A Visit to The Newbury School of Weaving

Earlier this year I signed up for a day-long workshop at The Newbury School of Weaving in Newbury, VT. The class I enrolled in is called "Introduction to the Great Wheel" and my class was held Saturday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. It was a fabulous experience.

Now, I have spun on my great wheel before, learning from videos (mostly) and articles and books. Although I can make yarn this way, I have always felt that having a real-life teacher would go a long way to filling in gaps and answering questions. I was right.

Newbury is just over the border in VT, less than 30 miles northwest of here. It's a very pretty town and the school occupies an old church on the common.

The drive up was beautiful, skirting the west side of Mount Moosilauke and the sometimes rugged looking terrain to the northwest of it. It was covered with a fresh coat of snow from the night before! I took this picture of Moosilauke some years ago, in the winter time, not far from my house: 

Stepping into the Newbury School was like time traveling. The sights, the sounds, the smells, all of it. A large cavernous space just beyond the entry vestibule is filled to capacity with counterbalanced barn looms. I have never seen so many humongous looms in one room before. A veritable forest of looms and accoutrements. At the far end of the room were 3 or 4 rows of spinning wheels of all shapes and sizes. A large work table separates the wheels from the looms.

Some of the looms had works in progress on them. The makings of warmth-providing blankets of wool that had been processed, spun, and woven there. What a joy. Here and there, bits of woven cloth, and shelves full of cones of yarn add splashes of color to the ambience. But wood, old patinated wood, predominates this large gathering place of antique weaving machinery. Heaven.

The class was everything I had hoped for and was very well structured. After a morning chit-chat to introduce ourselves and talk about our spinning, we were given some pencil roving to spin according to the demonstration our instructor had provided. This was a brilliant way to learn the movements of spinning on the great wheel. We learned how to wind off onto a reel and keep track of yardage.

When we returned from lunch, it was time to pick some scoured wool. We sat in a ring, encircling a large galvanized tub into which we tossed our fresh picked locks. This was conversation time. It felt like days gone by when people would get together to tackle a time-consuming task. Our lovely conversation touched on the historical aspects of spinning and weaving techniques, and quite a range of other making-related topics. It is an atmosphere from which one drinks deeply of the joy of life.

We were then given cards--cotton cards, much to my surprise! No. 10 cotton cards, and they worked fabulously. As soon as I got home Saturday evening, I found a pair on eBay and ordered them immediately. Then we approached the wheels again with our newly carded rolls and revisited our spinning moves only this time drafting out with the left hand.

At the end of the day I felt very satisfied with all that I had experienced and learned. The holes in my knowledge were filled in, new knowledge obtained, and confidence built.

Here is the 120 yds of highly energized singles I made during class, waiting to be bathed in hot water:

(Footnote. Progress on the rug was good last week as the weather was suitable for working on it outside.)

Sheep and Wool etc.

The New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival was held last weekend. I went down to Derry, NH early on Saturday morning to get there shortly after opening time. The weather was drizzly and a bit cool but it felt right. One of the vendors told me cool weather helps sales. That makes sense when the subject at hand is wool.

My first order of business was to drop off my circa 1980s Ashford Traditional spinning wheel at the used equipment tent. They were very happy for the donation and I was very happy to let a wheel, that I barely used, go where it will likely find a good home. With business out of the way it was time to explore and have fun.

Fun indeed! It was a fantastic festival this year and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It seems to me there was more to enjoy this year, but it could also be that I missed things in years past. The rug hooking guild was there and, well, you know me: Did I leave their area empty handed? Of course not. A handful of the guild were working on absolutely beautiful rugs, there was a ton of wool everywhere, and spread across one table were a few unfinished rugs which I presumed were for viewing purposes only. Much to my surprise and great delight, it was mentioned that they were on offer. One transaction later and I took possession of this very beautifully started rug. How many unfinished rugs should a person acquire? Is there a limit? 

It may be difficult to make out that there is a border of large leaves encircling the center medallion, but if you click the picture it will enlarge and the border should become visible. I'm thinking the area between the medallion and leaves will be a shade of grey, and the area outside the leaves will be a darker shade of grey.

