In the Merry Month of May

Here in the Pacific Northwest, Spring reaches its pinnacle during the month of May.  No wonder it is the merry month.  There is no end of inspiration for the fiber artist in the garden, in the woods and on the beach.  Now is the time to take a walk with your camera.  The colour scheme for your next project is out there waiting for you to discover it.

It is a month for celebrations to mark anniversaries and to honour motherhood.   But then again, it is also a time for spring cleaning and washing windows and cleaning out the garage.  Lucky, I have so many weaving projects to complete I'll have to leave the garage until June. 

Coming into the month of May, the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners have had a busy time.  A number of the guild members have just completed a workshop on lace weaves with Jane Stafford.  From participant reports it was very productive and as always with Jane a great deal of fun.  We had our first glimpse of samples at our recent meeting.

Members of the double weave study group came to the meeting with their "double weave windows" pieces.  Both chose to do a table runner but their designs and colour choices were different. 
Our monthly meetings usually include a short educational program and this month we looked at the work of one of our members and how she blends different yarns to produce pleasing combinations from diverse materials.  Her "stash busting" designs are great for using small amounts of yarn. 
The idea appeal to so many (we all have bits and bobs to use up) that we decided use her system to set up one of the guild looms.  Look for the product of that effort in the Fall.
We were also treated to a display of show and tell that included this lovely pile rug.  It matches the black and white towels from an earlier post. Can you find them?  Other works included mug rugs in double weave with complex colour variations.  These are only two of an interesting set.

The final picture is a blouse sewn from yardage created from a painted warp.

It seems the display from our May meeting was largely weaving but I know there are spinners and knitters out there with items to show.  I've seen you knitting away during the meeting.

Look for our display including some antique fabrics at the MacMillan Gallery centennial celebration in Parksville on June 15th.  Try weaving with our portable loom or watch the spinners work their magic wheels.