Tuesday October 4 from 6 – 9
• Meetup Day all day Wednesday

Daily Demonstrations 11am – 1pm, free
Each day we will demonstrate weaving or spinning in many forms including spinning wheel, inkle weaving and others. Schedule to come.

Mini Workshops 2 – 4 pm, $5
These mini workshops will offer a taste of spinning and weaving techniques.
Monday: Rigid Heddle Weaving for Knitters
Tuesday: Loom Dressing
Thursday: Drafting for Spinners

Spinning Open House Tuesday 6 – 9 pm
The store will be open late Tuesday night in conjunction with the monthly meeting of the local spinning group. We will have a demonstration of the various wheels available at Webs, the store is open for shopping and it’s a great time to visit with other spinners and meet the local group.

Meetup Day Wednesday
We welcome weavers and spinners from near and far to meet each other and enjoy the company of like-minded fiber fiends. We will have goodie bags, raffles, a room with refreshments to hang out in and more! Barbara Elkins, Webs founder, will give a demonstration of weaving on a computer loom from 11 – 12 and Gail Callahan, the Kangaroodyer, will demonstrate dyeing roving for spinning from 12 – 1. We encourage people to bring show and tell and look forward to lots of laughter and fun.