News

Lynne Gilliatt and Jean Haley Exhibit at The Vault at Gallery Mortgage June and July 2023

Come see some AMAZING artwork from our members Lynne Gilliatt and Jean Haley! Naturally dyed wool, cotton and silk thread, with naturally dyed sari silk ribbon and wool yarn on linen foundation.

Opening reception on Friday, July 7, 5 to 8 pm as part of the “Gallery Walk,” then continuing through the end of July at The Vault at Gallery Mortgage, 121 East Sixth Street, Suite 1, Bloomington, Indiana. 

Donate Food for Mobile Food Pantry at the Fiber Arts Store

Area 10 Agency on Aging has the region’s only mobile food pantry that delivers to homebound seniors and those with disabilities in Monroe and Owen counties. The shop committee has decided to adopt the pantry as our charity this winter. Please bring a food donation to the holiday party! Canned protein (tuna and chicken), peanut butter, and veggies are especially appreciated.

Free Knitting Pattern: A Hat for Carrie Ann

Kerry Conway of  Knit Comfort and Joy is inspired by all of the Fiber Arts Store vendors offering local, handspun, and hand-dyed yarns:

The sumptuous colors and textures of a good handspun yarn are very seductive. We’ve all ooh-ed and aah-ed and fondled it lovingly when we encounter it at our local yarn shop. But…we usually draw a blank when it comes to what to knit out of it. Some of us have even resorted to wearing the skein (as is) around our neck like a cowl.

Kerry has another solution…a hat pattern that celebrates the special artistry of handspun yarn! We think she’s knit at least one hat with yarn from every spinner, dyer, and sheep farmer in the shop!

  • Bonus #1 – This pattern also works well with hand dyed yarns!
  • Bonus #2 – We encourage you to Knit Local with this pattern. You’ll find absolutely gorgeous handspun and hand dyed yarns from our local artisans in the Guild’s Fiber Arts Store!
  • Bonus #3 – You can knit it in one color! Just change the CC (contrast color) instructions to purling and P2tog in the crown decreases.

You will need:

  • Two 50-gram skeins of handspun and/or hand dyed yarn (MC (main color) and CC (contrast color)) in worsted or aran weight.
  • 16” circular needles ( 6 and 7 for worsted, 7 and 8 for aran) plus larger size double points for the top.
  • Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Brim

Using a knitted cast on and MC (main color), CO 69 for aran weight or 79 for worsted weight yarn.

  1. Purl back and join.
  2. Knit one round, purl one round in MC. You can repeat these two rounds three more times in your main color, or you can knit and purl the 2 rounds in the middle with your CC (contrast color).
  3. Switch to larger needle when you are finished with your garter brim.

Body

  1. With larger needles, knit 5 MC, knit 5 CC until knitting measures 5 ½” from the cast on. Your pattern will swirl to the left because your pattern is one stitch more than your cast on. Magic!

Crown decreases

Row 1: K2tog K3 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 2: K4 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 3: K4 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 4: K2tog, K2 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 5: K3 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 6: K2tog, K1 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 7: K2 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 8: K2tog (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 9: K (MC)
Row 10: K2tog, K4 (MC)…skip last K2tog
Row 11: K (MC)
Row 12: K2tog, K3
Row 13: K2tog, K2
Row 14: K2tog, K1
Row 15: K2tog

Cut yarn and thread it through tapestry needle. Draw tapestry needle through the 7 or 8 stitches at the top, thread through the top of the hat and weave it in.

Classes! Weaving, Split-Ply Braiding, and more!

Learn new skills and refresh your creative spark with classes this Fall.

Coming up on August 28 is our beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving class with Linda Boyle and Linda Gardner. Beginning Weaving with Gale Hill and Karin Lauderback, and Inkle Loom Weaving with Karin Lauderback will follow (dates to be announced). And on October 2, intermediate table- and floor-loom weavers can enjoy a day exploring both deflected doubleweave and ribbon doubleweave in a round-robin class with Suzanne Halvorson and Karen Ellis.

Have you seen the gorgeous split-ply necklaces and bracelets by Karin Lauderback in our Fiber Arts Store? She’ll be teaching the technique in a one-day class (date to be announced).

More classes are coming! If you would like to learn a fiber arts skill that isn’t mentioned here, please contact us with your interest. We want to hear from you!

