Welcome to the Foothill Fibers Guild
See below for some in-progress and completed work by the members of the Foothill Fibers Guild
From Margaret Ervin in January 2023
Shawl/scarf pattern is “Reyna” by Noora Backlund on Ravelry. Knit in Malibrigo variegated sock yarn.
From Mardi Naythons in January 2023
Table runner and placemat. Made with cotton and the structure is Monks Belt.
From Brenda Atchison in January 2023
Small shawl with triangles. Pattern: “Blauer Pfau” by Martina Behm. “Blauer Pfau” means “blue peacock” in German is a triangle with diamond-shaped cut-outs along the middle axis. Yarn: Miss Babs “Katahdin” yarn, 100% wool in “blue Peacock” colorway. 2022 Nevada County Fair entry; third-place ribbon.
“Botanic Shawl” by Stephen West. Yarn: Freia Fibers Yarn Bomb in slow color changing gradient from purple to orange; with Malabrigo dark eggplant as second colorway.
From Donna Johnson in September 2022
So happy to be back to weaving after our move to the PNW! First off the loom is a dresser scarf using 16/2 linen for warp and tabby and hand painted (by Edgewood Garden Studio), handspun Stricken Lonk wool for pattern weft. This is an overshot draft on Handweaving.net
Currently on the loom is a scarf inspired by a rock I found while walking (with my neighbor and fellow FFG member Jan Evers!) on the beach near my home. Scarf is an Echo draft from Handweaving.net using two colors of green 8/2 Tencel for warp and 20/2 mercerized cotton in black.
From Ingrid Know in June 2022
Scarf woven with 20/2 silk in a 3/1 twill with double weave selvedge. The striping was determined using the Gradient Tool from Handweaving.net
Shawl woven with sock yarn from Heathered Yarn Co. in Grass Valley, CA.
From Ingrid Know in May 2022
Scarf woven with silk knitting yarn in a point twill on 8 shafts.
From Ingrid Knox in March 2022
Here is a lap robe I made from pin loom squares using acrylic/wool yarn.
From Diane C. in March 2022
I was recently introduced to the wonderful weaving book, “Sixty Scarves for 60 Years” by the Weavers Guild of Greater Baltimore. Staring with fibers in my stash, I wove “Origami” by Rose Meagher. The striking twill pattern uses only two colors of 8/2 tencel (teal warp; gold weft). One of the joys of weaving a scarf is that there are only two narrow hems vs. 12 wide hems when weaving 6 dishtowels, for example. Another joy is such immediate results – each part of the process is so efficient! So much so that I immediately selected and wove another scarf. This time, a simple plain weave with the purpose of using up a random cone of 5/2 silky rayon for both warp and weft. Who knew that weaving a plain weave scarf would be such a surprising delight. I’ve already selected a third scarf as I make my way through the 60 patterns.
From Diane C. in February 2022
Just off my knitting needles is a hat that was such a tactile delight to knit with a pleasing result. This was knit from some luscious 3ply DK baby alpaca/fine wool (photo of the fun label) hand-dyed with madder root. The yarn is from our local Sierra Rose Alpaca using charming, well-written pattern from a young, local designer, Justine Chenel. Her patterns can found on Ravelry as well as her website. I’ll be knitting another one soon because it was a lovely meditative knit with just enough cabled accent for interest on each row.
From Donna Johnson in February 2022
With looms ready to head to storage and our household on the move, I miss weaving! Thank goodness for spinning and knitting. I finished up a few projects and packed plenty of knitting and spinning for our temporary lodging while we search for a home in Washington.
Souvenir skeins from Sweden for a hat, Merino/alpaca for a sweater, and I finally finished a cowl that sat on my needles since 2012. I think I just needed to know I’d be in a colder climate for the motivation to finish the cowl.
From Gretchen Boyce in January 2022
Pattern: Burnett Slippers by Whitney Hayward. Knit with worsted weight yarn dyed with Hopi Sunflowers and Hemp leaves.
From FFG in December 2021: Our Holiday Party Show and Tell
Enjoy the slides from our Holiday Party Show and Tell. If the slide does not contain a name, see the previous slide to identify the fiber artist.
From Donna Johnson in December 2021; Knit by Brenda Atchison
A Tale of the Goodness of the Guild: FFG hosted a Brioche Knitting workshop with Suzanne Bryant last January. A few of us met on Zoom as a study group for a while after the workshop. I thought I had brushed up my Brioche skills sufficiently to finish a challenging scarf I began some years ago after another Brioche workshop here, with FFG. However, after way too many hours of unknitting, I told the group I was going to repurpose this lovely yarn and give up. Brenda, apparently always one for a challenge, told me she would love to finish the scarf for me. Wow! So, she did, indeed, finish this challenging Nancy Marchant pattern. The yarn, a light fingering weight cashmere blend hand dyed by A Verb for Keeping Warm, is truly luscious in Brioche and feels fantastic draped around my neck. Thank you Brenda! And thank you FFG for the fiber friendships that are forged.
