Entwined

Pre-Inventory Sale This Weekend

2008-06-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

The store will be closed to count inventory on Monday, June 30, but before we do, we want to offer up our current summer stock on sale this Saturday and Sunday. Come by and catch some great deals!

Springwater’s own Spectrum line is 20% Off

Summer Yarns are 25-40% off and include:
Spectrum Cotton, Zitron Evita, Filatura Di Crosa Brilla, Fibranatura Flax, Rowan Cotton Glace, and Organic Cotton!

From 10% to 20% off you will find:
Happy Feet Sock Yarn, Sockotta, Lamb’s Pride, Plymouth Tweed, Roving, and Galway to name a few!

Baby Yarns are 10% to 40% Off!

ALSO ALL NOTIONS ARE 10% OFF!

Enjoy and hope to see you at Springwater this Saturday!

Springwater Still Needs Your Help

2008-06-21T18:14:00.001-07:00

This email just went out from Springwater's Board of Directors.

Dear Friends of Springwater,

Your dedicated support of Springwater has kept us going throughout the last 8 months of crisis. We still need your help to keep building Springwater back from the ground up.

During the "Big Push," our donors accomplished a lot for Springwater.

We held two successful sessions of classes (Winter and Spring) and planned for the current Summer session.
We retired our debt and re-established good relationships with vendors.
We retained and refurbished our classroom space and store.
We hired two professional, full-time staffers to handle education and management.
We restocked and reopened our supply store.

There is no way to describe how grateful and humbled we are as the board and staff to know that the community support for Springwater is so deep and so generous. Each of you who donated and fulfilled your pledge has our deepest gratitude.

The community support placed in sharp relief the changes that needed to be made at Springwater to make it a financially viable and successful nonprofit in the future. We are making those changes now.

We are working closely with our teachers to plan and execute classes in all of the fiber art fields.
We have standardized our class pricing structure to make it more equitable for all students.
We are re-organizing a system to more efficiently take special orders for equipment and tools not easily accessible in the region.
We are aggressively seeking out additional grants to support our educational mission.
We are expanding the privileges of membership in Springwater by bringing in more events and additional perks.
We are improving our website and online outreach.
We are planning more ways to get students, customers, teachers and supporters involved and invested in Springwater.

To keep Springwater moving forward, we still need your financial support. As a board, we planned to hold a fall fund drive as an annual campaign. But the current economic climate and end of our fiscal year have made it imperative to ask for donations now.

If you can give -- in whatever amount -- it will keep the momentum of growth and change going at Springwater. Our new dynamic board and brand new staff are excited to continue making positive changes, and we think you'll like what you see.

Please give. Springwater is committed to doing whatever we can to provide the best possible educational experience and materials for our students and customers. We want to hear your feedback about how we are doing, and we are working on improving our communication to you.

Thank you again for your continued, loyal support of Springwater.

Sincerely,
Ann Liddle
President, Springwater Board of Directors

Brand New Spectrum!

2008-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our wall of hand-dyed Springwater Spectrum yarn has expanded.

One of Springwater's master dyers just dropped off newly dyed skeins, in everything from laceweight to bulky. Some of it is 100 percent wool, and some has a halo of mohair.

The laceweight would be perfect in an Adamas shawl by Miriam Felton like the one recently knitted by the Yarn Harlot herself. It would only take two skeins, and at $10.89 a skein, it's the perfect summer project.

And now you are asking..."but where are the pictures??"

I promise I will bring my camera in this week and post some. Unless of course it all sells before then!

Come down and take advantage of our "Week After KIP Day" coupon for 15 percent off all yarn and notions in the store.

Come KIP with Us!

2008-06-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Springwater will be joining the KIPpers at Belle Haven park in Alexandria at 11am on Saturday, June 14, for World Wide Knit in Public Day.

I think this map (ETA: Link fixed! Thanks, trueepicure!) shows the general location, but correct me in the comments if it doesn't!

