January 2009 Newsletter Next Meeting January 17, 2009 10 AM - 4 PM (more or less) Email goes to: spinner@serendipityspinners.org

December in a Nutshell by Sue Toorans

As usual, click on any of the thumbnails to see a larger image.


December is our traditional potluck and gift exchange. I took that picture early, before everyone arrived. We were not in any danger of going hungry. There was a lovely wreath on the wall so that was where we put the gifts for the exchange . Kimberly , our new president, ran the meeting.

Old Business

Next month we'll be doing "mystery batts". Bring your drum carders! Some of you went home with wool from our dye-day, bring that back, too. If you'd like to know what mystery batts used to be, ask someone who has been a member for a while. Now it is an opportunity to set up small batts for our booth at stitches. Some of this spills over to the February meeting.

New business

We got a spelling for Chris S's last name. It is "Schoedel". However, the newsletter will be referring to people by first name and last initial from now on.
The December meeting was Chris S's birthday. Happy birthday, Chris.

Sue moved we donate $200 to the Heifer Project. Seconded and passed.

Treasurer's Report

We have over $1,000 and dues are due in January. That would be $15 in cash or check made out to Serendipity Spinners.

Show 'n Tell

After Show 'n Tell, we broke for lunch as usual, but then reconvened for the gift exchange. That, too is documented below.

Chris S: made an entire white scarf of crochet during the course of the meeting. Here is the beginning.

Ginger: showed a knitted lace sweater for her sister-in-law.

Chris J: is knitting a lace curtain for her mother out of crochet cotton from this pattern. She started it on wooden needles but they were too grabby, so she switched to metal. She wore this beautiful fine dark shawl. She finished a while ago but just recently got around to blocking it.

Sue: is knitting socks.

Nancy D: has a dog sweater in progress for her granddog, Sara. Sara is a Miniature Dachshund. Nancy is planning to make one more of these sweaters.
We discussed the quilt we're STILL trying to get to Marge. The question came up whether we should have a new drawing so the donor can get a thanked properly. I think this was tabled pending another attempt from Chris J. to get the quilt to Marge.
The fruit picker shacks are being moved to museum. One will be furnished as if it housed a Mexican worker, one for Chinese, and one as demo area.

Lotus: could come because the road to observatory was closed except to residents. She had received an order for fingerless black gloves at Fabrications. She finished them and got to show them. Her sweater was out of yarn from Straw into Gold that she bought just after Loma Prieta. It is knitted in a Dutch fisherman pattern.
Lotus highly recommends the Leonardo de Vinci exhibit. It is extended until Jan 20 something. Hint- the best stuff is in rooms farther in.

Kimberly: is crocheting over bottle caps to make a grape cluster shaped trivet. The yarn is a variegated purple.

Carol: was finishing up a European ski. She's trying to copy a favorite hat for a friend of a friend. She had a blast spinning at the Bethlehem event.

Nancy F: was knitting this. For the life of me, I can't remember what she said it was going to be and I never did quite catch why she was showing this lovely sweater. This is a book she is much taken with.

We had guests join us for the feast.

Gift Exchange

The Rules - Choose a gift and unwrap it in the "hot seat". If you like it, keep it. If not, exchange it with something already opened and in someone else's stash. Since the first person to open a gift didn't get the opportunity to exchange when they opened their gift, they get to do so at the end. Sometimes it is good to be first. The photo documentary of this event didn't even try to capture all of the exchanges, mostly just the opening of a new gift.

Sue opened a pretty blue box that had pink silk in it.

Kimberly chose the HUGE bag of cotton with the copper and brass spinning wheel.

Chris S got the tea and tea pot.

Nancy F got the dark superwash.

Carol got a ball of sock yarn . No, it's two balls of sock yarn AND a stone and bamboo spindle

That left Nancy D with the gift that she had brought, so she left it wrapped and took a look at the super wash and then decided that the sock yarn and spindle suited her.

Carol then got to open another gift and got the Targhee snowman .

That was December in a nutshell. Remember to bring fiber and drum carders for January's meeting in the meeting room of the Hotel.

If you have news or pictures of interest to the group please send it to spinner@serendipityspinners.org