An email came to the centralpaweavers mailbox that may be of interest to members:

Dear Fiber Guild members,
 
It is my pleasure to provide information about the 2021 Pennsylvania Make It With Wool contest.  This contest is open to any Pennsylvanian who sews, knits, crochets, or weaves garments using wool or wool blends (must be at least 60% animal fiber).  The contest is held annually in October, usually at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.  The garments that youth and adults create for the competition’s various age categories can be absolutely beautiful.  Our state winners in some categories proceed to national competition, sometimes winning national recognition.
 
I encourage Fiber Guild members to sew, knit, crochet, and/or weave for this contest and have fun creating with wool!  More detailed information and the Entry Form (due by September 4) is attached.   Please forward to anyone who may be interested in this program for themselves or their students or family members.

Linda Siegel, Director
PA Make It With Wool

An email came into the centralpaweavers mailbox that may be of interest to some members.

In April, the Penn Museum will be hosting an adult class "Ancient Threads" about world textiles.  View stunning and distinctive textiles from Asia, the Near East, Africa, and the Andes as we explore how fabric, weaving, and fashion have shaped agriculture, empire, colonialism, and contemporary globalism. 

Deep Dig- Ancient Threads
Four Thursdays: April 1, 8, 15 and 22
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
With Dr. Anne Tiball
This Deep Dig course unearths the rich and varied history of cloth and clothing, from the first twisted string to the modern fashion industry. What materials have cultures across the world used to make textiles? How and why were they created? View stunning and distinctive textiles from Asia, the Near East, Africa, and the Andes as we explore how fabric, weaving, and fashion have shaped agriculture, empire, colonialism, and contemporary globalism. Join Dr. Anne Tiballi for this four-part online course offering a dynamic, in-depth learning experience with up-close investigations of artifacts from the Museum’s collections.
Dr. Anne Tiballi is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of Academic Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. After completing her undergraduate degree in anthropology at Vassar College, she began graduate study at Binghamton University and performed her dissertation research on the archaeological materials from the Cemetery of the Sacrificed Women, Pachacamac, Peru, at the Penn Museum. Dr. Tiballi specializes in the analysis and interpretation of ancient textile materials, with a particular interest in the social dimensions of technology. She has worked with textile collections from several coastal Andean sites, including Huayuri, Cerrillos, and Casa Vieja in the Ica Valley. As Director of Archaeological Textile Students for the California Institute of Peruvian Studies, Dr. Tiballi led an annual field course on the analysis, reproduction, and field conservation of textiles from the prehistoric Andes, which has been held in Arequipa, Peru and at Bryn Mawr College.

An email came to the centralpaweavers mailbox, and I thought the info worth sharing:

The Viral Imaginations project is a web-based gallery and archive of current and former Pennsylvanians’ creative responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The curated galleries feature creative writing and 2D visual art and are available at: viralimaginations.psu.edu. Submissions are also made directly to the site using forms found on the home page. We encourage submissions from all ages and all levels of ability. We want to see your work and hear your voice!

Most of the visual items are drawings or paintings, but there is some fiber in there! Regardless of the media, there are many impactful pieces. 

Laura

Member Robin Lunger sent in this article from the Magazine of Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian about woolly dogs:   https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/a-woolly-tale

I was happy to see the announcement about HGA's new 'Textiles and Tea' program:
https://weavespindye.org/textiles-and-tea/

Programs are free, and an hour is just long enough to be inspired!

Member Robin Lunger sent in this article about improvements in textile development.
https://naplesdailynews-fl-app.newsmemory.com/?publink=0543ad92b

Reading it, I am reminded how fortunate we are to be able to weave because it brings us joy, not out of necessity.  How much time would we be spending daily on spinning/weaving/knitting/sewing if we had to produce ALL the textiles our family needed?

Member Kelly Grotzinger sent a link to this article about an unusual antique spinnning wheel:
https://exquisitemachinery.wordpress.com/2020/12/05/jack/

Member Kris Peters sent a link to a video from the BBC Archive about Shetland shawls.

https://www.facebook.com/BBCArchive/videos/2871609249523755

For those who don't want to do the math, 70 pounds in 1964 is about 1600 current USD, and 3 shillings in 1964 is about 3.50 current USD.  (assuming I have calculated correctly)

Member Shaun Levi sent me this article to share on knitting for calm in our current time of stress.  It reminded me of a book I borrowed years ago from the library called Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting by Ann Hood. Both speak about how knitting (and crafting in general) can help us through times of stress and grief, whether it is the death of a loved one or a global pandemic. 

For me, weaving is my 'escape time' - I listen to an audiobook and weave and don't think about the world outside.   Knitting keeps me calm while moving about in the world - when I am knitting out in public people often say something like 'you must have so much patience to be able to do that' and I tell them that the knitting GIVES me patience (especially when waiting at the eye dr. for over an hour). 

How does your crafting help you manage your stress? 

Laura

Here we are - Shaun and Tara - at the Historic Dills Tavern taking part in the 105th Dillsburg Farmers Fair by providing a carding and spinning demonstration on Saturday, October 17. We were spinning fleece shorn that day. (We took our masks off to sneak in the photos. )