From Jeanne Doty in November 2021
I wove the Chattahoochee Poochie Towels from Handwoven Sept/October 2021. The warp and weft were 10/2 cotton doubled. The structure is summer and winter and was woven on a 16 shaft loom with dobby. The pattern called for a 31″ weaving width but I adapted the pattern to a 28″ weaving width to accommodate my loom.
From Ingrid Knox in October 2021
Gradient Towels from the Discovering Gradients class with Tien Chui. They are 10/2 cotton (yellow and red in the warp) sett at 30 epi. The structure is straight twill.
From Mardi Naythons in September 2021
Napkins from the Gradient Weave Along
From Ingrid Knox in September 2021
The scarf has a 5/2 tencel warp from Teresa Ruch with a 10/2 tencel weft. The design is an irregular point twill woven on 8 shafts.
The lab robe was woven using a wool/acrylic knitting yarn. The pattern was point twill on 8 shafts.
From Donna Johnson in September 2012
I have kept busy in order to stay as sane as possible during this pandemic. I miss gathering with fiber folk and miss seeing what everyone is up to. Please send your pics to post!
Beautiful poofy rambouillet roving from Three Waters Farm became a beaded shawl.
I had a great deal of fun drum carding four natural colors of Shetland top to mimic five other natural colors and then I knit this Sheepheid hat.
I hand painted some BFL/silk in 2014, spun the fiber in 2015, and finally knit a cowl this summer. It is based on the Mendocino coast.
In 2015 I took a photo and this year I finally used it in a Network twill pattern. I used 8/2 cotton for this scarf because that is what I had in stash.
For years I had a postcard of Edvard Munch’s Starry Night painting and some tubes of 8/2 Brassard cotton sitting on my desk. Finally, I wove some towels. The draft is from Strickler.
This project in black merino/silk lace weight yarn was my meditation project from the beginning of February until the beginning of May.
From Jane Milner on May 10, 2021
I made a dent in my stash of Lily Mills Sugar and Cream. A 10 yard warp netted 22 dishcloths at 10 epi. The pattern, Celtic Bells, is in Ann Dixon’s book. It is a variation on a 2/2 twill. Fun to weave and watch the colors develop. Let the yarn do the talking!
I finally took photos of my placemats woven in Janet Dawson’s online Unraveling Overshot class. 8/2 unmercerized cotton for tabby, 4/2 unmercerized cotton for pattern. Sett at 16 epi.
From Jane Milner on March 14, 2021
These are my mug rugs from Tien and Janet’s Color and Weave online class. My first foray into overshot and I love it! This class got me out of the Coronavirus Doldrums!
From Ingrid Knox on March 8, 2021
These towels were woven using 10/2 cotton in yellow and grays (including white and black) for warp and weft, sett at 30epi. The structure is turned taqueté. This was a challenge to use the Pantone colors for 2021 – Yellow and Gray. The draft was from Handwoven, May/June 2019 pg 46.
From Mardi Naythons on February 14, 2021
Napkins woven in 8/2 cotton, approximately 15 x 15 inches
From Karen Wcislo on February 9, 2021
Napkins woven in 8/2 cotton
Towels woven in Turned Taqueté using a variety of cotton threads
And a project that was long hibernating but is now a wall hanging: Hawaiian Quilt
From Diane Christ on February 8, 2021A shawl woven in 10/2 teal and copper Tencel on an 8 shaft loom. It was re-sized from a pattern in Handwoven Dec 1989 for Advancing Twill Table Runner.
Knitting is my daily meditation (so important in these turbulent times). Knitting for charity is a double reward. These sweaters and hats were knit from Swedish wool donated to me for this purpose and sent to wool-aid.org, a wonderful organization distributing woolens to children throughout the world.
Towels woven from 8/2 cotton on an 8 shaft loom. Pattern adapted from “Salt & Pepper Scarf” in Handwoven Dec 2017. Our daughter requested the neutral colors and is thrilled with her gift of four towels to use with abandon, knowing that I’ll weave for her anytime.
From Donna Johnson on February 7, 2021
After a visit to the redwoods on the North Coast, I challenged myself to weave something inspired by the redwood forest. Blending green and brown in weaving can result in muck so I carefully searched for a draft and used one from Bateman. The towels are woven of 8/2 cotton with two colors in the warp and three colors in the weft (one for tabby and two for pattern using a double shuttle). They are soft, absorbent, and have a solid but not condensed hand.
I purchased a painted 8/2 Tencel warp and wove two scarves. The weft is 8/2 Tencel also, one scarf in Blue Ming and one in Royal. I used a draft from handweaving.net and I call the scarves “Star of the Sea. ” They are quite iridescent and have a lovely hand and drape.
From Mary Prassinos on January 12, 2021
Mary completed knitting three sweaters so far this season: two Zephyr cardigans, pattern by Celia McAdam Cahill, our May presenter, and a Love Note, pattern by tincanknits. The Love Note is her handspun and a mohair/silk carry along strand.
From Ingrid Knox on January 11, 2021:
The Pink Scarf is Malabrigo Baby Silkpaca warp and weft – two different colorways, sett at 30 epi, woven as a point twill on 8-shafts with an advancing point treadling.
The beige-gold scarf was woven with Madelinetosh Pure Silk Lace yarn, sett at 30 epi. The design is a fancy point twill on 8 shafts.
