November 2010 - Mountain Spinners & Weaver Guild

NEWSLETTER 

THE MOUNTAIN SPINNERS AND WEAVERS GUILD 

VOLUME XXXIV NUMBER 3 November, 2010 

P. O. BOX 1820 PRESCOTT, AZ 86302 

President’s Letter 

I will be representing our guild at the Arizona Federation of Weavers and Spinners 

Guilds’ Board Meeting Saturday, October 23. (Carma had a prior commitment!). This is 

the first meeting since we voted to rejoin Federation, and I’ll report to you at our 

November meeting. 

What a full and fun few weeks ahead. Our Gallery Show opens November 5, and the 

Holiday Sale takes place the following weekend on November 13. And mark your 

calendars for the Christmas Potluck Luncheon on December 11, 2010. We’ve moved our 

December meeting ahead by a week, so more of you can join in on the fun! 

Happy weaving & spinning, 

Anne Marston 

9:00 AM – Business meeting 

November Membership Meeting 

Saturday, November 20, 2010 

American Lutheran Church 

1085 Scott Dr., Prescott 

10:30 AM – Wendy Dittbenner will talk about raising alpacas and Merino sheep, 

their fiber, the process of preparing the fiber, and marketing it. 

Special Interest Groups 

Mondays – Spinning 10 am -2 pm at Sharlot Hall Museum. 

Tuesdays – UFO (UnFinished Objects) 1:00 pm, Annemarie Bellem’s or Anne Marston’s, 

call first, 445-5564 

Wednesdays – Bead Weaving, Wilda Postel’s, call first, 776-4481 

Fridays – Sewing Handwovens, 4 th Friday of each month, 11:00 a.m., Wilda Postel’s 

Please note: SEWING HANDWOVENS INTEREST GROUP - the sewing group will 

not meet in November or December. We will meet on our regular 4th Friday in 

January. 

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Page 2 MSW Newsletter November 2010 

Future Programs 

December: Christmas Party and Potluck 

January: TBA 

February: Jane Hoffman, “Natural Dyes: A Tapestry Weaver’s Approach to a Full Color Palette” 

March: Silent Auction 

April: Bobbie Irwin on weaving 

May: Diane Wilson on basketry in Thailand 

Announcements 

Amazon.com Links Provide MSWG Profits! 

Don’t forget to order items from Amazon.com through the MSWG website. If you’re Christmas shopping 

remember Amazon includes more than books! To provide MSWG advertizing revenue, just open Book 

Reviews, and click on any of the Amazon links. Once the Amazon site opens, you can log in or create an 

Amazon account and place your order. Carefully check your order before submitting in case you don’t want the 

title listed on MSWG. You must delete the title from the order if you don’t want it. You don’t pay any more for 

your orders, but MSWG profits. 

Linking to Your Website on MSWG 

If you would like to include a link to your website, send an email to d2meyer@cableone.net with your link and 

any description you would like added to the MSWG page on member websites. 

History, Lore, and Other Arcana 

Domestic Service in America, II 

“Housework in the country is evenly divided between men and women….The women make butter and cheese, 

cook the meals, wash the clothes, mend them, make the working clothes of the men—that is, spin and dye their 

own sheep’s wool (the carding is done by machinery at local establishments scattered throughout most 

neighbourhoods), and weave the cloth themselves, from which they afterwards make the ‘frocks’ (loose 

blouses) and trousers worn for cooking purposes, knit socks and mittens from the same wool,…The long 

[winter] evenings are convenient for reading, rest, sewing, knitting, quilting, mat or rug making (there are 

various kinds, the braided or plaited mats being often put together by men, the hooked ones on a groundwork of 

bagging. Bags used for ‘shorts’ are the best, being women’s work), and, where one of the family has a turn for 

it, woodcarving or mechanism [sic].” - The Graphic (London, England), Saturday, June 21, 1879; Issue 499. 



“Fiber Art Unraveled: Material and Process”, Now through February 2011 at the Phoenix Airport 

Museum, Terminal 4, level 3. 

