Mercer County Spinners and Weavers Guild May meeting

Here is the latest email from Bonnie about our next guild meeting.  I May stop by after my DWMC meeting in Sharon.  I am recording secretary so I have to be there the meeting is 9:00 - 11:00, but by the time we get out of there and I get back to mercer it is after 1:00,  Judy said folks are sometimes at the Farm till 3:00 so I may see you all.  Happy. Spinning!    Nancy

The next meeting will be on Saturday, May 10 at Munnell Run Farm at 10:00.   Judy Hanninen will be teaching us how to do core and ply spinning or novelty spinning.  This  is the technique that Judy uses to do her wonderful scarves and hats and bags.  The paragraph below is Judy’s direction to us on what to bring (along with your wheel).  Don’t forget something for lunch and a cup for your preferred beverage.  Bonnie

 

Still Knitting Socks

A  friend asked why I knit socks?  I suppose it has more to do with why I like to wear hand knit socks than why I like to knit them.  I love wearing my handknit socks and i like to carry a small knitting project with me and the socks are perfect portable project.  I am usinf up small balls of three different yarns in this project.  The socks do not match exactly and I like that.  They are more interresting to look at and create.  They are a pair but not identical twins. 

Mercer County Spinners and Weavers Guild April 8 2014

Hi All,  To remind you that this Thursday is our monthly meeting at 10:00 at Munnell Run Farm.  Bring your current project to work on or your wheel or questions or your “Help Wanted” sign caused by your latest project.  Remember your lunch and cup for the beverage of you choice.  Bonnie

Nizza

Nizza Mangus, one of the founding members of the Mercer County Spinners and Weavers Guild passed away last Wednesday, Feb.5 in her sleep.  She was 93.

Nizza was a talented weaver and a member of our group for 40 years. In 1974 a group of talented ladies got together to learn to spin yarn from local sheep fleece in honor of the 1976 Bicentennial Celebrations.  They began meeting monthly in each others homes to share skills and knowledge of the fiber arts. For the next 40 years Nizza and the spinners and weavers continued to appear at local craft events and meet monthly to keep the art of spinning and weaving alive; passing on their skills to a new generation of Fiber Artists.

For many years Nizza would invite The Mercer County Spinners and Weavers to her Farm for a pot luck lunch, I remember being there for a or a natural dye workshop and a batik demo and more lunches than I can count. We always loved our yearly meetings at Sheepside Farm.  We loved exploring her beautiful studio and seeing what wonderful weaving she had on her huge Cranbrook Loom. We will miss Nizza and always remember her and the knowledge she shared with us.  Thank you Nizza for sharing your life with us.

Below is a beautiful email that her neighbor, Judy Hines received from one of Nizza's former students.  I hope Dennis does not  mind me sharing this with you. 

Nancy Griffin 

From: "Bateman, Dennis" <BatemanD@CarnegieScienceCenter.Org>
Date: February 12, 2014 at 9:27:36 AM EST
To: Judy Hines <judygym35@gmail.com>
Subject: RE: Words of honor

Nizza was, to use a word that is used too often, unique. Much of what I am, whatever that is, is due to her. Due to her acceptance, encouragement, example, spirit, care and love. She was the quintessential teacher - of art, and of life. She was encouraging, cajoling, and critical as a teacher. She was not afraid to shrug, tilt her head and arch those curiously-green eyebrows at you, as you hoped for a good word on what you knew in your heart was a substandard piece, conveying that she knew that you knew that she knew you could do better. Many students thought she was a 'funny old lady,' but that never stopped her from expanding our horizons, pushing our boundaries, and exposing most of us to a range of art and artists we would never see in our little valley. I treasure many lunch periods in high school, when she'd let me skip the cafeteria, and sit with her in her office, talking. As the Exhibits Director for, currently, two of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh - the science center and the natural history museum - there is literally not a time that goes by when I walk the halls of the Oakland museum complex that I don't recall her talking us there as students, showing us our first real Monet, Van Gogh and Giacometti. 

She never stopped teaching me about things, even long after she retired. A visit to her farm, Sheepside, was a lesson in weaving, or gardening, or pottery, or of course, sheep. Our increasingly-infrequent visits (moves to and from Los Angeles and New Zealand got in the way) went like clockwork - tea as brewed, muffins produced from nowhere, and the dining tabled was gathered around. News was shared as the years and miles melted away. She could be judgmental about your art, but never about you. When my wife, Heidi, and I struck out to seek our fortunes in Hollywood, and then returned to Pittsburgh 4 years later, she had a similar story about 'getting New York City' out of her system when she was our age. When we left for New Zealand, certain we would never see her again, she stood in the doorway of the mudroom, smiling through the screen door at us, encouraging us to seek out a new adventure in life. And that's where she was when we moved back from halfway around the world, too, beaming to see us again.  