Another purchase from the festival is a Cormo/BFL fleece of gorgeous black and dark grey. 1 lb., 11 oz. 

... and a new spindle. 1.5 oz. Walnut & Mahogany.

More pictures from the sheep & wool festival below.

Of my current projects, progress on the rug is steady but slow. Since yesterday, when the weather finally climbed out of the 50's F, and I can now sit out on the deck to work, I think progress will pick up a bit.

I have finished a third skein of Shetland--my best yet. This one makes me happy. 150 yds of light-as-a-feather 3-ply.

 

Pictures from the Sheep & Wool Festival

A bound rug

I have finished sewing--by hand, of course--the binding onto the rug. When the hooking is completed, excess burlap will be cut away so that it's a bit shorter than the binding width and the binding will be turned to the back and sewn down.

The border created by this binding has me seeing the rug in a new light. I have always thought the background outside the center medallion would be black. Now I can imagine a dark grey or even dark dusty green.

I wonder who started this rug? Wouldn't it be interesting to know? And to ask them what their intentions were? That would be cool. It may well be they are no longer with us. I will stick with black, I think, but first I will check my stash to see if I have enough grey. If so, then I'll have to decide. Stay tuned.

 

Quick updates

 

March struggles continue. Big temperature swings, melting, snowing; it's all over the place. But we are generally warmer than last month and it feels like spring is just around the corner, and very soon (May 9th & 10th) we'll be fawning over lambs at the NH Sheep & Wool Festival where the picture above was taken a few years back.

I have another bobbin full of the Shetland and just started plying it this morning. Spinning slowed down a bit this past month... not sure how to account for that. Unsettling times, maybe.

 

Progress on the antique hooked rug is good. I have finished filling in the scrolls and have one corner motif to hook before filling in the background. One of the holes has been patched and hooked over; there is one more hole in the background to be patched. I think this is going to be a pretty little rug.

I was making good progress on the Hammond Multiplex typewriter, but have hit a snag. There are some type selection pins in the arbor that are frozen (3 to be exact) and in order to get them moving again, the whole mechanism needs to be taken apart. The problem is this one screw which is frozen tight (red arrow). Some past event(s) definitely impacted this side of the arbor, for the three frozen selection pins are all at this end. The arbor is held together with three screws, and two of them came out without putting up too much of a fight, but this last one is very stubborn. I've tried oil, heat, impact, Liquid Wench, all to no avail. I am determined, though, so every couple of days I try again. A little more oil, a little more heat. Maybe another dose of Liquid Wrench. One of these days, hopefully.

 Quilting the appliqued top has not started yet. I decided it was best to focus on the rug and get that completed first.

Leather for reconstructing the melodion's exhauster has arrived so I can get down to business on that now. I also ordered a kit, containing leathers for the roller organ exhausters, so I can rebuild those as well.

 Here's looking forward to warmer weather!

 

 

In the works

Moving on to another bobbin of Shetland. I'm getting the hang of this fiber now. Enjoying it.

I have tackled the vintage, partially hooked rug I purchased last summer. Thinking about it today, I suspect it's nearly 75 years old. The center medallion was hooked by the original owner. The outlines of the scrolls were also hooked, and a few scrolls were complete. In the past few days I have filled in the bottom and bottom-left scrolls and hooked the flower motif in the left corner margin. I'm trying to stay true to the style of the original hooking. Looking at it now, I see that the curlicue near the newly hooked rose needs to be replaced with a more suitable color. This one is too bright. I don't think it's going to take too long to finish this pretty little rug. I'm quite enamored of the original hooker's colors.

Today, I went upstairs and fetched the quilt that I appliqued year before last. This can only mean one thing: I'm ready to start quilting it. Before putting it away last year, I layered the top, batting, and backing and basted them together. It will be hand quilted, and it is a project that will be finished this year. Then I'll tackle the very large woodland animals quilt that I appliqued the year before this one! You can see glimpses of the backing in this picture. (I had simply thrown it against the chair when I brought it down stairs.) The batting is an old cotton flannel sheet that I no longer use.