We're bringing coupons for 25 percent off all yarn and notions. We'll also have a chance to win a fiberlicious door prize for signing up for our email newsletter.

Even though it says "knit" in public, I sure wouldn't mind a strong showing from the crocheters and spinners, too. Come and join us!

We've Got a Visitor Coming

2008-06-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

The looms are folded and pushed to the side, and we're dusting and sweeping to make sure our studio looks its best.

Artist, writer, educator John Marshall is presenting a sold-out class on "Clothing Designs of the World" here at Springwater on Saturday and Sunday, but this Friday he will open his stay here in Alexandria with a lecture on "The Texture of the Life We Lead."

"The Texture of the Life We Lead" is a survey of how we as humans incorporate color and texture into our daily lives. A slide show depicting a full array of clothing and adornment styles, cultures and time periods help to illustrate this inspiring talk.

John's lecture will be followed by a trunk show of his unique dye work and traditional Japanese pieces for sale.

The lecture and trunk show are this Friday, June 13, at 7-9:30 pm. It will be at the Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria, 901 N Fairfax St, Alexandria, VA. It's one block north of Springwater and there is plenty of parking. The fee for associate members is $20; for non-associates it's $25.

To register, call or stop by the store. We will be able to accept cash and check at the door, but no credit cards. However, we want to make sure there are enough chairs for everyone, so we appreciate it if you make prior reservations.

A huge part of Springwater's mission as a nonprofit for the fiber arts is bringing in inspiring, nationally recognized artists, such as John Marshall. Thank you for supporting Springwater and making it possible!

Summer Classes Online

2008-06-10T10:15:00.001-07:00

Joe sent an additional note about his linen coaster:

"It was made with a sett of 12 (i.e. I used a reed with an EPI (ends per inch) of 12. The weave structure is a balanced twill and is one of the ones I learned in the beginning 4-shaft weaving class taught by Carol Hasek."

Speaking of classes, our Summer Class schedule is now online. Click through this link to find out more information, and call, email or stop by the store to register.

Keep Cool with Linen

2008-06-09T09:05:00.001-07:00

One of our staff members, Joe Buriel, made this coaster out of the Fibranatura Flax (sorry, Ravelry link!) 100% linen yarn we have in the store.

He used the green linen for the weft, Berroco NaturLin for the warp and Filatura di Crosa Pic Nic for the orange edges.

The supply store carries a wide range of yarns for weaving, knitting, crocheting and felting, as well as roving for spinning. If you haven't checked us out lately, come down!

Introducing the New Managing Director

2008-05-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to the Springwater blog-reading community.

My name is Virginia Dorell, and I am the new Managing Director of the workshop. Most folks call me Ginny, and I'm excited to be joining the staff of Springwater as we keep moving the organization onward and upward.

I've been knitting since November 2005 and crocheting only since last month. My husband is hoping my new job doesn't mean new hobby supplies filling up the house, but I told him I couldn't promise that!

I've been a newspaper copy editor, a reporter and a representative of small businesses at the Chamber of Commerce. But I could not imagine a more perfect job than here at Springwater to combine my love of yarn, nonprofits and writing.

One of my top priorities is to keep the Springwater community informed of what's going on with the store and the school through the website, blog, Ravelry and newsletter. Please keep an eye on the blog for more frequent updates about classes, supplies and events.

I also want to know what is going on with YOU -- Springwater's loyal customers, students and teachers. I want to hear your feedback and thoughts about what we can do to meet your fiber wants and needs.

Without your support, we would not be here. So THANK YOU from all of us here at Springwater. I look forward to meeting each of you.

SAORI Weaving Class Special Offer

2008-04-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

It’s a cold and rainy spring day in Alexandria, but of course we retail folk love that because it means customers come in and hang out. Right? We’re trying to get more of that happening at Springwater now that we’re open late hours and seven days a week. Come on by and say hello!