And that's where I see her now. And always will.

Dennis Bateman
Director of Exhibits & Theaters, Carnegie Science Center
Interim Director of Exhibits, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Below Judy and Nizza at Munnell Run Farm in June 15, 2007 ,                                        Nizza looking good at 86

Hand knit Trellis Tam

Trellis slouchie tam,

 Knit on #9 circular needles, 

Yarn is single ply, Cascade Pastaza, one 100gm skein, 50% Llama / 50% wool

Cast on 64 stitches (cast on over#9+#4, holding two needles together) this gives the edge a little more ease,

K2,P2 for 5 rows

6th row cable the k2 sts and increase by adding a purl stitch (P1,m1P, P) see photo below

7th row    k2, P3 around. You now have 80 sts.

8th row.    Knit a row around knitting what you see. ( K2, P3). 

9th row.      Cable row  (see photo). Move purl stitches between the knits (16 cables)

10th row.    Knit. Around/. K1, P2, K1, P1, K1

Mittens

Almost done just have to work in the loose ends.  These were fun to knit.

Mittens for Francis age 5

Mittens pattern

Cast on 40 sts 

K2, P2 cuff 12 rows

Knit row

P2 rows

Knit row

10 row pattern

Knit row

P 2 rows

Knit row

Increase 4  stitches knit 10 M1 (44sts)

Thumb gusset place 2 markers increase after and before  the markers every third row till you have 14 sts between markers

See photo below

Put these stitches on a holder or string to finish thumb later

Continue the mitten to length you need and decrease use heart of the blossom decrease and finish pulling stitches together.

Perfect cabled tam

Needles 16" circular #9 ndls and #7 Double points 

Bulky wool and alpaca yarn, natural color

Cast on 44 sts

K2, P2 around 4 rows

Increase

K2 , increase two sts between so pattern becomes k2 p4

Decrease p2 tog.    Till you have k2, P1, cable k4, P1,  decrease k2 tog . Till you have k3 , P1, then decrease quickly to K3 tog. Finish with K1, P1 two rows then pull tog

Mercer County Spinners and Weavers Meeting Dec.12, 2013

The Mercer County Spinners and Weavers meeting is this Thursday, below is the email from Bonnie Massing about our meeting.  I hope we have a break in the weather for the meeting. The forcast looks ok. It will be cold but with a high of only 17 so dress warm, it takes a while for our little building to warm up.  The warm soup will also help.   I am looking forward to seeing everyone.   nancy

Hi All,  To remind you that this Thursday, December 12 is our annual soup (crock pot)and dessert tureen luncheon at Munnell Run Farm.  Everyone doesn’t have to bring both.  It’s worked out fine to leave it to chance in the past.

Remember your bowl and spoon and cup for the beverage of your choice and whatever project you’re working on at the present – socks, spinning, other knitting.....

 

See you there.  Bonnie

Mittens

I try to take notes and photos as I knit mittens so I can make a matching pair. I do not work from a pattern, so the notes are critical to making the second mitt. 

How long does it take?  I honestly do not know. My best guess might be at least 10 hours to knit a pair of mittens. I rarely knit them straight thru, rather allowing them to develope over a few days and sometimes weeks knitting in short periods of time.

 I sell them for $30.00 if I can find a buyer. The yarn cost in a shop, $10-20.00 depending on sources. The Alpaca wool blend I am using in project is expensive to buy.  I am using left overs so materials cost is not a factor in my priceing. However, knitting mittens cannot be about earning a living wage, it is about love, love for the person you intend them for or love for the creative process. 

It cannot be about selling Mittens for $$. People often ask how long it takes to make these mittens. I often say I do not know or care to think about my time. They find this disturbing. The idea of knitting for pleasure and creative fulfillment is so foreign to most people.  They scoff at my $30.00 price, do they think it too expensive? Do they think I am a fool to sell them so cheap?

Do they not respect my efforts because I do not charge more for my time? I will never understand them and they cannot understand me unless they knit a pair of mittens.

Dragon Fly Studio Slippery Rock, PA

My new collection of Hats are on display Dec.1. From 1 - 4. That's today

Annual holiday show includes work by 

Nancy Kneupper

Diane Bowser

Barbara Wukich

Toni and Jay Mann

Trish Grabteski

Nancy Griffin

Guild meeting at the Farm

Spinners and weavers are meeting at Munnell Run Farm this Saturday from 10 - 2 . Bring whatever you are working on and your bag lunch and join us. 