Beading Jewels Annual Holiday Show and Sale, November 6, 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Springhill 

Suites Marriott, 200 East Sheldon Street, Prescott. 

“It’s Elemental”, Fine Crafts Exhibition, Coconino Center for the Arts, November 23-December 18, 

Opening reception November 20, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Fine Crafts Saleand Marketplace, December 4-5, 10:00 a.m. to 

4:00 p.m. www.culturalpartners.org 

IWC – July 21-24, 2011 

IWC entry forms are available on the MSWG website. 

COE Judging 

“The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc., offers the Certificates of Excellence to its members to provide 

guidelines to evaluate individual skills, to encourage research and exploration in the fiber arts, and to 

recognize technically qualified weavers, spinners, dyers and basketmakers. Certificates of Excellence are 

awarded in Handweaving, Handspinning, Dyeing and Basketmaking.” 

Our guild has volunteered to host the Certificate of Excellence judging for Handweaving in the fall of 2012. 

This is both a major responsibility and an awesome opportunity to have nationally-known judges spend time 

here, to get to see COE samples and how they are rated, and to be an important part of the larger weaving 

community. As a bonus, we may have a judge stay on to teach a workshop and perhaps even to serve as a juror 

for our fall show. 

All of these good things will not happen without work on our part. This is a major undertaking for our group. 

Depending on the number of entrants, the judging could take up to five days. We will need to provide a space 

for the judging. We will also need homes where the judges can sleep – and since they will be working from 

early morning into the evening, a place to sleep will be more important to them than being entertained. We will 

need volunteers to act as scribes, walking with the judges and taking notes on their comments. (How often do 

you get to spend time with a nationally-known weaver and get insights like this?). Finally we will need to 

provide food, which can be coffee, tea, fruit, and doughnuts for breakfast, simple spreads for lunch, and one-pot 

meals like lasagna or chili for dinner – remember, we don’t need to feed the whole guild, just the judges and 

perhaps the scribes. 

Incidentally, all entrant identities are kept confidential, so no one will know who has passed until the judging is 

concluded. 

The Board feels that the Guild is up to the job, and this is an opportunity that we should not miss. The COE is 

one of the most important and well-known programs offered by the Handweavers Guild of America, and we can 

play an important role in supporting it. 



Workshops 

Spinning Faux Bouclé from Mohair Locks by Ruth Greenspan. Nov. 20, 2010, 1/2 day class. Details to 

follow. Ruth is unavailable for a while, and I'll post further info on the website. 

Felted Slippers by Sharon McFeely. Dec. 4, 2010 from 9:30 – 3:00 at 515 Oak St, Prescott. Cost is $60.00 

which includes all materials. Bring an old towel, lunch, and beverage. Come and felt a pair of cozy winter 

slippers. We'll start with merino fleece, and you will take home a finished pair of slippers at day's end. Limited 

to 6 people. 

Designing and Pattern Making for Your Handwoven Material by Wilda Postel. Jan 8, 15, 22, 29, 2011. 4 

1/2-day classes where you will learn how to design your handwoven for specific garments, make patterns, learn 

structure and fiber, laying out and cutting, sewing and finishing. Classes will be held at Wilda's house, and the 

charge is a modest $20.00 for all 4 classes. 

Freeform Knitting by Sandy Evans. Feb. 9, 2011 from 9:00 – 3:00. Cost is $25.00. Bring yarn from your 

stash, knitting needles, and a bag lunch. 

Lace Knitting and Designing by AnneMarie Bellem will probably be in March. Details to follow. 

Iridescence Weaving by Bobbi Erwin. April 14 & 15, 2011 from 9:00 – 4:00 at the Mountain Arts Gallery. 2- 

day workshop. Emphasis on color interaction more than structure, so it’s appropriate for beginners as well as 

experienced weavers. Bring a bag lunch. Those of you who have signed up please get your $50.00 deposit to 

Barbara Albeck ASAP to hold your place in class. It is filling rapidly, so don't wait to sign up. Final cost to 

TBD but should be approx. $75.00. 