Fiber Arts Store, Meetings, Study Groups, and more

Launching the Fiber Arts Store

June 11, 2021 marked a new chapter in the life of the Bloomington Spinners and Weavers Guild when our store opened at 3038 E 3rd Street in the Bloomington College Mall. We hope you come by soon to see this beautiful place and the gorgeous displays. Those working as clerks during the first three weeks in June met to discuss how things went. Our first month’s clerks reported:
* great lighting
* displays are well arranged and inviting
* new members are getting to know established members
* longer term members are excited about so many new members
* good variety of goods for sale
* both yarn for artists and finished goods are available
* good to be out doing things with others again
* table and chairs available for social interactions
* expanding opportunities to share our knowledge
* yarn and products are of high quality
* FUN to share with customers and each other
* joy in seeing a big project come together
* members who did not even vote for the store have been involved
* equipment is being used in the store and borrowed by members
* Guild library and equipment loan is more accessible than at storage unit

Please contact us if you’d like to sell your items in the store.

Fall Show and Sale is scheduled!

The letter to artists who had booths in 2019 Show and Sale has gone out separately!!!!! The unified application for booth artists and Guild Booth members who want to sell is on the website at https://bloomspinweave.org/fiber-arts-show-and-sale. We hope you have lots of goodies to sell because our store customers are looking for you! Many have been by the store to see if your stuff is there yet. Please contact our coordinator Kerry Conway at [email protected] for more information or to volunteer.

Monthly Guild Meetings

The Guild meets the third Monday of each month at the store at 6:00 p.m. The summer meetings are incorporated into the Study Group as informal times to work and chat. Come join us any Monday but especially July 19 and August 16 for the monthly informal meetings.

Monday Night Study Group

The BSWG Study Group continues to meet on Mondays at 6:00 p.m. at the mall store.  Everyone is welcome.  Members share items they have made or are working on as well as use the Study Group time to work on fiber related activities.

Tuesday Knitting Group

A group of knitters  meet Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the mall store.  Everyone is welcome.

The BSWG Fiber Arts Store opens Friday June 11 at noon!

Volunteers and members of the Store Committee will be at the store on Wednesday, June 9, to set up the Guild Booth in the store. More donated yarn will be weighed and marked for sale. Ulla Linenthal and Phillip Batchelder donated large amounts of yarn to further the Guild objectives. Artists have paid their deposits on booth spaces and will be bringing in merchandise too.

Then, we open the doors to the public on Friday June 11, and Saturday, June 12, from noon to 4:00 p.m.

We hope to see more members bringing in items for sale between 11:00 and 1:00 on Wednesday. Consignment agreements are available at the store. We look forward to showing you this space, accepting your goods, signing up for various involvement options, hearing your ideas about what you want from the Guild.

Questions? Send an email to [email protected].

May 2021 news!

Nineteen folks attended the first in-person meeting since early 2020 on Monday evening and it was an exciting time with members, new members, and guests. Here’s a recap and important ways you can get involved once again.

The Guild’s storefront in College Mall, 2894 E 3rd Street, in Bloomington, Indiana, is the place for our meetings, study groups, workshops, and fiber arts shopping. Look for our red-tiled storefront between Target and the old Macy’s store.

Monday Study Group meets at the store each week starting at 6:00 p.m. They’ve been meeting throughout the shut down but we are now ready to welcome more as vaccination rates rise and restrictions are lifted.

A Knitting Group has resumed meeting at the store each Tuesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m. They welcome knitters of all levels.

Many present told us about classes they have taught or might be willing to teach if others are interested in learning. Are you interested in rigid heddle weaving? Linda Boyle, Linda Gardner, and Karin Lauderback have taught these skills to many. Karin also taught many to do split ply weaving and the guild has the equipment to teach to make those split ply cords. We’ve learned Kumihumo weaving, had several dye classes, and so many other great fiber experiences that we are anxious to repeat and share with new members, potential members, or just our community. If you are willing to teach or want to learn, please contact Mary Buschhorn at [email protected].

The store will open for the first time on Friday, June 11, at noon! Hours will be from 12-7 on Fridays, 12-7 on Saturdays, and 12-5 on Sundays. Sales volunteers will be asked to work 12-4 or 3-7 on Friday or Saturday and 12-3 or 2-5 on Sunday. Hours for non-sales help will be arranged as needed.

Dues reminder: 2020-2021 dues were set at $30 with option to stay at $20 dues level due to pandemic. If joining from now until August first, $20 gets you member benefits for the store and workshops. 2021-2022 dues will be $30 and are payable beginning August 1. If paying by PayPal from the website, you will need your own PayPal account now. Once the store is open, you may pay by credit card there. Or checks may be mailed to:
BSWG, PO Box 351, Bloomington, IN 47402

If you are still reading here, the hope is that you have found a way you want to get involved again. Our greatest need is in filling vacant roles in the leadership team. None of these positions is a solitary or overly demanding or time filling role. Our Secretary need not be present at every meeting but may choose others to take notes or do other communications work. The Co-coordinator is typically tapped to move up to coordinator but that is not a requirement. Past leaders are available to provide guidance and answer questions. We also need a Fiber Arts Show coordinator and co-coordinator. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer or have any questions about these roles.