SAORI Weaving Class Special Offer

It’s a cold and rainy spring day in Alexandria, but of course we retail folk love that because it means customers come in and hang out. Right? We’re trying to get more of that happening at Springwater now that we’re open late hours and seven days a week. Come on by and say hello!

For example, and for the next two days only, we’re making a once-in-a-lifetime (okay, well, we don’t plan to do this again) special offer to you to join our SAORI™ weaving class. The class is for people at all skill levels - from those who have never tried weaving, to experts who want to do something wild and crazy on a loom. The offer -- 30% off the class -- extends the idea of community (mention that you heard about the blog coupon to receive the discount; no further discounts apply when taking advantage of this offer).

SAORI™ is a loosely used term for free form weaving, and at the same time a highly regarded set of principles established by Japanese artist Misao Jo when in her fifties. At it’s best, SAORI™ can be learned by anyone, taught to anyone, regardless of ability or skill. The idea has caught on like wildfire in the US. The Saori mind celebrates moving away from machinery, learning from one another in groups, developing a sense of community, and the concept of working freestyle -- anything can become a part of the weaving, from yarn to found objects to. . .

In the first week, Linda Hurt will lead us all through warping the looms (provided). From there, the group will see and develop their individual projects. Join this class if you are interested in working with kids, people with learning abilities, helping with outreach for Springwater, or just making something beautiful and absolutely one-of-a-kind.

Jot a note to yourself to register in the next few days -- the first of 4 classes is this Sunday, April 6 from 1 -4:30 pm -- by calling us at 703/549-3634 or via email. I’ll be there. I hope you will too!

Submitted by Susan Cushing

Open Again!

Springwater was at death’s door not three months ago. Now, thanks to contributions of over $110,000 to save Springwater, we’re open again! Supply store, classes, the works. Sure ways to know we are fully functioning, I think, are: that the postman actually delivers our mail; great staff is almost fully back in place; the UPS guy is learning our names again, slowly (which means we’re getting great stuff in on a regular basis); and the fibers in the store are actually matching the flowers coming up in front of our windows.

(photo courtesy Cori Martinelli)

New Supply Store Hours are:

Mon 11:30-5
Tue 11:30-7
Wed 11:30-7
Thu 11:30-8
Fri 11:30-7
Sat 10-7
Sun 12-5

Everything around here will now be happening in smaller steps. What we carry in the store will be driven first and foremost by the needs of our classes and students (please refer to our newsletter), by our mission to teaching and preserve the fiber arts, and by our commitment to pay down the remainder of the debt we carry.

There are still some disconnects: if you are not getting our newsletter or e-mail blasts, call us (703/549-3634) or email us info@springwaterfiber.org. Something happened in the technical soup, and many people have fallen from our mailing lists despite their unquestionable value to us. Please keep in touch with us. As Dionne says, it’s the Ghost in the Machine. If we’ve lost track of you, we want you back!

We're thinking about the website, but for the moment -- unless someone comes up with a huge pot of money to overhaul it -- the website will primarily be a tool to get you to our online newsletter (e.g., class information) and to this blog (check for updates every Friday).

New Arrivals

In the store: We’ve gotten in even more colorways of the fantastic bamboo fiber pictured above (Royal Bamboo, 100% bamboo); new summer yarns La Spezia (100% cotton) and Evita (cotton/acrylic/rayon) arrived last week in fab summer colors; and just today our books and magazines began to arrive. Get the Italian yarns while you can -- while they’re brilliant and light, they are also the end of their lineage -- we cannot get more.

Also check out the beginnings of what will inevitably be a felting department; some cool pre-felt squares and yardage have been added to our gorgeous merino top. For spinners and weavers, we’ve gotten lovely colors of domestic roving, both dyed and natural, and there are some nice fresh cones of all the basics. We’ve also just received a new dye lot from our own SPECTRUM line, dyed right here at Springwater.

Come by! Take a class! Join a group! We hope to see you soon!

Thursday Evening!

