The Armidale Spinners and Weavers Club is proving to be such a friendly, supporting, crafty group, that young and old are getting involved. According to Secretary, Robyn Ellis, the recent annual open day at the Armidale Showground was a resounding success
On the weekend, the group held a workshop that truly added a modern twist to an age-old craft. “The microwave dyeing workshop involved using commercial dyes on fleece and spun yarn. After painting from a wide range of colours, we placed the dyed wool in plastic, then in the microwave to dry and set the colour a lot quicker. It was something that most of us had not done, so we decided to have a workshop,” Mrs Ellis said. “Normally, to dye, you’d use cauldrons or pots, saucepans and heat sources.”
Mrs Ellis said that the end results were vibrantly colourful. “When we knit with our microwave dyed wool, it won’’ be a plain colour; there will be striations, colours and hues changing all the time and it gives our knitting a totally different effect.”
“Spinning and weaving are age-old crafts and, if we don’t keep them going, they will just die out in this region.”
The future is looking strong for the Armidale Spinners and Weavers, with a growing regional profile, thanks to open days and other initiatives, an open door for new members and youthful interest. “We’ve had quite a few new members this year and our open day attracted a lot of interest, achieving three or four new members,” the Club’s President, Merryn Twemlow said.
Two ladies make the trip from Inverell just for a day with the group.
Kyle McCormack is 14 years old, yet enjoys spinning sheep and alpaca wool alongside men and women up to five times his age. After practising his textile crafts for over two years, Kyle is treated as an equal by his fellow spinners and weavers, veteran and beginner alike.
Kyle was spinning alpaca wool on the weekend. “I spin wool because it’s fun and I always wanted to know how it was done,” he said. “It is something that is very old and not many young kids do it these days.
“It takes a fair while to spin stuff up – a lot slower than machines. Some days, I’ll spend about two hours spinning.”
Even at the age of 14, Kyle appreciates the therapeutic qualities of the spinning craft. “I get to sit back and do nothing but spin. You’re forever moving as you do it. It’s fun and I reckon more kids should do it.
“I’ve learnt to do a fair few crafts. Spinning is my most favourite. There is also crochet, cross-stitch, long-stitch, sewing and a lot more,” Kyle said.
Yet, the multi-skilled youth is far from the shy type who might replace sport with craft. “I am involved in gymnastics and tennis, which take up a lot of my time, on top of school. When you don’t have a lot of time as a child, learning crafts like spinning can be hard. Plus, I’m learning things by myself more – with sport, I’m learning with friends (my own age),” he said.