For example, and for the next two days only, we’re making a once-in-a-lifetime (okay, well, we don’t plan to do this again) special offer to you to join our SAORI™ weaving class. The class is for people at all skill levels - from those who have never tried weaving, to experts who want to do something wild and crazy on a loom. The offer -- 30% off the class -- extends the idea of community (mention that you heard about the blog coupon to receive the discount; no further discounts apply when taking advantage of this offer).

SAORI™ is a loosely used term for free form weaving, and at the same time a highly regarded set of principles established by Japanese artist Misao Jo when in her fifties. At it’s best, SAORI™ can be learned by anyone, taught to anyone, regardless of ability or skill. The idea has caught on like wildfire in the US. The Saori mind celebrates moving away from machinery, learning from one another in groups, developing a sense of community, and the concept of working freestyle -- anything can become a part of the weaving, from yarn to found objects to. . .

In the first week, Linda Hurt will lead us all through warping the looms (provided). From there, the group will see and develop their individual projects. Join this class if you are interested in working with kids, people with learning abilities, helping with outreach for Springwater, or just making something beautiful and absolutely one-of-a-kind.

Jot a note to yourself to register in the next few days -- the first of 4 classes is this Sunday, April 6 from 1 -4:30 pm -- by calling us at 703/549-3634 or via email. I’ll be there. I hope you will too!

Submitted by Susan Cushing

Open Again!

2008-03-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Springwater was at death’s door not three months ago. Now, thanks to contributions of over $110,000 to save Springwater, we’re open again! Supply store, classes, the works. Sure ways to know we are fully functioning, I think, are: that the postman actually delivers our mail; great staff is almost fully back in place; the UPS guy is learning our names again, slowly (which means we’re getting great stuff in on a regular basis); and the fibers in the store are actually matching the flowers coming up in front of our windows.

(photo courtesy Cori Martinelli)

New Supply Store Hours are:

Mon 11:30-5
Tue 11:30-7
Wed 11:30-7
Thu 11:30-8
Fri 11:30-7
Sat 10-7
Sun 12-5

Everything around here will now be happening in smaller steps. What we carry in the store will be driven first and foremost by the needs of our classes and students (please refer to our newsletter), by our mission to teaching and preserve the fiber arts, and by our commitment to pay down the remainder of the debt we carry.

There are still some disconnects: if you are not getting our newsletter or e-mail blasts, call us (703/549-3634) or email us info@springwaterfiber.org. Something happened in the technical soup, and many people have fallen from our mailing lists despite their unquestionable value to us. Please keep in touch with us. As Dionne says, it’s the Ghost in the Machine. If we’ve lost track of you, we want you back!

We're thinking about the website, but for the moment -- unless someone comes up with a huge pot of money to overhaul it -- the website will primarily be a tool to get you to our online newsletter (e.g., class information) and to this blog (check for updates every Friday).

New Arrivals

In the store: We’ve gotten in even more colorways of the fantastic bamboo fiber pictured above (Royal Bamboo, 100% bamboo); new summer yarns La Spezia (100% cotton) and Evita (cotton/acrylic/rayon) arrived last week in fab summer colors; and just today our books and magazines began to arrive. Get the Italian yarns while you can -- while they’re brilliant and light, they are also the end of their lineage -- we cannot get more.

Also check out the beginnings of what will inevitably be a felting department; some cool pre-felt squares and yardage have been added to our gorgeous merino top. For spinners and weavers, we’ve gotten lovely colors of domestic roving, both dyed and natural, and there are some nice fresh cones of all the basics. We’ve also just received a new dye lot from our own SPECTRUM line, dyed right here at Springwater.

Come by! Take a class! Join a group! We hope to see you soon!

Thursday Evening!

