| Quick Links |
|
HERITAGE CLUB
Are you a member? Ask about joining the next time you are in the shop. Or click the logo for more information. |
| Standing Events |
|
These are ongoing shop happenings. An "*" by the event indicates that there is a fee.
These are social knitting times - no charge, but no help is provided.
Tues. evening 7 to 9
Wed. morning 10 to 12
Sun. afternoons 2 to 4
Master Knitter Support Group
2nd and 4th Sunday from 2 to 4.
*Open Weaving
Every Monday from 6 to 9.
*Drop In Knitting
Tuesday from 11 to 1
Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Thursday from 1 to 3
Friday from 10 to Noon
*Knit with Suzanne
Thursday evening, 7 to 9
Girl's Night
First Friday from 7 to 10 (except July and February)
Spinning Group
First Saturday from 10 to 12 (except July and February)
| |
|
| Greetings!
November is a busy month here at Heritage. First on the schedule of events in our 6th Annual Shop Hop on Saturday, November 14th from 9 to 5. Get your FREE passport at any of the participating shops (flier here). Have your passport validated and receive a gift from each shop with a minimum $10 purchase. Four validations enter you in a drawing to win one of five $50 gift certificates (one from each participating shop). Do join us for a fun day and a stunning parade of knitted fashions.
The second big event happens from November 19 through 22 and is our annual anniversary sale. We've been in business NINE years. Just like with most milestones, it feels like just yesterday yet a million years have passed. Here's a photo from our grand opening in November 2000 (L to R) Christa and Shelby Newhouse, ???, and Mariah (do you know the unidentified knitter? - please let us know!). Our anniversary sale is our most generous of the year. In the week before the sale, follow our FaceBook fan page and Tweets for teasers as to what some of the deals will be! |
| What's New? |
|
|
Three Christmas Ideas for Kids
1) Consider getting a Schacht Cricket Loom for a young person in your life. The loom is also great for small scale tapestry weaving and cut pile work, not to mention being compact enough to hold in your lap while traveling. The Cricket has a weaving width of 10", costs $135 and comes with everything you need to start weaving, including the yarn.
2) An old favorite has arrived just in time for the holidays - the classic pot holder loom like we had when we were kids. These looms are tough - made of sturdy metal. They come with enough loops to make two potholders, but we've got a complete selection of colors and multi packs to keep the creativity flowing. Cost of the starter set is $16.25.
3) The Harrisville Peg Loom comes complete and ready to weave. This is a frame loom thats costs just $21.00, project ideas included.
For Weavers and Knitters
Also from Harrisville is coned Shetland yarns. They are available in a large selection of colors - over the next months we will be adding to the color selection until we have all 56 colors. This old favorite for many weavers has been redesigned to appeal to knitters, too. Still woolen spun (see Did you Know? below), Harrisville dyes the yarn in the wool and has added fine Australian wool to the New Zealand Merino crosses is has used in the past. The result is a blanket or scarf or garment that is very comfortable for cuddling. 900 yards/8 ounces for $20.45 - a really great value. Sold by the full cone only. |
| Did you Know? |
|
 Fiber words can be confusing. Many are nearly as old as our language. Did you know worsted weight yarn can be worsted or woolen? Kind of makes your eyes tear up and make you want to tear your hair out! Gotta love our English language.
Worsted weight yarn refers to a weight of yarn that knits at 4 to 5 stitches in 1 inch. Worsted spun yarn is yarn that is spun to have all the individual fibers in alignment. Visually it is firmly spun and reflects light nicely. Examples of worsted spun yarn can be found in crewel embroidery yarns and in mens suiting fabric. A semi-worsted yarn is great for showing off cables and lace. Worsted spun yarn is pictured at top right.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is woolen spun yarn. The most common woolen spun knitting yarn is used most often for Shetland Fair Isle knitting - think Jamieson's Spindrift. This style of spinning is much rarer. There are few commercial mills remaining that make it. Woolen spun yarn has been made at Harrisville since 1790. In woolen spun yarns the wool is spun from a carded preparation that jumbles the fibers. The resulting yarn is duller in appearance due to the refracting of light off the "mixed up" fibers. It is also warmer because air is captured within the yarn acting as an insulator. Wool spun yarn is pictured at bottom right.
Spinners say that combing separates (all the short fibers are removed) and carding incorporates (less waste is created as all lengths of fibers are used). Therefore, you will find more "VM" (vegetable matter) in carded wool than in combed wool.
