Wisconsin Spindle and Dyepot Guild

2024 Breed Study 

Through out the year each member was given about 2-3 ounces of raw fiber to wash, pick card, and spin. We were to see how each breed handled when worked with, They were all sheep breeds. 

 This year we challenged ourselves with ;

Columbia,  Shetland, Perendale , Suffolk, Cormo , Romney/ Wensleydale cross 

Cotswold,   BabyDoll Southdown , Valias Blacknose, Pollypay 





It was a great learning experience. This is a wonderful way to pick out which fibers you like to work with the most 
 Skirting  Fleeces in 2024




A group of us went to help a friend of one of our members skirt their sheep fiber. It was a fun day getting our hands on some nice fleeces. We all learned a lot about skirting a merino fleece.


Donna did a demonstration on how to skirt a fleece for at one of our meetings in the Library's parking area. We then split up the fleece and used it in our 2024 breed study. This was a merino fleece. 




2024 Dye Day
Each year we have a Dye Day at One of our members house. 

This year 2024 we tried our hand at Eco printing on silk scarves. 


We also had a chance to vat dye, paint sock blanks or skeins of yarn using the guilds dyes. 












This is a fun day for all that attend




2024 Cotton Program 







Cotton Program Demonstrated 

by Janice 2024


We learned about the different kinds of cotton, how to spin it and we also got a hands on trial to card and spin some raw cotton right off the seed  . 


Carding the cotton right off the seed. 

April meeting 2022 


Speed Dating program .  We had 4 tables, Carding , Combs,  Blending board, and Drop spinning.  members split into 4 groups and had 15 minutes to learn and try out each activity. Then they moved to the next table. Once done with all the tables they could go back to the one they want to spend more time at.   




Nancy and Diana working on the Blending board 





Kathy showing members how to use the combs and Hackle 


Sherrie, Kortnie, and Judy working on the drop spindle 


Nancy's beautiful at show and tell 


Sherrie , Judy and Kortnie enjoying the guilds snack to pass before our program begins. 



Show and Tell  Feb 2022 





Kathy and Donna demonstrating samples of art yarn 2022
August 2019 Project meeting .  Working with a Weave -It and making felted pins

 

October 2019  Needle felted critter head meeting project.  Our instructor was Kathy Pecor 
Paper Bag Challenge 2019

Nancy (on the right )wove and crocheted Joan's many small balls of sock yarn into to scarves and some doilies  

Robin Crocheted Donna T's hand spun sheep wool yarn into                              Betty (on the right) Knitted a shawl out of Kathy's hand spun

a useful bag                                                                                                                     Yarn

Darlene ( on the right ) knitted a hat and scarf out of Nancy's                             Joan ( on the left) crocheted and useful bag that will hold   

                                                                                                                                         Robins hand spun yarn

Julia ( on the left knitted a top for Donna W with Donna's                                           Kathy ( on the left ) knitted Darleen an afgan

 hand spun yarn

Donna T ( on the Right ) Machine knitted Julia two hats and a scarf out                     Donna W ( on the right ) knitted Betty a shawl out of 

    of Julia's commercial  yarn                                                                                                 Betty's Hand spun yarn





 
 


Thank you Julia for all the 2018 demonstrations

Flax and Triangle Loom weaving

along with being our chemist for our Indigo dying day 

 

Joan Gaska  Always willing to do a demonstration and a fountain of knowledge 

She is one of the Guilds treasures. 

One of Many Show and Tells

Jolie really enjoyed making her felted bird which was one of our monthly programs

Kelli  went dye crazy,  she is showing and telling us about all her locks she dyed. They were beautiful.

Helene is our Mitten Queen.  She has made hundreds of lovely warm mittens to sell at market along with her hand woven scarves. 

Look for her mittens and scarves at the Brookfield Wisconsin  farmers market 

Needle felting is truly one of Kathy's gifts. Awesome faces on all her critters and people. 

Nancy's shawl was the big winner at the Walworth county fair. Congratulations.  Well deserved , Congratulations Nancy 






Dying day Sept 28, 2018

The guild experimented with Natural dyes.

Marigold

Tansy

cochineal

Madder

Black walnut

and Indigo  









2017 
Wool pot luck.  Members bring to the meeting fiber that they would like to share. We combine our fibers and send it to the mill for processing into roving .  Can you believe the color we got. 




           
All our fiber was picked and mixed together. This is what it looked like before it was carded.  One pound of black llama and one pound of red alpaca was added to this pile and not pictured. 






Our guild held a Batt to yarn to finished project contest. We started with a pot luck roving where everyone brought in different fiber to share. From there we could pick out colors, types of fiber  and card them into a batt.  We then spun them into yarn. Judging took place on each section of the contest., all scores were added together and winners were declared.








Here are some of the socks made from the 2016 summer sock blank  dye session  










     Sock blank dying   September 2016 



 

The guild is trying a wool pot luck. Members brought in any type and amount of fiber they wanted. We are having it blended together at the mill and our one of a kind blend made into roving. Each member will get back close to the same amount they brought in.

We have a blend of 33% Shetland, 35% Mystery breed sheep fiber, 8% East Fresian sheep, 12% Suri Alpaca, 12% Angora rabbit.  Colors ranged from white , dark brown, light brown, gray tan, red, purple. 

We will post the finished roving once it comes back.

To the right

 






Field trip to Spry Whimsy  Fiber studio . Her we are learning to make felted flowers 






 OUR FIBER IS BACK

It turned out wonderful.  The texture is VERY nice ,soft and could be warn against the skin, The color is unique, it seems to change depending on the light you are in. It will change from a heather mauve to a gray mauve to a brown mauve. Very interesting color.

It supn up really easy with no nubs and noils

 
Here are some of the beautiful picture batts we created. We found a picture and carded a fiber batt  on the drum carder to match the color and proportions of color to the picture


Cristal - above is teaching us a Tunisian Crochet pattern.   Below  members are working on their skills




 



 

 



 

 

Working hard on our felted slippers

 

 Felted Slippers

 

Off on one of our field trips to the All American Fiber Mills in Illinois 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needle Felting

 


Crystal working hard on her carding at one of our meetings 

Our Booth at the Maker Fair held at the Wisconsin State fair grounds