Highland Guild of Weavers Spinners & Dyers

Author: Stephanie Hoyle

  • Dornoch Show 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    I was a complete newbie both to the beautiful town of Dornoch and to its annual allthings-fibre get together. At just a stretch too far for an easy day trip I stayed overnight not least to see Joan Baxter’s extraordinary tapestry weaving exhibition and to chat with her while she worked. A weaver of international…

  • Black Isle Show 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    The Black Isle Show is on the Wednesday and Thursday after the Nairn Show, and opens to the public at 4pm on Wednesday, so we got there about 1.00 to start setting up.  A good thing we were early – no tables or chairs and slightly less space than last year!  A phone call solved…

  • Nairn Show 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    This year we were provided with a new tent, more spacious than the gazebo we had before, and sited near the horticulture tent.  We were facing the show jumping arena, so had something to watch in quiet moments!  We also had a view of a little group of alpacas, which were at a stand next…

  • Spinning Challenge January 2024

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in , ,

    A set of challenges to ward off the gloom of dark cold days. Extra Zoom meetings have been scheduled so that we can be social, and share ideas, questions, inspiration. Each week one of the numbered challenges will be drawn to give us a challenge of the week, and Guild members are encouraged to share…

  • Open Day December 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    Around 20 people attended our December meeting at Strathpeffer Community Centre, most with spinning wheels. There was a lot of chat as usual, also mince pies and chocolates! Some took advantage of the opportunity to browse the library books and the equipment, now stored in a cupboard in the room we use, and securely locked…

  • Open Day and Warping Demo October 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in , ,

    After an unexpected change of venue, the day got off to a start with Stephanie demonstrating how to wind a warp using a warping mill. The principal is the same as using a warping frame. She explained “the cross” – you wind so that in one direction the thread goes over the second last post,…

  • Open Day September 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    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…

  • Fleece Day at Glachbeg Croft August 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in , ,

    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,…

  • Dye Workshop May 2023

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in , ,

    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.…

  • Jaine Mahon, Skye Silks

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in , , , ,

    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…

  • December 2022 Open Day

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in

    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…

  • November 2022 Rigid Heddle Weaving Workshop

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    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.…

  • October 2022 Art Yarns Workshop

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in ,

    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…

  • September Open Day 2022

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in , ,

    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…

  • Summer Shows 2022

    —

    by

    Stephanie Hoyle
    in

    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…