Another, somewhat unexpected project in the works is my Hammond Multiplex typewriter (early 1900s), purchased a few years ago. I managed to un-stick much of the works and took care of the gross amount of rust on the cover, but now it will be put in working order. On a whim, I checked eBay for a few missing--and important--parts, and lo and behold, I found both! Couldn't believe it. They should arrive any day now. An amazing little typewriter:

Performance class has started again at the music school and I'm very much enjoying it. Hard work, but worth it.

We're enjoyed a warm spell after days of quite cold temperatures. It is nice to have this little respite. I wonder what March will bring this year. It is historically my least favorite month of the year. It feels long--never ending almost--with winter not wanting to give up and spring not sure if it's ready. A struggle of a month. I watch several vloggers from Europe and they are enjoying daffodils already! Golly. 

First official skein of Shetland yarn

I finished the 1st bobbin of Shetland a little early, seeing how I may need to make adjustments to my technique for this spin. 

 

118 yards, 3-ply (click to enlarge)

Plying x3 does a lot for evening the spin. I realized half way through plying that it would need to be over-plied to get the desired yarn. That's fine. The singles spin is just about right, in my opinion: somewhat low twist. The result is pretty much the dream.

 

I was expecting to use steam to relax the over-plied bit, but it wasn't necessary. Finishing the yarn in a hot bath with no-rinse soap was all it needed. It did dry it under tension, though: a hammer provided the weight and tension when the end of the skein was looped around it for the duration of drying.

 

So, recapping: the only big change, going forward, is to over-ply it. I will also continue to work on singles consistency, something that tends to happen anyway in any project involving a lot of spinning.

 

Happy, happy. 

Shetland spinning and melodeon restoring

The roller organ awaits a pane of glass

I have begun to spin the Shetland fleece that I scoured and dyed late last summer. As you may recall, I dyed it three different colors, hoping to produce a heathered yarn.

Shetland divided and dyed

 

The bulk of the fleece was dyed Chestnut, and although in the picture there appears to be blue and red, it is actually teal/green and red.

I made a number of spun samples and the time has come to simply stop dilly-dallying and dive right in, come what may. I was not entirely happy with any of the samples, but they came close. So now I'm spinning a whole bobbin full of singles to see what the journey is like, and when the plying begins (3-ply, Navajo style) I'll discover what worked well and what didn't. The second and subsequent skeins should see a bit of improvement over the first. This first skein may become a stand-by just in case I run short on the project.

I'm spinning from the drum carded batts. It's enjoyable to be at the wheel again. The Kromski 'Mazaurka' castle wheel is out for this one, and I am using the lowest ratio available. Gotta say, I'm pleased with the way it's going.

Fresh off the drum carder

 

First bobbin of singles in the works

I am so excited! I have booked a class at the Newbury School of Weaving with Justin Quizzero. I have been wanting to learn from him for a few years, ever since I saw him spinning in this video:

Although I have done spinning on my great wheel, I feel that some proper in-person instruction will go a long way towards imparting some confidence. So, a day-long class at the end of May awaits. Can't wait!

Work on the Roller Organ has ended for now. When the weather warms up, I may do some cabinet touch ups. And I hope to rebuild the bellows in the spring as well. Restoration of the Medoleon has begun in earnest now.

Lid open, keys removed

The exhausters need rebuilding and that is what I'm starting on. But there will be a slight pause on that front while I order some goat skin and leather.

Exhauster corner showing goat skin gusset

Exhauster skin and skeletal boards deconstructed

I'm keeping all the old pieces in order to use them as templates wherever possible. While I wait for supplies, I'm moving on to the reed bed. These reeds were extremely difficult to remove as they don't have a groove for a reed puller to grab onto. I had to use pliers and it was a bit of a struggle in a handful of instances.

The reeds pulled from their chambers

I will put the reeds in the ultra-sonic cleaner and make sure they all sing OK before putting them back.

The soundboard needs a bit of TLC. The previous restorers (in 1978, it says so inside the cabinet) repaired some cracks and I think they need a bit of reinforcement with glue. The whole board needs cleaning and sanding to remove old glue and remnants of velvet where the keys protrude from their cells.

It's all happening.