2007-12-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

As many of you are aware, this Thursday (December 13th) will be the last chance you'll have to see Springwater and take advantage of our remaining sale items until 2008! From 5 PM to 8 PM, we'll have cider and cookies to share with everyone that stops by, and we'll be increasing our discount to 50% for all shoppers - and members will still get an additional 10% off of that! We hope that you'll stop by and say "farewell" to the old...because over the next month we'll be sprucing up the school and shop areas, bringing in new merchandise for all our fiber artists, and planning our grand re-opening to occur in January (date TBA).

Please keep an eye on our website, and on your email, as well as here on the blog, for more information about our grand re-opening - and thank you all for the support and encouragement that you've given the board, staff, and teachers at Springwater!

Knitting Daily

2007-09-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Along with a new editor, Interweave Knits also has a new website: Knitting Daily. Here, you can find several posts each week devoted to knitting (and most recently, crocheting), as well as several of IK's patterns, made available for free to people who have registered with the website. Along with access to the websites trove of treasures, a registration will also give you an opportunity to sign up for their mailing list to get the posts sent directly to your inbox.

As well as introducing and breaking down patterns and techniques, the blog-style website has posted interviews with designers and a couple of project galleries that show how the sample garment fits on different body types with different amounts (both positive and negative) of ease. Very interesting.

Interweave has been making select patterns from all their disciplines available for free on their various websites. If you haven't visited their website, take a few minutes to browse around http://www.interweave.com and click around to their various disciplines. There are free projects guidelines in beading, needlwork, weaving, and spinning. All their knitting and crochet projects have been moved over to Knitting Daily.

Member Event - Back To School Night

2007-09-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Springwater is falling back into the school season with our September Associates Event - a Back To School Night!

Join us on Saturday, September 15th from 5-7 PM here at the shop. We'll be discussing an overview of the fall class schedule, showing how Springwater can provide schools & civic groups various demonstrations and other outreach opportunities, and we'll even teach you a few fiber "tricks" to share with young and old alike! There is no charge, and light refreshments will be provided.

We extend an extra special invitation to school teachers and homeschoolers, as well as our Associates. Please come out and join us for a fun and informative evening!

Saartje's Booties

2007-09-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

One of the patterns I’ve seen floating around in several online spots lately is the Saartje’s Booties pattern, written by Saartje, who blogs from her home in the Netherlands. She has made the pattern available for free on her blog (side bar, in both English and Dutch).

I have be honest and admit up front that I am not a big fan of baby booties in general. I have never seen a pattern for a pair that I have felt compelled to make (before these). Babies don’t need shoes until they are walking, and when they do have booties or socks on, they are constantly falling off!

But when I first came across this pattern, I decided I had to make them. What a great little design with the crossed straps — these should stay put on a baby’s foot!

I made this little pair in an afternoon, using about 12 grams (for the small size) of leftover sock yarn and some little shell buttons I found in a drawer at home. The only thing I changed was how the button loops were created. Instead of making them from yarn ends (I’m always looking for ways to sew in fewer ends), I took the last stitch of the last knit strap row, slid it onto a crochet hook, chained 6, then slid the last chain loop back onto the needle to start the bind-off row.

These little booties are a great one-day project, would make a great gift for a new baby, and a wonderful way to use up some of those yarn scraps you are reluctant to get rid of, but don’t know what to do with.

Textiles of Klimt's Vienna at the TM

2007-09-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about being a fiber artist living in the DC area is having access to the Textile Museum. One of the current shows at the museum showcases the textiles of Klimt’s Vienna. The show features the work of the many talented textiles designer at the Wiener Werkstatte at the beginning of the 20^th century. A printmakers dream, the samples range from the simple to the most of elaborate designs, making many strong statements about art through the 20^th century.

The Wiener Werkstatte was not only a design workshop but also an artistic hub for a new movement of art known as the Arts and Crafts Movement. The principle of which was to have beauty in everyday life with everyday objects, and the artists of Vienna were looking to shape the world with their work. The work in the exhibition has strong ties to the artistic past but also shows how the styles were a preview for what was to come throughout the 20^th century.