As many of you are aware, this Thursday (December 13th) will be the last chance you'll have to see Springwater and take advantage of our remaining sale items until 2008! From 5 PM to 8 PM, we'll have cider and cookies to share with everyone that stops by, and we'll be increasing our discount to 50% for all shoppers - and members will still get an additional 10% off of that! We hope that you'll stop by and say "farewell" to the old...because over the next month we'll be sprucing up the school and shop areas, bringing in new merchandise for all our fiber artists, and planning our grand re-opening to occur in January (date TBA).

Please keep an eye on our website, and on your email, as well as here on the blog, for more information about our grand re-opening - and thank you all for the support and encouragement that you've given the board, staff, and teachers at Springwater!

Knitting Daily

Along with a new editor, Interweave Knits also has a new website: Knitting Daily. Here, you can find several posts each week devoted to knitting (and most recently, crocheting), as well as several of IK's patterns, made available for free to people who have registered with the website. Along with access to the websites trove of treasures, a registration will also give you an opportunity to sign up for their mailing list to get the posts sent directly to your inbox.

As well as introducing and breaking down patterns and techniques, the blog-style website has posted interviews with designers and a couple of project galleries that show how the sample garment fits on different body types with different amounts (both positive and negative) of ease. Very interesting.

Interweave has been making select patterns from all their disciplines available for free on their various websites. If you haven't visited their website, take a few minutes to browse around http://www.interweave.com and click around to their various disciplines. There are free projects guidelines in beading, needlwork, weaving, and spinning. All their knitting and crochet projects have been moved over to Knitting Daily.

Member Event - Back To School Night

Springwater is falling back into the school season with our September Associates Event - a Back To School Night!

Join us on Saturday, September 15th from 5-7 PM here at the shop. We'll be discussing an overview of the fall class schedule, showing how Springwater can provide schools & civic groups various demonstrations and other outreach opportunities, and we'll even teach you a few fiber "tricks" to share with young and old alike! There is no charge, and light refreshments will be provided.

We extend an extra special invitation to school teachers and homeschoolers, as well as our Associates. Please come out and join us for a fun and informative evening!

Saartje's Booties

One of the patterns I’ve seen floating around in several online spots lately is the Saartje’s Booties pattern, written by Saartje, who blogs from her home in the Netherlands. She has made the pattern available for free on her blog (side bar, in both English and Dutch).

I have be honest and admit up front that I am not a big fan of baby booties in general. I have never seen a pattern for a pair that I have felt compelled to make (before these). Babies don’t need shoes until they are walking, and when they do have booties or socks on, they are constantly falling off!

But when I first came across this pattern, I decided I had to make them. What a great little design with the crossed straps — these should stay put on a baby’s foot!

I made this little pair in an afternoon, using about 12 grams (for the small size) of leftover sock yarn and some little shell buttons I found in a drawer at home. The only thing I changed was how the button loops were created. Instead of making them from yarn ends (I’m always looking for ways to sew in fewer ends), I took the last stitch of the last knit strap row, slid it onto a crochet hook, chained 6, then slid the last chain loop back onto the needle to start the bind-off row.

These little booties are a great one-day project, would make a great gift for a new baby, and a wonderful way to use up some of those yarn scraps you are reluctant to get rid of, but don’t know what to do with.

Textiles of Klimt's Vienna at the TM

One of the best things about being a fiber artist living in the DC area is having access to the Textile Museum. One of the current shows at the museum showcases the textiles of Klimt’s Vienna. The show features the work of the many talented textiles designer at the Wiener Werkstatte at the beginning of the 20^th century. A printmakers dream, the samples range from the simple to the most of elaborate designs, making many strong statements about art through the 20^th century.

The Wiener Werkstatte was not only a design workshop but also an artistic hub for a new movement of art known as the Arts and Crafts Movement. The principle of which was to have beauty in everyday life with everyday objects, and the artists of Vienna were looking to shape the world with their work. The work in the exhibition has strong ties to the artistic past but also shows how the styles were a preview for what was to come throughout the 20^th century.

Hidden Treasure at the TM

The hands on room is hidden on the top floor of the museum but is worth the trek up the stairs. If you traveling with children this playroom can help bring the structure of many different textile techniques to life.