A common phrase that has it's roots in the wool industry is "dyed in the wool." This means that the fleece is dyed before it is carded and prepared for spinning. If you've ever looked really closely at some of the Shetland yarns, you'll see that they aren't made up of just one color as they appear. Instead they rely on optical blending (your eye) to create a new color by blending two or more colors together. Many of our hand dyed rovings for spinning use this technique which produces a yarn with more depth and interest. Yarn that was dyed in the wool is more consistently colored than kettle dyed yarn. Raw dyed will is at left in photo. |
|
Heritage Gallery |
|
|
Nancy's daughter, Amy, made this costume for her daughter, Heather. Normally I only put images in that are made with our yarn, but I had to make an exception. I totally understand why Amy chose to use Red Heart! Presumably the little seahorse made a haul on Halloween!
Here's another photo of a student's Fair Isle work. Robin from Kalamazoo was in my class at Michigan Fiber Fest. the pattern is My First Fair Isle Cap from Heritage Fiber Publications.
As always, click on the images for a closer look. |
| Our Patterns |
|
|
Our original patterns are now in stock in the store. Over the next weeks, I'll be introducing you to a few at a time. Click on the image to learn more about each pattern. Enjoy!
|
| Classes |
|
Click on the class calendar on the class page on our website and see what is starting and what is already underway or ongoing.
Remember, complete details can be found on our website: Open Weaving: Every Monday evening from 6 to 9 in our new weaving room.
11/13 Two at a Time Toe Up Socks
11/14 Projects for the Rigid Heddle
Our Next Learn to . . . classes:
Learn to Crochet: TBD, sometime early in 2010
Learn to Knit: not yet scheduled. In the meantime, please come to Drop In Knitting to learn (schedule at left above)
Learn to Tat: starts 3/11/2010
Learn to Spin: starts 11/22
Learn to Weave on the Rigid Heddle (one day class): 11/7 (FULL) 11/21, 11/28, 12/28
Learn to Weave: Open Weaving on Monday evenings OR Learn to Weave in a week: January
Learn to Tapestry Weave: 2/14
Learn to Tablet Weave: starts 12/1
Details on all of these classes on our website. | |
SOAR 2009 The Spin Off Autumn Retreat - the 27th - took place last week in Sunriver, Oregon. I was fortunate to be one of 15 mentors and nearly 500 other fiber folks who made the trek. I taught a three-day workshop called Spin to Weave: an Introduction to the Rigid Heddle. I had a terrific group of students, nine in all. Two came from as far away as England. Here's our class photo and a couple of the projects. They did  such an awesome job creating fabric from their own handspun. It always amazes others at events what students in this class are able to do. They had to do some serious spinning. In three days they spun 400 to 500 yards of two-ply yarn in addition to learning to warp their looms and weave. Because it is a labor intensive class as opposed to a  lecture intensive class, everyone gets to bond. Our youngest class person, Lisa (at right), kept us in stitches. Here's a poem she wrote (on the serious and nice side):
Weaving is . . .
mostly spinning, plying and warping.
a tangle.
a new perspective.
warp and weft.
playing with pretty braided hair.
watercolour paints in 3D.
fringe.
a seam.
anticipation of weaving in a million ends.
A great length of me that I can give to you.
I also taught a class to about 70 students called Making Your Wheel do the Work. We all had fun - including one lady who had just learned to spin the day before. Talk about being a good sport! She was incredible. This class really makes people stop and see "what happens if . . . ." I love seeing the lightbulbs go off!
Perhaps the best part of SOAR is seeing old friends and making new ones. Because of my involvement with the Spinning and Weaving Association, I've come to know many of the Interweave folks (they are the publishers of Spin Off and Handwoven and many of our favorite craft books) so it is always good to catch up with that crew. In the teacher's meeting we had a lively discussion about SOAR and the types of classes that could be offered. It was great fun to brainstorm with everyone. On the way home in the airport in Oregon I ran into Sandi Wiseheart, the first editor of Knitting Daily. What a lovely lady. I suspect we'll be blessed with a visit from Sandi in the not too distant future - watch the class schedule.
As always, SOAR was stimulating, fun and exhausting. I think I'll start saving energy for next year when SOAR will again be in driving distance - nearby in Wisconsin. Whether I teach or attend, I'll be there!
Happy Fibering!
Joan Sheridan
Heritage Spinning & Weaving
Sign up for Facebook and become a fan of Heritage Spinning & Weaving |
|
|