Hidden Treasure at the TM

The hands on room is hidden on the top floor of the museum but is worth the trek up the stairs. If you traveling with children this playroom can help bring the structure of many different textile techniques to life.

Are you Raveled Yet?

2007-08-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ravelry.com is a new online knit and crochet community. The index page of the Ravelry website says “organize. Organize your projects, stash, needles and more”, “share. Show off your work. Share your ideas and techniques”, and “discover. Find new designs and yarns. Make friends. Try new things”. That pretty much sums it up, I think. I am currently on the wait list for an account, but I have seen the inside through someone else’s account, and let me just say, I’m excited. This is revolutionary for the online fiber community, and we’ve been waiting for something like this to come along, to organize us and bring us together.

Some of the features of Ravelry include: organizing your projects and your stash; seeing what other people are working on and what they are using their stash yarns for; joining groups with similar interests; finding new projects; seeing how the same project can look in different yarns, joining a community of interest; and making friends. One of the things that most excites me about becoming a user of Ravelry is the inspiration that I am sure will become a detriment to my bank account, but also seeing what others may be doing with some yarn that I have been hoarding in my stash, waiting for that elusive “perfect project”.

The website is still in its beta stages, so the users are currently limited, at least until the operators get their grown-up servers and networking hardware in place and tested out. A recent post on their news blog indicates that there are currently 8300 users and, as of August 19^th, their new hardware was shipping and they were anticipating being able to crank up the invites soon. Meanwhile, for those of us who are anxious to join, you can sign up for their waitlist and periodically check where you stand on the list while you salivate at the prospect of becoming a member.

Research at the TSA

2007-08-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder how textile enthusiasts and professionals stay in the know? There is a wonderful organization that can keep you informed and educated on the current research, exhibitions, and symposia in the world of textiles. The Textile Society of America mission statement is:

The Textile Society of America, Inc. provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about textiles worldwide, from artistic, cultural, economic, historic, political, social, and technical perspectives.

To access all of the wonderful resources they provide visit their website at http://www.textilesociety.org/index.htm. Things to look for include the Events Page where you can find listings for events in the US and Canada; including exhibitions, workshops, symposia, study tours, and conferences. And, if you’re a textile researcher you may also want to take a look at the Resources Page with its international listings of websites for museums, conservation groups and other textile groups.

Hidden Treasures at the TSA

Become a member and receive numerous publications and meet professional in the field. They also hold a bi-annual symposium with some of the top researchers in the world of textiles speaking about their latest research.

Fall back to the basics...

2007-08-24T09:05:00.001-07:00

First of all, happy birthday to our staff members Joe and Marena!

Many of you have already received your Fall edition of the Springwater Fiber Workshop's newsletter in the mail; if you haven't yet, or you're not on our mailing list, you can take a look at the schedule on our website. As always, we have a wonderful class schedule for the fall. Coming up in the middle of September are a wide variety of times and days for our Basic Weaving, Projects & Advanced Weaving, and Introduction to Four Shaft Weaving classes. We also have Denise Vauthier offering her Silk Painting & Surface Design class on September 15 & 16, Margaret Fisher offering Sensational Slip Stitches on September 16, and an exploration of SAORI weaving (which you can read more about in this article written by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, or click here to visit the website of Saori Worcester in Massachusettes).

Finally, plan to stop by the shop on Saturday or Sunday, September 8 & 9, as Springwater will be having an extra-special Back To School sale! We'll have our studio space filled with selected yarns, fibers, accessories, equipment, and books / patterns marked at least 40% off of retail; some are donated, some are remainders, and some special items will be directly from our stock! We're also using this sale as an opportunity to collect items for N Street Village to use in their outreach and assistance to homeless and low-income women in Washington, DC; next week we'll post a list of requested items and give you more information on this wonderful organization.

In the meantime, enjoy your last "summer" week, and stop by for a visit soon!

