Found a great blog called TECHknitting,

Have you ever had a terrifying mess like this at the side edge of your knitting?

A mess like this occurs when stitches come loose at the edge and run out.

read more.....

• Each year, The Staten Island Handspinners and Weaver Guild makes a donation of handmade (knit, crochet or woven) clothing to Safe Horizon on Staten Island.
• Safe Horizon is an organization that helps battered women and their children get away from abusive situations, provides emergency housing, and helps them start a new life.

They need clothing for children of all ages and sexes, and for women. (hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters, vests, baby blankets, etc). Often, families arrive with only the clothes on their backs.

• Items should be Machine Washable -- Acrylic, or cotton (no wool please)
• This is a good opportunity to try out a different technique on a small size!
• The Staten Island Handspinners and Weavers Guild usually makes the donation to Safe Harbor in OCTOBER, in anticipation of cooler weather.
• The women really appreciate items that show them some one cares.

If you need specific pattern suggestions see Mary Owen at the next meeting.

There are also many sources for patterns at your local yarn store (Naked Sheep),  online, at yarn company websites (Lion Brand; Red Heart; Spinrite, Caron, Patons, Lily, Bernat; Love Knitting; KnitPicks; on Ravelry..... and Many more. Just Google it and see what you find!

Here is a link to a knit watch cap

Here is a link to knit mittens

Link to fiber festivals: http://fiddleheadfibers.com/festivals/FestivalRegion.html

Chancellor's Sheep & Wool Showcase, Germantown, NY

• http://www.friendsofclermont.org/calendar/

Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association, Inc.
SHEEP, WOOL & FIBER FESTIVAL

• http://www.ctsheep.org/sheep_and_wool_festival

Garden State Sheep Breeders
A non-profit, educational organization promoting sheep and wool products in NJ

• http://njsheep.net/festival/

Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair
at Hallockville Museum Farm, held in early May, check their website for dates.

• http://www.hallockville.com

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is one of the largest festivals of its kind celebrating all things sheep, from hoof to handwoven.
Usually held the 1st weekend in May, check website for exact dates.

• http://sheepandwool.org

New York Sheep & Wool Festival
Usually held the 3rd weekend in October, check website for exact dates.

• http://sheepandwool.com/

Always ask guild members first... they may have or know of someone who wants to sell something.

It is always best to test out a loom BEFORE you buy. Looms are not one-size-fits-all. Some looms may be ergonomically TOO BIG.

Buy a loom that fits your needs. Large looms are available but are hard to sell, especially in areas where living space is a premium.

Online:

• http://www.kbbspin.org/taxonomy/term/7
  
• http://www.woolery.com/Store/pc/Used-Equipment-c99.htm
  
• http://www.homesteadweaver.com/usedequipment.htm
  
• http://glimakrausa.com/used-looms/for-the-used-loom-seeker-about-older-models/
  
• local guild websites
• lawn or estate sales
  

Beware of used equipment on eBay (or anywhere)....  always check that all parts are there and that it is in working order, shafts, treadles, heddles, warp beam, cloth beam, levers, handles, tie-up cords, gears, etc.... unless you are an expert in repairing the equipment!!!

These PDF files for for download and distribution. The have our website and social media links and a brief description of who we are.

Every year we volunteer at the Sheep Shearing at the Staten Island Zoo. Some members get fleece... which of course needs to be cleaned.

A few Pointers:

• Before you clean you need to SKIRT the fleece to remove the short cuts and the outer edges of the fleece which are shorter and full of VM (vegetable matter), dirt, and feces.
• A link to a great diagram of skirting, found at www.knitting-and.com/spinning/skirting.htm
• Below is a video, you can also search for "how to skirt a sheep fleece" and  you can find much information.

Although it is an "experience" to wash fleece, you might need a plumber to get the lanolin out of your plumbing. There are cleaning services that are worth every penny!!! Here are few:

• Zeilinger Wool Co.
• Evergreen Fleece Processing
• Fingerlakes Woolen Mill
• or search for "fleece cleaning service"

Note: it can take a long time to get your fleece from a service, In shearing season they get a LOT of fiber to process all at one time.

As per suggestion in our "Skirting" post.... we recommend that you send your fleece to a professional service to get it cleaned.

But if you feel the need to do it yourself, do some research before you start so you don't end up with a felted mess!

Search for "how to clean a fleece"
here's a couple good tutorials:

• http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/05/tips-washing-raw-wool/
• http://www.tengoodsheep.com/tutorial.html

Handweavers Guild of America
https://www.weavespindye.org/

American Tapestry Alliance
http://americantapestryalliance.org/

New York Guild of Handweavers
http://www.nyhandweavers.org/
there is an extensive list of guilds & networking information on the NYGH website

Ravelry is a free social networking service, beta-launched in May 2007. It functions as an organizational tool for a variety of fiber arts including knitting, crocheting, spinning, and weaving. Members share projects, ideas, and their collection of yarn, fiber, and tools via various components.

Although currently not that active, the Staten Island Handspinners & Weavers have a group on Ravelry. Feel free to join in the discussion!!!

https://thewooleryguy.wordpress.com/

Links to RED STONE GLEN 2016 classes:
http://files.ctctcdn.com/0be8d4e5501/25a61162-b101-4a23-9d0d-c429808c428d.pdf
Link to dates of the classes: http://files.ctctcdn.com/0be8d4e5501/d5c6389d-c7d9-489b-9ed9-e5c5fe485563.pdf


The Woolery - 315 St. Clair St, Frankfort Ky 40601 - info@woolery.com - 800-441-9665

Serving you for over 30 Years!
The Woolery is a family owned business and we've been serving the fiber arts enthusiast for over 30 years.

Our mission is to provide fiber arts supplies at competitive prices with fast turn around times and excellent customer service. We make it a point to routinely evaluate our prices and we are always shopping for better deals to pass on to our customers. We offer on of the most varied and complete line of products available.