Common Threads Spinning Guild - October 2025 Meeting Date Change

 Our October 2025 guild meeting has been changed to Saturday October 18, 2025

Meeting location:

West Seneca Senior Center

4620 Seneca St.

West Seneca, NY 14224

9am to 12pm

Our program will be Drafting Techniques

Our usual meeting date is the second Saturday of each month. Unfortunately we had to change our October date because the senior center will be closed on October 11th. 

All further meetings will be on the usual second Saturday. 

Our November meeting will be on November 8th at the West Seneca Senior Center. Our program will be Non-Traditional Spinning. 

• Using paper

• Milk week

• Cassette tapes

• Fabric

• Anything else odd that we can think of.

• What to do with what we spin

This should be so much fun. Bring whatever you can think of that 'maybe' can be spun. I'll probably bring my Navajo spindle because it can hold a lot of funky handspun. 

Our December meeting will be on December 13th at the West Seneca Senior Center. It will be an open spin. 

Common Threads Spinning Guild - November 2024 meeting

Our next meeting will be on Saturday morning, November 9, 2024 at the West Seneca Senior Center from 9am to 12pm.

Our program will be "Core Wrapping with Yarn". I'll demonstrate how to make a coaster by wrapping a cotton core with yarn. This was traditionally a coiling technique using pine needles or raffia for making baskets. But the same technique can also be done by using a cotton core wrapped with yarn or fabric. A perfect project for using hand spun yarn.

   

Common Threads Spinning Guild September 2024 Meeting

 Our September 2024 Spinning Guild meeting will be held on September 21, 2024. Not our usual second Saturday of the month date because it coincides with the WNY Fiber Arts Festival, so it will be one week later. The meeting will be held at Doreen Kelly's home in West Seneca.

Our program will be Needle Felting a Landscape, led by Mary Fisher. See your member emails for more information.

 

Common Threads Spinning Guild August 2024 Dye Day

 Our August 2024 program is Dyeing Wool And Protein Fibers With Natural Dyes

It was held at Stitch Buffalo in Buffalo NY. on August 10th. 

Stitch Buffalo 

284 Plymouth Ave.

Buffalo NY 14213

Their facility is first rate, with a fantastic room dedicated to dyeing fibers. Our workshop was taught by Dawne Hoeg from Stitch Buffalo, who is extremely knowledgeable about using natural dyes. Here are a few pictures from our fun day.

       

Common Threads Spinning Guild May 2024 Meeting

Happy May and early Mother's Day,

Our next meeting will be on Saturday morning, May 11, 2024 at the West Seneca Senior Center from 9am to 12pm.

This will be an open spin meeting to socialize and create. In the past during our Mother's Day meetings, we've talked about our favorite books. Not necessarily fiber related books, (although that's fine too), but novels or any subject that you found interesting and entertaining. So please put together a list of good book titles to share.

Common Threads Spinning Guild January 2024

Happy New Year,

Our next meeting will be on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at the West Seneca Senior Center from 9am to 12pm.

Our program will be "Pass the Batt" in celebration of Roc Day which is on January 7th.

We did this a few years ago with great results.

Pass the Batt

Perhaps something once looked good to you, now you realize you will probably never use it as hoped. You will need to bring 2 oz. of prepared, easily spun wool or wool blend, (or a protein fiber) in a color way of your choice, to pass.

Start spinning with your fiber, after a few minutes, we will all pass that fiber to the next person, and so on. (You will always be using your own spinning wheel. Just the fiber is passed) As a challenge we will suggest trying different ways to spin it, thick, thin, etc. There is the possibility of getting some very colorful yarn. 

To pull things together, you may decide to spin a single prior to the program to ply your program yarn with. Neutrals were suggested, and you may also want to incorporate this fiber into the program yarn.  Drum carder and combs will be available. 

We will offer small project suggestions for what to do with the final yarn. After you take your yarn home and ply it, if it's a light worsted weight, it will be perfect to use for our Zoom Loom program in February. We'll talk about it during the meeting.

What is Roc Day (or Saint Distaff's Day)?

Saint Distaff’s Day (also known as Distaff Day, Roc Day, or Rock Day) is the day when spinners go back to work after the holidays. Most of what we know about Saint Distaff’s Day comes from a poem called “Saint Distaff’s Day, or the Morrow After Twelfth Day,” by Robert Herrick from his 1648 book Hesperides.

Saint Distaff’s Day may also be called Rock Day or Roc Day. In several Northern European languages, “roc” or “rok” means “distaff.” To be confusing, Saint Distaff’s Day may also fall on Old Rock Day, January 7, which celebrates fossils.

Common Threads Spinning Guild December 2023

Happy Holidays Everyone

 As we enter a new year, this a our tentative 2024 spinning guild program list:

January - "Pass the Fiber". We had a lot of fun when we did this a few years ago and went home with some very interesting yarn. More about this soon.

February - Pin Loom Weaving

March - Our Annual Auction

April - TBD

May - Mother's Day Open Spin (it's the day before Mother's Day)

June - Our Annual One Day Retreat in Orchard Park

July - Fiber Carding and Blending at Laurel's home in Holland NY

August - Natural Dyeing with Stitch Buffalo at their studio in Buffalo

September - Needle Felted Picture at Doreen Kelly's home in West Seneca

October - Program with Marcia Weinert (more info soon)

November - Wrapped Core Yarn Bowl.

December - Holiday Open Spin.

Please check back for more details

Anyone who is interested in spinning or is curious to see what our guild is like, is welcome to join us. 

An Open Spin Meeting means that our members bring their spinning wheels, knitting, felting, weaving, or what ever project they're currently working on, and we have a relaxing morning socializing and enjoying each others company. If anyone is having trouble spinning, our experienced members are always willing to help. We have a very wonderful, friendly and welcoming membership. Please join us!!

All of us at Common Threads wish you a very Happy and Safe Holiday!!