On the Road

2007-08-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

This week, I am on vacation. I will hopefully be happily knitting away on a pair of socks or other small, tote-able project on the beach.

It seems only fitting that my topic be On the Road: What do you bring/do/buy fiber-wise when you travel?

Here’s what I tend to do and bring:

I scout out nearby local yarn and fiber shops. And if I haven’t planned ahead, I do a search on my cell phone.
I bring a couple of projects to keep me entertained and for different types of situations:

A good plane or car project — something relatively mundane and/or small – I make tons of mistakes when I ride in the car, so it can’t be lace or anything too complicated, something stockinette or garter stitch is ideal, but I will also do small projects like socks or baby hats.
A project that requires my attention and focus, usually a project I have been wanting to work on, but haven’t had the time or focus to make much progress. Wishful thinking.
Something I can work on while doing other things (could be same as the first project).
A back-up project. Again, wishful thinking.

I plan for far more than I can actually accomplish.

And here’s what I tend to buy:

Something special I can’t get at home or something unique to that shop or area. Is there is a yarn spun from local sheep by a local spinner and/or hand-dyed by local dyers? (I also use a similar thought process for MD Sheep and Wool – I limit myself to purchasing things I can’t get easily otherwise.)
Sock yarn. I always know how much I need to make a pair of socks, so it is a safe and fun buy. Also, usually a low-investment purchase that doesn’t take up a lot of room in the suitcase (unless I buy 20 skeins of sock yarn...).
Patterns. I’ve learned that when you see a pattern you think you might like to make one day, buy it. You never know if you’ll find it again. Also, again, low financial investment (because remember, I am using all my money to finance my vacation) and low spacial commitment in the suitcase.
Buttons. I’m always looking for cute buttons. See above for why buttons also make a good travel purchase.
Anything supply I end up desperately needing for a project that has been traveling with me.

So, here’s to happy traveling!

19th Cenury France at the NGoA

2007-08-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

A trip to the National Gallery of Art can be overwhelming to even the most frequent visitor. Somehow, I always find myself in my favorite galleries time and time again. Most often I make my way to the 19^th Century French Galleries (galleries #80 - #93), where the works of Degas, Monet, Pissaro, and Cassat reside in perfect harmony.

For the textile lover these can be some of the most mesmerizing works of art to study the decadent and the simple. Artists of the period were masters at capturing the details of lace, embroidery, upholstery, and pattern popular in both clothing and interiors. While almost every work found here could be inspiring, we will look at two of the best. I hope you will either see these in person or at least visit the Museum website to enjoy the importance of textiles in these works. Go to http://www.nga.gov/collection/index.shtm for more information.

In gallery #90 you will find several works from Auguste Renoir including “Odalisque.” This Algerian inspired image of a woman reclining is a textile lovers dream. The model is wearing traditional Muslim clothing for women of the period, the bright colors clashing with each other and the opulent room in which she resides. Color, texture, and pattern fight to gain your attention in the overwhelming scene of pure luxury.

To see the more simple side of textiles stop in to visit gallery #88 and the master of simple elegance in everyday life, Edgar Degas. In his painting “Woman Ironing,” a simple task of the maid becomes a scene of beauty. Instantly one is drawn into the distinction between the messy clothes of the maid verses the crisp clothes on which she works. The clothes that hang around her cut the light and assume an ethereal quality. Meanwhile a small stack of crisp and freshly ironed shirts show the reality of the work the woman is doing.

Hidden Treasure at the NGoA

The bookstore!

DP WIP Tubes are here!

2007-08-17T07:48:00.001-07:00

This just in the shop: Nancy's Knit Knacks, an outstanding source of creative accessories for fiber artist of all breeds, has just come out with their Double Point Work In Progress Tubes! Priced at $9.50 for a set of two (perfect for those of you that work two socks or sleeves simultaneously), these tubes telescope from 5" to 10", and with an internal diameter of 5/8", they will hold your small and medium size DPN's firmly, allowing your project to hang outside of the tube yet protecting the needles from breakage and your stitches from stitches slipping off!