Please let Barbara Albeck know what workshops you would like to see given in the future. If you have a special 

talent, perhaps you'd like to offer a workshop. Barbara wants to know what you, as members, would like to 

learn - or teach. Please e-mail her at Barbalbeck@msn.com or call 520-831-3242. Thank you. 

If a workshop is $20.00 or less, you need to pay for it in full when you sign up. If the workshop is over $20.00, 

you need to give a 50% deposit to hold your space in that workshop. Please make checks payable to MSWG. 

For Sale/Wanted: 

For Sale: LECLERC - NILUS 45” LOOM STANDARD EQUIPMENT, Steel reed, 12 dents/inch (5dents/cm), 

10½" (26.8 cm) heddles, 2 cords, 2 aprons. Jack-type loom, low castle. Price New: $2,850 – Asking $1850. 

OPEN END LECLERC BENCH (26”HIGH, 44” LENGTH) - Price New: $455 – Asking: $300. 

2” SECTIONAL WARP BEAM for the 45” Nilus Loom - Price New: $225 – Asking $150. 

All items are in excellent condition. Total package: $2,300. 

Contact: Victoria Morhous, 928-443-7406. 



December NEWSLETTER DEADLINE – November 27. 

Send articles to Diane Braun, highlander1@highcastlecrafts.com. 

Send address corrections/updates to Anne Marston at anne@annemarston.com or info@mtnspinweave.org. 

DIRECTORY UPDATES are listed on their own 

webpage and sent with the newsletter quarterly 

to those on snail mail. 

November Birthdays 

Nov.8 – Luida Gottlieb 

Nov. 9 - Lois Longfield 

Nov 28 – Dawn Phillips 

MSW 2009-10 Officers and Staff 

President---------------------Anne Marston 

First VP----------------------Laura Miner 

Second VP-------------------Kathy Kelly 

Secretary---------------------Marion Patterson 

Treasurer---------------------Debbie Allen 

Workshops-------------------Barbara Albeck 

Support Staff 

Historian----------------------Marilyn Smith 

Hospitality--------------------Yvonne Johnson 

Library-------------------------Patty Perkins 

Membership------------------Caralee Roberts 

Newsletter Editor------------Diane Braun 

Web Mistress-----------------Donna Meyer 

Parliamentarian---------------Debbie Allen 

Publicity-----------------------Margaret Espinoza 

Ways & Means---------------Carma Koester 

Highlights---------------------Joan Schneider 

Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild 

Minutes of the General Meeting October 16, 2010 

The meeting was called to order by: President, Anne Marston at 9:00 a.m. 

Visitors today: none 

Minutes: The September minutes were approved: M/S/V, Gretchen Mummert / Kathy Kelly / All 

1 st VP: Laura Miner: Today’s presentation will be “Weaving Wool and Rag Rugs” by Jean Cooper. November 

is TBD. December is the Christmas potluck. January is TBD. February will be Jane Hoffmann, a tapestry 



weaver from the White Mountains. The program will be “Natural Dyes: A Tapestry Weaver’s Approach to a 

Full Color Palette”. March is the Silent Auction. April will be a weaving program by Bobbie Irwin. May’s 

program will be Diane Wilson. She is a basket weaver from Peoria. She will discuss basketry from her travels to 

Thailand. 

2 nd VP: Kathy Kelly: The County Fair just completed. She encouraged more folks to participate next year. She 

thanked those who did participate this year. We have our exhibit in the Prescott Library for “National Spinning 

and Weaving Week.” It will be there for the month of October. For the 2011 Library showing Kathy would like 

to make the display topic “Textile History in Arizona” in celebration of the 2012 Centennial. Our next event 

will be the Christmas party/potluck on December 11 from 9:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The Christmas party/potluck 

will be held at the American Lutheran Church. The next event will be the silent auction in March 2011. 

Workshop Chair: Barbara Albeck: 

(1) October 16 - Nancy Wilson will do a workshop today on Spinning with Beads. 

