New Spinning Instructors

As many of you may know, our beloved Joni is now helping her dear friend Deborah (new owner) run the Main Street Yarn shop in Mill Creek. Thankfully, we have been able to pick up where Joni left off with the spinning classes by welcoming back one of our past instructors - Kim Myhre - and by introducing a new instructor to our area - Barbara Seeler. Here is a little bit about Barbara:

Barbara Seeler is a life long fiber addict. She began her love affair with color and texture when as a 5 year old, her Russian piano teacher suggested she learn to knit as a way of increasing finger dexterity. In 1993 Barbara's adult daughter gave her a spinning wheel and spinning lessons as20a holiday gift. On the advice of her spinning teacher, she joined her local guild, The Greater Los Angeles Spinning Guild. As a member of the Greater Los Angeles Spinning Guild, she held a variety of elected positions, Co-President, Events Chair, Secretary and Editor of the newsletter.

In 1998 when Barbara retired she and her husband moved to the Atlanta area to be nearer to her daughter. She joined the Chatahoochee Handweavers Guild where she was a board member, serving as Properties Chair and Public Relations committee chair. She also served on the Education Committee and was for several years the editor of the quarterly education brochure. She also taught knitting, fiber preparation, beginning and advanced spinning for the Guild.

In 2000 Barbara was appointed to the Board of Directors of HGA as a Fundraising Chair, first filling the unexpired term of a board member that resigned and then elected starting in 2003 to the board for 2 consecutive 3 year terms. She has served as Fundraising Chair, second and first vice-president and co-chair of the Certificate of Excellence program.

Barbara is a graduate of San Jose State University and UCLA. She was a Senior Research Associate in UCLA's Biology Department for twenty years where she actively published in the field of Endocrinology. She then was a member of the administration for an additional ten years where she served as a Facilities Co-Manager,=2 0Emergency Management Team Co-ordinator, Vivarium Manager and finished her academic career as the Executive Officer of the Life Sciences South Administrative Unit.

Barbara feels the partially completed tapestry that represents her life journey is composed of many different threads, seemingly from divergent sources but woven together create a unique and functional design.

Kim has scheduled her first Drop Spindle 101 class for May 31st, 12:30 - 3:30 pm.
Barbara will teach her first Beginning Wheel Spinning class May 27; Jun 3 6:30-8:30 pm.

Come meet Barbara at this month's Spinning Night - Thursday, May 14th!

Spinning Night Fun

Last Thursday was Spinning Night and we had a record-breaking turnout! Doug Dodd was here with his nifty little Pocket Wheel to show off and everyone brought their own wheels to work on.

 

Doug demonstrates his wheel

Ellen gives the Pocket Wheel a spin

Brad gets help from Betty

September Spinning Knit

This month's spinning night is Thursday, September 11th and we will be hosting special guest Doug Dodd - creator of the Pocket Wheel. Doug will be here from 6 to 7:30 pm.

The Pocket Wheel is just over 18 inches and 6 1/2 pounds and easily disassembles, fitting flat in a shopping bag. Despite its small size, it is an attractive, full-featured wheel with a large bobbin that holds 3-4 ounces of yarn and a unique belt-less drive system, giving continuous ratios from 3.5 through 10 standard and to 15 high speed. Individually hand crafted in Bellingham.

And don't forget that this Friday night (the 5th) is Knit Nite! The demo this month is the Kitchner Stitch.

June Knit Nite

June 6 Knit Nite

6 - 9 pm

Your head will be spinning this month at Knit Night when Joni brings her fibery toys to tempt all you knitters who have thought about spinning but haven't tried it yet! You'll get a chance to see a wheel, two kinds of charkhas and several spindle types in action and you can get an impromptu spindling lesson if you're brave! If the mesmerizing whirling hypnotizes you, there will be classes this summer to turn you permanently dizzy!

Spinning

So, you want to know what this interesting pile of wood and fiber is? Well, this is but a small amount of new VYT staffer Joni's spindle and handspun stash! If there's a spinning gadget in the world, she'll find it and learn to use it. Beneath the Balkan, Lollipop, takhli, handmade bead, Navajo, Akha, Tibetan and Russian lace spindles is an attache charkha. It's a really fun machine invented originally by Gandhi so that the Indian people could always be productive, spinning their own yarn in their moments of downtime. Also living at Joni's house are four spinning wheels (okay, one doesn't work, let's be fair), three more charkhas, many more spindles and a partridge in a pear tree. Oops, wait - that's two fiber-producing cats (yes, she spins kitty!).

Anyway, that's the long way to say that Joni's excited about introducing you all to many new ways of spinning at VYT, using all the yummy fibers we have in the shop. Watch for some fresh, fun classes starting this summer!

Summer Blogging

I have discovered that I get too distracted with summer activities and sometimes forget to update the blog! Sorry about that.

Today is Saturday and we have a gaggle of spinners in today. Members of this gaggle have been my inspiration to learn to spin so I can appreciate their enthusiasm and spirit. I don't work as many Saturdays as I use to and I miss them when I'm not here.

I should also mention that the new Trekking XXL sock yarn order has arrived and some beautiful Annie Blatt scarf kits, proceeds from purchases going toward breast cancer awareness groups.

I will be gone on vacation all of next week - Yahoo! - so there may not be anyone to blog until I get back. (Maybe someone will surprise me and learn how to use the computer while I'm gone.)

:)

Happy Summer!

Deb

Spin Doctor

Yep, this is me.....spinning on a wheel! (A Louët Victoria, to be exact.) I finally bit the bullet and sat myself down to learn. There were several spinners (pushers) in the shop on Saturday, all eager to help me with this new addiction. Kathy (hope it's with a K, not a C!), one of Elaine's previous pupils, took on the challenge. There was some cussin' and a spittin' at first but I eventually got the hang of it. Yahoo! Now I can finally ply all of that yarn I made with my drop spindle!

Isabella Rose

Victoria received her Majacraft wheel in the mail today! She has christined it Isabella Rose. Ain't she a beauty! We were amazed at how fast our orders come all the way from New Zealand. (We've waiting longer for things to come from Canada!) It was fun to put together, except for the laying on the cold floor part.* We are a Majacraft dealer now so let us know if we can order a wheel for you. There is a spinning wheel class at the shop starting in May taught by Sam Robbins; spinner extrodinaire and all around great fiber artist. You still have time to order your wheel before classes start!


*Aside: I LOVE putting stuff together. When I was a kid, I was always the one in my family to assemble whatever needed assembling. (My dad was not too handy with tools.) Whenever my dad saw me putting something together that he had given up on, he would say: "can ya get a scholarship doin' that?" Now, whenever I pick up a tool, I think of that phrase and my dad. :-)
Deb