We're also expecting our shipment of the new Cat Bordhi book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters, to arrive in the next week. The reviews of this book have been exceptional; my own knitter friends who have read it say that it's sure to become an important technique and reference book, and that it changes the way you'll think about knitting socks forever! Cat is one of the few designers around that challenges preconcieved notions about knitting; her Moebius cast on (found in her Treasury of Magical Knitting) was a truly new way of creating multidimensional items. You can read more about her at her website, www.catbordhi.com, and you can search on YouTube for videos of her demonstrating some of her techniques.

Finally, our new class schedule is at the printer and will be available on our website soon, but in the meantime, I couldn't wait to tell you about Margaret Fisher's class "Sensational Slip Stitches", on Sunday September 16 from 9am to 4pm. Margaret is a very popular knitting teacher, having taught all over the country for guilds, shops, and at large events such as Stitches, Maryland Sheep and Wool, and TNNA's biannual conventions. This is a great opportunity to learn various slip stitch knitting techniques, both two-color and multi-color, and inject some creativity and color into your work. Associate tuition for this class is only $100 (non-associates pay only $110), and it's sure to fill up fast, so call in or stop by the shop to sign up soon!

A Year in Socks

2007-08-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Not just another knit-along, the Rockin’ Sock Club hosted by Blue Moon Fiber Arts is an annual sock club. Every other month for a calendar year, participants receive a kit. The kits typically contain a special-for-the-club hand-dyed skein of BMFA’s famous (did anyone else see that line at MD Sheep and Wool? Crazy) sock yarn, along with an exclusive new sock pattern and dyer’s notes. The yarn and the pattern are available only to club members until the end of the year.

With each shipment, there is also the element of surprise. Participants don’t know what is coming in terms of yarn weight (will it be their lightweight? Mediumweight?), even fiber content (the second 2007 shipment was a new yarn, “Silkie” – 81% superwash merino and 19% tussah silk), or pattern (will it be lace? Will there be cables? Will it be top-down or toe-up?). Each shipment is a chance to potentially learn a new technique involved with sock knitting and try out a color you may not have picked out if left to your own devices.

Also in full utilization of the technology resources that surround us on a daily basis, the ladies at Blue Moon have a message board/blog set up for all the participants. They can communicate with participants about shipments, contests and answer questions; and the participants can also ask and answer questions, arrange local meet-ups and post status updates or modifications and finished photos of their kit socks.

If you are a die-hard sock knitter, or even just a regular sock knitter, and would like to participate in 2008, check back with the Blue Moon website closer to the close of 2007.

Prayer Rugs at the NERS

2007-08-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

If you don’t have time to make it to a museum, and are in need of a textile fix, the Internet if full of many amazing on line exhibitions of artwork. We will certainly explore these as time goes on. This week I stumbled into The New England Rug Society. Currently showcase on on-line exhibition of Islamic Prayer Rugs & Related Textiles.

Harvard University Scholar Jeff Spur provides commentary on the importance and history of these religious textiles. His exploration into the symbolic meaning behind the iconography is enlightening and brings a wonderful clarification.

With twenty-six examples of rugs to explore a full range to stylistic possibilities are represented. Take advantage of the close up images to get an understanding of the structure or flip through the pages to see an amazing range of patterns and colors.

To visit the New England rug society exhibition go to http://www.ne-rugsociety.org/gallery/prayer-rugs-fall-2002/ners-prayer-rug-intro.htm

Copyright is Confusing

2007-08-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of writing a piece on “tips and tricks” to share with you. One of the “tips and tricks” I use for nearly every project that I was going to share is to make a “working photocopy” of your pattern. I know it seems like a no-brainer, but I run into a lot of people who haven't thought of doing this to save their books from the wear and tear they are subjected to in project bags, not to mention giving you a handy place to jot down notes.

