Highland Guild Open Day, 9th September. Stephanie Hoyle Our first meeting after the summer break was on a lovely sunny day, which enabled us to take advantage of the outside space on the hotel terrace to spin and chat. This was a good thing as we’d been accidentally locked out of our usual large room and only had the small … Read More
Fleece Day at Glachbeg Croft August 2023
Glachbeg is a great venue for this kind of event, many thanks to David Spooner and his assistants who had done everything possible to make the day a success for us, there was plenty of car parking and the weather was kind with lovely sunshine throughout the event. The day was planned by Terry Williams, and she and Alison Munro … Read More
Dye Workshop May 2023
What a wonderful day! The weather was kind, the venue perfect for our needs, and the workshop both fun and inspiring! This was our first time at Glachbeg Croft, where we were made very welcome. We set up for the dyeing in an open sided barn – outside, but undercover, and with an earth floor. We also had use of … Read More
Jaine Mahon, Skye Silks
On 11th February twenty plus Guild members met by zoom to hear Jaine Mahon’s inspirational talk about her journey as a spinner, weaver and dyer. Like many of us she learned to knit and sew as a child – so young she can’t remember learning to knit! After school she did a computing course at university, visited a craft centre … Read More
January 2023 Quiz
For the third year running Serena has tested out knowledge of our crafts with a fun quiz. If you were unable to attend the zoom meeting you can test your knowledge by downloading the pdf: Quiz 2023. None of us did very well with it!! Try not to look at the answers too soon! Quiz 2023 Answers
December 2022 Open Day
We had a small but happy group of spinners at our meeting in December with maybe 12 members in total, mostly from around the Dingwall area since the weather was so poor and the roads so icy, though at least one intrepid spinner made the trek from much farther afield. The threat of heavy snow did not materialise so we … Read More
November 2022 Rigid Heddle Weaving Workshop
It was a pleasure to run this workshop for 13 people, even though everyone was at a different skill level. Beginners progressed from plain weave to simple pick-up, while the more experienced produced a range of patterns, guided by examples on a worksheet. I was able to instruct and help, as needed, aided by Bryony. However, skill-sharing among the group … Read More
October 2022 Art Yarns Workshop
A much anticipated Guild course run by Sue. Ten participants enjoyed an information packed day full of inspiration and expert guidance. There was a fine display of work by Sue with examples of how she had used her art yarns in a variety of ways. Participants brought in their wheels, and in particular wheels with a large orifice and low … Read More
September Open Day 2022
This meeting had a focus on spindles. Sheila had brought along a collection of different types, and started by demonstrating a kick spindle. The spindle is supported in a framework and operated by spinning the ball at the lower end with the foot, giving the spinner a really good workout!! She also demonstrated a Navaho spindle, as well as smaller … Read More
Summer Shows 2022
Guild members demonstrated at a number of local farm shows. Here is a write up and pictures from some of them. Sutherland County Show, Dornoch For its return in 2022 the Sutherland County Show was held on a fine summer day and attracted good crowds with the queue to enter stretching back into Castle Square at one time I was … Read More
Open Day June 2022
Around 30 members attended to spin, chat and have a good look at our proposed new venue, the Highland Hotel in Strathpeffer. The room allocated was big enough to accommodate us comfortably, and had a homely feel, which soon had people re-arranging chairs into informal groups. More seating was available in the breakout area next door, where flasks of hot … Read More
Double Weave Workshop May 2022
Our first face to face workshop for over two years was tutored by Christina Chisholm, a very experienced weaver, who is also very good at explaining things. She also used samples from her Certificate of Achievement to show what we we’re aiming at. In double weave half of the warp threads are used for the top layer, half for the … Read More
Weaving Challenge Jan 2023
Following the example of the spinning group we are setting a weaving related challenge for January. This is not restricted to those who join in the monthly zoom. It’s open to everyone to join in and have fun! You won’t need to get any fancy equipment, in fact (and I’ve just thought of this!) part of the challenge could be … Read More
Members’ Open day April 2022
April 2022 Members’ Day The focus for the day was spinning. We had demonstrations of combing, blending board and picker. As usual there was also a lot of chat and a bit of show and tell! Sheila had brought her double weave samples to give people a clearer idea of what the May workshop is about. Aileen was wearing a … Read More
Members Open Day March 2022
Our first face to face meeting for two years – how lovely it was to meet up again! There were 30 plus members present, spread around the outside of the big hall at Strathpeffer Community Centre, mostly with spinning wheels, though Ruth had brought a marudai and was weaving a kumihimo braid, and Susan was using a drop spindle. The … Read More