Bonnie sent the following email just in case you missed it or are not on our list .

Hi All, I just sent the message about the next meeting and then received one from Judy. She is planning to bring some felting samples and discuss the possibilities of doing some felting in the next year.

She also wants to help you get started on your socks.  Verna has her socks finished, I have one and a half done (maybe 3/4).  So bring your needles and wool and get help getting started.  Bonnie

Fall Dye Work Day

Spinners and Weavers Sept 14th 2013

Hi Spinners and Weavers,

The annual natural dyes workshop will be September 14th at Lyn Croskey’s place. Mary Kathryn Crum has gifted us with several out-of-the-ordinary dye materials.

We have brazilwood (pink or red) and logwood (purple).  She also has given us several differentmordants and some extra pots in which to do all this.

Mary Donaldson is doing goldenrod dye,  Lyn is doing Queen Anne’s lace,  Bonnie will do jewel weed,  onion skins and butternut hulls.  Judy is doing indigo.  Judy said if anybody else can do goldenrod also, that would be good so we can overdye to get greens.

Bring your marked skeins.  Cut up a milk bottle or other plastic “thing” and write your name with a magic marker and attach them to your skeins.  If you are doing fleece you need mesh onion bags or those mesh laundry bags and mark them with your name.  I got mesh laundry bags at the Dollar Store.   You need plastic bags to take your wet wool home.  

Don’t forget your lunch.   And a lawn chair would be good.  If by some miracle this hot weather breaks,  throw a sweater in the car just in case.

Lyn is going to send me written out directions to her place and I’ll forward them.

Bonnie

cell phone in case you get lost – 724 456 6806

 

 

Spinners and Weavers Meeting, June 2013

We are here at the Farm spinning and trading funny stories about our pets and other creatures in our lives here in rural Western PA.  The July meeting will be changed to Munnell Run Farm and the sock dye workshop will be Aug. 10 at Bonnie's Church in Greenville.  Details will follow.  This is a report from the Thursday June 12 spinning day at Munnell Run Farm in Mercer.

Mercer County Spinners and Weavers Guild spring meeting

Here is a Newsletter from Bonnie concerning the April 11 meeting of our Spinning and Weaving Guild at Munnell Run Farm on Rt58 just north of Mercer.

Hi Spinners and Weavers,

The killdeers were flying and crying at Munnell Run at the last meeting and Judy thought they were blaming her for the snow. There was a flock of redwings calling. It seemed a whole lot like spring except for the snow.

There were only a few brave souls at the meeting or to quote Judy, "maybe the foolish ones."

For the next meeting, it will be a Thursday project day but Bonnie Swogger has some felted alpaca that she does not know what to do with. After some examination and discussion, Lyn and Judy suggested needle felting. So Lyn and Judy will bring felting needles and foam and their knowledge for everyone to try their hand at felting. We will also bring some pieces that we have made to inspire budding needle felters.

We invite others to bring any roving or needle felted pieces and their experience and we will have some fun. There will also be carders for those still wanting to prepare fiber for the "fleece to feet" project. Judy will be available to discuss spinning for socks and offer examples of plying.

meeting dates:
April 11
May 11
June 13
July 13 stripe dyeing the yarn with Kool Ade, for our "fleece to foot socks". This meeting will be at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Greenville PA. Bonnie Massing will make a large pot of soup and have homemade bread. It's her church. People could bring some desserts, in smallish quantities. We had a difficult time finding a place available with water and electricity and tables.
August 8
September 14 (natural dyes workshop)
October 10
November 9
December 12 (holiday soup tureen)

Meeting March 16. Mercer Spinners and Weavers Guild

Some people are ready to start spinning their sock yarn and I for one am still carding my wool.

Come join us for the fleece to foot sock project or bring your latest project or wheel. Bring your latest project for show and tell or bring the project that is driving you crazy and get the help you need to finish.

Remember your lunch and cup for the beverage of your choice.

10:00 at Munnell Run Farm.

Bonnie Massing

Mercer Spinners and Weavers Guild March 2013 meeting

Attention!  Spinners and Weavers.  Lyn Croskey just called me to say we cannot use the building on March 9th.  The meeting was rescheduled to March 16th.  Sorry for the confusion.  Bonnie

Blocking cable knit hat.

Finished Cable Hat
Blocked over a bowl and sit on plastic jar. Washed in med temp water. It is amazing how dirty the yarn is. The wash water turns coffee colored.

Decrease the crown of the Cable tweed hat.

Finished the cable tweed hat today.
Now on to making another one
The next one is brown alpaca.