But I was having a dilemma. I couldn’t just put that tip out there and not include a note on copyright as it pertains to both personal uses and Springwater uses. So, here are the bones of copyright laws as they pertain to your own fiber endeavors and at Springwater:

Copyright law is a serious consideration for Springwater. Unfortunately, it is easy to violate (as we have seen with the music industry), but violations are still illegal and could carry hefty fines. As a non-profit organization concerned with community and educating people about all the joys of fiber arts, we also need to be sure we are not doing so at another’s expense.

Whether a pattern specifically has a big, bold copyright notice on it or not, it likely has a copyright owned by either the author or the publisher. Patterns, I think we would all agree, are undoubtedly artistic and intellectual works. The government copyright website (http://www.copyright.gov/) defines copyright as:

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. . . . It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of copyright.

~ Quoted from http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#wci

Things we MAY do include:

We MAY make a copy of a pattern we have already purchased for our own personal use. For example, I usually make a copy of a pattern that I am working on so that I may make notes, highlight the size I am working on, or make alterations to the pattern for myself.
We MAY print out a copy of a free pattern on the internet for our own personal use. For example, patterns on http://www.knitty.com are available to print out for person use, but are not available to sell or distribute.
We MAY tell customers where they may obtain a free pattern on the internet.
We MAY make a copy of a pattern that we have sold the last copy of. This copy should not to be sold, but used only as a reminder of what we need to re-order.
We MAY write a pattern and copyright it ourselves. If you do create and wish to copyright a pattern yourself, the correct notation would be: © 2006 Jane Doe or Copyright 2006 Jane Doe. Under the current laws, technically you do not need to register your piece nor put a copyright notice on it in order to secure copyright protection, but it certainly helps to avoid any confusion.

Things we MAY NOT do include:

We MAY NOT make copies of free internet patterns to distribute to our customers. These patterns are under copyright protection by the author or publisher and may not be distributed by a store (even if we don’t charge for them) without express permission for the copyright holder. We can, however, tell a customer where to go to make their own copy for personal use.
We MAY NOT make a photocopy of a pattern from a book we have not purchased, nor allow our customers to do so.
We MAY NOT sell a photocopy of a pattern.
We MAY NOT sell something we have made from a pattern that is copyrighted by someone other than ourselves.
We MAY NOT make a slight adjustment (i.e. change the color of the yarn) to a pattern and call it altered sufficiently as to no longer be protected under copyright law. This is covered under the “derivative works” section and would also require permission from the copyright holder to distribute.
Unless you are certain it is in the public domain, it is always safe to assume that if you did not write it, draw it, photograph it, compose it, etc., someone else did, and therefore, someone else holds the copyright, and we need to obtain permission (by asking or purchasing) to distribute it.

For more information about copyright, visit: http://www.copyright.gov/.

Reinventing Tradition at the DOI

2007-08-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Throughout the summer the Department of the Interior Museum Gallery is featuring contemporary fashion by Native American designers. The exhibit features the work of 15 designers ranging from the 1950s thru the present. Their inspired uses of weaving, felting, beading, appliqué, silk screening, quilting, and tapestry weaving can get you thinking in a new way about the fiber arts.

Using elements of the past, the featured designers are imposing their traditional techniques and patterns on modern clothing. By combining the elements of the past with the norms of the modern culture a perfect melding of two can be seen playing with and against each other. Must see articles include the Twin Peaks poncho (2007), and its silk-screened animal motifs from the tribes of the north west coast.

Directly across the hall from this small exhibit are traditional Native American garments making a wonderful transition in time.

Hidden Treasure’s at the DOI

The gallery itself is the most important treasure here. The permanent collection features the many aspect of the Department of the Interior and the many ways in which they have shaped the United States. Galleries are filled with historic Native American garments, geological samples, archeological artifacts, and mapping tools.