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Sorry everyone. The meeting date and workshop for Sept. 22, 2012 has been cancelled. The workshop will be rescheduled for early Nov. with a new date to be announced soon. It will again be on a Saturday September's meeting will then be on the regular meeting time of Wednesday, Sept. 26th at 7pm, at the Library.

AUGUST PROGRAM: There is not really a formal program for this month. We usually use the August meeting to get ready for the coming year of programs. We can discuss what your interests are, what specific program or event you would like to see, is there a theme we would like to follow for the coming year, etc. We'll introduce the officers and job holders for 2012/13. There may still be a few we need volunteers for. Bring your wheels or spindles and whatever show & tell you have of what you've done over the summer. If you've not paid your membership dues for the coming year, the August meeting would be a good time to do so. Our "fiscal" year runs August through July. PHOTO SHOW OF JULY'S DYE DAY Thanks to Carol for hosting us and Linnie, Mindy and Kate for all the prep work and supplies. It was a wonderful day both weather wise and dye wise [except for those of us who ended up with "over-boiled purple - not only in one pot, but both!] As you can see, the...

July 28 , at the home of Carol Causey. If you need her address, contact Linnie. 10 AM till about 4 PM The dyeing method we are using is called Rainbow Dyeing.  Supply List: Bring these things if you have them.     *Stainless steel pot large enough to hold 2 oz of fiber (a turkey pan is also good because the sides are shallow but the bottom is wide)  *or enamel pot (no dings).  *or a Slow Cooker [Of course none of these pans can then be used for food cooking again] *Netting from Joann's @1 yard,  *a big cooking spoon, measuring spoons and measuring cup --(especially good if it is glass with a spout),  *a turkey baster,  *cheap chop sticks and/or wooden skewers *plastic gloves *mask (a must!! You can find a simple one in a drug store or hardware store), *apron and/or wear old clothes * notebook and pencil *hat and sun screen * spinning wheel if you want to spin during down times *lunch. If you have gas stoves, dye pots, or an extra crock p...

July Dye Day - Saturday, July 28 at 10 am Carol C.'s backyard Our July Dye Day will be on a Saturday, as usual, so that we can spend the whole day on dye projects. This year the Guild has purchased a wool fleece and a mohair fleece, which have already been washed and are awaiting some color. We will be experimenting with dyes, still in the powder form, with several colors sparingly sprinkled onto the wet wool to create a multi-hued effect. While generally wise to limit color choices to three, you are free to do whatever you want. Since the wool needs to stay on the heat for about 20 minutes, and then sit in the pot and cool, if you have a dye pot or two of your own, bring it to use. Stainless steel, ceramic or enameled pots work best since they are non-reactive.  The fiber and the dyes are being provided, but again, if you have some of your own, you can bring it with you. Bring a lunch and something to work on in-between times, if you like. The weather will probably be warm and we ...

Saturday,June 2. Hours: 10am to 4pm Retzlaff Winery, Livermore Find full information in one of the previous blogs below. Treadles members, have you signed up to help? At the last meeting, there was still a need for parking attendants. This is our one big event for the year where everyone's help is needed. Contact Linnie for sign ups. Have something to donate for the drawing? This is always a fun event that really helps out the Guild treasury. At last weekend's conference, the Guild purchased a pair of cotton cards for our equipment store. If you came to hear Judith's great talk on May 17th, you heard her say they are not only great for cotton, but also short, finer fibers such as cashmere. I will post an updated list of equipment and CD's that the Guild owns for the use of its members in the next blog. We do try to put our treasury to good use. 2012 CONFERENCE A great big THANK YOU to those in our Guild who helped out with the on-site registration area! I know it was g...

The library has a conflict again with our usual meeting date, so you should have on your calendar by now that the "April" meeting is on May 1st. Part of this meeting will be devoted to coming up with a slate of officers for next year. We could also brainstorm what we want to do for our annual  "July Dye Day" . One suggestion has been to hold off on dyeing this year and have a one day workshop on  "Pine Needle Basketry" . Its always fun to try new things. Also, Laura asks if any one has program ideas for next year. She would like someone to step up and help her out in arranging programs for the coming year. Unless someone has a burning desire to do programs, she has said she will continue for at least the coming year.  MAY MEETING:   Date: May 17th.   Judith MacKenzie on  "What to Look For in a Raw Fleece" Again, another change in dates because we are lucky enough to have Judith come and speak to us just before Conference. CNCH CONFERENCE:   May 1...

Note that the meeting is on Thursday evening this month, not the usual Wed.  PROGRAM:  All About Hand-held Spindles Noun spindle  ( plural   spindles ) ( spinning )  A  rod  used for  spinning  and then  winding  natural fibres (especially  wool ), usually consisting of a shaft and a circular whorl positioned at either the upper or lower end of the shaft when suspended vertically from the forming thread. A rod which turns, or on which something turns. A rotary axis of a machine tool or power tool. A worldwide tree of the genus  Euonymus , originally used for making the spindles used for spinning wool. An upright  spike  for holding paper documents by  skewering . Nice to know that the dictionary lists spinning as the number one meaning for "spindle", and interesting to note that there is actually a tree genus known for its use for making spindles. Bring your spindles and share your experiences...