(2) November 20 - Spinning Faux Bouclé from mohair locks with Ruth Greenspan. This is a half-day 

workshop, at the Church, following the general meeting. The cost is $25. 

(3) December 4 – Sharon McFeely may do a workshop on “Felted Fleece Slippers”. The workshop will be at 

Sharon’s home. 

(4) January (8, 15, 22 & 29), 2011 – Wilda Postel will do a series of workshop/classes on “Designing and 

Pattern Making for Your Handwoven Material”. The cost is $20 for all 4 classes. 

(5) February 9 – “Free-Form Knitting” with Sandy Evans. The cost is TBD. 

(6) March – Annemarie Bellem will offer a workshop on “Lace Knitting & Design.” Date and cost are TBD. 

(7) April 14 & 15 - will be Bobbie Irwin on “Weaving Iridescents.” The initial deposit is $50. Sandy Evans will 

host Bobbie Irwin. This is a color study class. 

Special Interest Groups: Beading, Spinning, and UFO’s (Unfinished Objects) are continuing to meet regularly. 

The “Sewing Handwovens” group meets on the 4 th Friday, at 11:00 am, at Wilda’s home. If there is enough 

interest for lace knitting, we may start up a SIG for that. 

Sunshine: Mary Bricker – none 

Announcements & Mail: Anne – (1) The collection cup will be passed around. If you forgot your name tag, you 

need to put in a quarter ($.25). (2) Anne received a “Knit-Picks” catalog. (3) A family from Flagstaff is selling a 

Gilmore loom and weaving books. Contact Anne if you are interested. (4) Anne has a DVD from Red Corn 

Tours on the Mayan highlands, Guatemala, and Central America. It’s time sensitive, so check it out. (5) Lani 

Fagen is selling some looms. Contact her for more information. (6) Marion Patterson summarized the Topic 

Suggestion listing from last month’s meeting. The results were given to Laura and Barb for possible future 

programs and workshops. The summary results will be available for reviewing during the break. (7) Carma has 

the food sign-up sheet for the Yavapai College Gallery Show opening evening celebration. Drop off food by 

4:30 on Friday, November 5. 

Hospitality: Susan Swiggers organized hospitality today. Today’s refreshments were provided by Gretchen 

Mummert, Marilyn Smith, and Dian Moore. 

Historian: Marilyn Smith – Has an article and photos of Cindy Faulkner from the County Fair. She was 

spinning angora fiber she plucked from her bunny. There are also some additional photos from older events that 

were recently given to her. The album has been updated and is available for viewing. 

Librarian: Margaret Espinoza – not present 

Membership: Caralee Roberts –The 2010-11 Directories are available. Please pick up your copy. 

Newsletter: Diane Braun – As a regular reminder all inputs for the newsletter are due the Saturday following the 

Guild meeting. 

Parliamentarian: Debbie Allen – not present 

Publicity: Margaret Espinoza – not present 

Ways and Means: Carma Koester – Today’s raffle is yarn items and books related to rug weaving in 

conjunction with today’s program. We also have totes, Tee shirts, sweatshirts, cookbooks, and other items. 

Old Business: Anne Marston – We have three items on “Old Business” today. 



Yavapai College Gallery Show - Jean Brugger reminded us the show will run from November 5 to December 1. 

The College will hang our items on the weekend before the show. She has asked to be present so she can 

observe and give suggestions on how items are displayed. She also needs an artist’s statement or bio from those 

who have items entered in the show, no later than October 25. The College will make a booklet containing all 

the bios for the show. 

The Holiday Sale, November 13, 2010 (10:00 to 4:00) – Yvonne Johnson and Barb Kiger are the co-chairs of 

the Holiday Sale. There will be two take-in dates: Wednesday, November 10, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., at Yvonne 

Johnson’s home in Prescott Valley and Thursday, November 11, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., at Wilda Postel’s home in 

Prescott. Holiday Sales categories are: Wearable art, Fashion accessories, Beading & Jewelry, Household items, 

Basketry, Yarn (fibers/roving/handspun), Baby & Toys, Men’s, Misc., and a Guild sales table. Sandy Evans is 

coordinating the raffle baskets. Remember you will need to fill out tags and inventory sheets. Templates for 

these forms can be found on our website. Please sign up for demonstrations, cashier, modeling, or just helping 

out. Please pick up your items at the end of the day. 

Non-profit – Anne spoke on a possible non-profit structure. She and Marion have done considerable research, 

and they agreed that “now is not the time to pursue a non-profit status,” and we should stay as we currently are. 

We cannot sell items for our members. It does require a great deal of volunteer time. The majority of our 

members are retirees who would rather be working on projects or taking workshops and classes. The 

responsibilities for setting up and maintaining a non-profit structure or pursuing grants is far greater than our 

current guild membership can expend or afford. Maybe at a future time another MSWG Board may decide to 

revisit this matter. 

New Business: Anne Marston - none 

Show & Tell: Susan Swiggers – Over-dyed wool yarn and a knitted hat; Donna Meyer – A knitted dog sweater; 

Kathy Kelly – 2 felted knit tote bags from handspun, a knitted scarf, and several skeins of handspun yarn; 

Nancy Wilson – Entrelac knitted scarf from handspun yarn, a knitted mobius from handspun yarn, a skein of 

handspun yarn, a knitted mobius of beaded handspun yarn combined with eyelash yarn; Barb Kiger – 4 men’s 

woolen handwoven scarves; Shelly Leichter – A crocheted pullover, long-sleeve sweater; Mary Jane Hopf – A 

knitted mobius and an in-process knitted afghan (which started out to be a “surprise sweater”); Dawn Whitman 

– 2 woven baskets; Marion Patterson – A handwoven shawl. 

Motion to close meeting: M/S/V, Kathy Kelly / Annemarie Bellem / All 

Meeting adjourned at 9:55 a.m. 

Secretary: Marion Patterson 

Today’s program: “Weaving Wool and Rag Rugs” with Jean Cooper. 


Diamond Valley Alpacas 

Alpaca fleece, rovings, and handspun luxury yarns 

Distributor of Ertoel Roberta Electronic Spinner 

Barbara Albeck 520-831-3242 

Barbalbeck@msn.com www.DiamondValleyAlpacas.com 

Peaceful Prairie Ranch 

Alpaca Sales - Breeding - Boarding 

Alpaca fleece, fiber, yarn, and products 

Wendy Dittbrenner 928-848-0267 

Wdranch@commspeed.com www.peacefulprairie.com 

High Castle Traditional Crafts 

Handwoven, Handspun, and Handknitted Items 

Cotswold Sheep, Yarn, Supplies, and Classes 

Diane Braun, Proprietor 

Wilhoit, AZ 

www.HighCastleCrafts.com 928-442-9291 

Dreamweaver Alpacas 

Specializing in alpaca products for fiber artists 

Yarn, roving, and raw fiber 

Sharon and Gary Travis Prescott Valley, AZ 

Dreamweaveralpacas@earthlink.net 928-775-4669 

Camp Verde Llamas 

Llamas, alpacas, and Shetland sheep 

Fleece, fiber, rovings, and hand-dyed yarn 

Homegrown fiber, Eucalan wool wash, Greener Shade dyes 

Chris and Nancy Wilson Camp Verde, AZ 

Spinllama@msn.com 928-567-6684 


http://www.studiothreeaz.com 

Stop by, and see the new Shepherds Shades wool! We really like this new yarn and are using it to weave 

scarves and throws. 

The new Summer Winter Plus Books are coming, as well as the new Peggy Osterkamp Weaving for 

Beginners. 

Our new knitting needles from Serendipity have arrived. They are made from birch, and each needle is 

handcrafted with precision in Rhode Island. They are topped with polymer clay finials in a variety of styles 

from flowers to sheep and anything in between to match your unique personality. 

Conne and Patti 

Mountain Spinners & Weaver Guild 

PO Box 1820 

Prescott, AZ 86303 

www.mtnspinweave.org

November 2010 - Mountain Spinners & Weaver Guild

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