Ewephoric Fibers will once again be teaching spinning lessons!

On June 22 at 1 p.m. we will meet at the Peaceful Paths conference room for lessons and communal spinning. It’s a large room, so we will teaching spinning only on one side of the room. Which means the other side of the room is free to folks who would just like to come sit and spin, knit, crochet, or follow their muse in whatever way they choose! Our plan is to do this on a monthly basis so don’t miss out on the very . . . → Read More: Spinning Lessons Resume]]>

drop spindles for sale

Ewephoric Fibers will once again be teaching spinning lessons!

On June 22 at 1 p.m. we will meet at the Peaceful Paths conference room for lessons and communal spinning. It’s a large room, so we will teaching spinning only on one side of the room. Which means the other side of the room is free to folks who would just like to come sit and spin, knit, crochet, or follow their muse in whatever way they choose! Our plan is to do this on a monthly basis so don’t miss out on the very first gathering!

As you gain skills you can join the communal spinners on the other side of the room!

Drop Spindle Group Instruction: $30 per person. Includes one hour of instruction, one of Jane’s painted spindles (pictured in this post), and 2 oz of fiber to get started.

Wheel Spinning Group Instruction: $35 per person. Includes one hour of instruction, use of one of Ginger’s wheels, and 2 oz of fiber to get you started. Ginger will bring wheels each month when we meet so that you will be able to try out different styles of wheels.

Communal Crafting: FREE. Please bring a donation to Peaceful Paths to help support their efforts at eliminating domestic violence. Scroll down this page to see a list of their needs.

Lessons are limited to four (4) people at a time, so it will be first come, first served! Email us to let us know to save you a spot: www-at-ewephoricfibers-dot-com.

We are also available to schedule additional one-on-one lessons. Email www-at-ewephoricfibers-dot-com to make arrangements.

Peaceful Paths is located at 2100 NW 53rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32653 (link goes to a Google Map).

Spider Silk Textile Panel (Lamba Akotifahana), 2008. Madagascar. Seven panels joined: . . . → Read More: Nerd Corner: The Golden Orb Shawl]]> Ginger writes:
A spider in my house is perfectly safe. This has nothing to do with a love of spiders, or an eco-friendly need to spare bug eating predators, or even a Buddha-like moral sense. No. I have such a phobia of spiders that I can’t stay in the same room or calmly comment about a spider’s presence so someone else can deal with the “emergency.” They are perfectly safe because I can’t get close enough to sweep one out the door — never mind kill one.

Spider Silk Textile Panel (Lamba Akotifahana), 2008. Madagascar. Seven panels joined: spider silk, plain weave with supplementary brocading wefts and patterning warps. Source: Art Institute of Chicago.

Picture, if you will, a large spider innocently walking across a room, blocking the only exit. And then picture a woman standing on a step stool (spider might run across the floor in her direction) with a broom to keep said spider at bay and wearing dishwashing gloves (spider might actually touch the broom). Her heart is pounding; she is sweating profusely. My son was amused, especially since his mother squealed like a little girl as he scooped up the spider and took it outside. I was decidedly NOT amused!

Now imagine the mix of fascination and revulsion I felt when I read about a piece of fabric woven from golden orb spiders’ webs! (Read some amazing exhibition notes from The Art Institute of Chicago and The American Museum of Natural History and the Victoria and Albert Museum on their spider silk textiles.) I had to read the articles and then look at the pictures of the fabric. It is an amazing golden color that shimmers and has a brilliant visual texture. It is absolutely stunning. Simply, wordlessly stunning! Who did it and how? Here’s a link to a high-res photo of the spider itself.

Detail of an embroidered cape made of spider silk, made by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley, 2011. Source: Victoria and Albert Museum.

A spider’s web is a sticky net in which it snares its supper. And the golden orb spider (Nephila spp.) spins one  that can span 15-20 feet, or more! Their webs are elastic and amazingly tough, and yes, they are golden in color. I live in Florida where golden orb spiders are ubiquitous. Here they are called banana spiders because of their large yellow abdomens. The spider that lives in that web is HUGE!

I will never weave a fabric made from the filaments of any spider web. I can’t touch it or even begin to imagine collecting the raw material! But I’m grateful that some else can. I’d love to see the shawl in person but I don’t think I could ever actually touch it. So spiders and their webs are perfectly safe from me…give me a venomous reptile any time!

Join Ewephoric Fibers for an informative and fun-filled day of spinning. In the morning portion of the workshop, we will spin wild roving and batts. In the afternoon, we will work on plying to make the best possible yarns. While we are learning about wonderful fibers, we will also be helping a most worthy cause, Peaceful Paths. This non-profit group assists women moving out of abusive situations into a position of self-sufficiency and strength. Ten percent of every workshop fee will go to Peaceful Paths. Feel free to bring a non-perishable food donation for . . . → Read More: Ewephoric Spinning Academy]]>

Wild Roving, Tamed

Join Ewephoric Fibers for an informative and fun-filled day of spinning. In the morning portion of the workshop, we will spin wild roving and batts. In the afternoon, we will work on plying to make the best possible yarns. While we are learning about wonderful fibers, we will also be helping a most worthy cause, Peaceful Paths. This non-profit group assists women moving out of abusive situations into a position of self-sufficiency and strength. Ten percent of every workshop fee will go to Peaceful Paths. Feel free to bring a non-perishable food donation for their food pantry. Details after the jump…

FEE

$75 for the day

Morning: Taming the Wild Roving
How do you spin that beautiful multicolored braid or batt so it doesn’t turn into mud? How do you go from the yarn you see in your mind, inspired by the wonderful colors of the roving, to the yarn you are holding in your hand? Explore how to spin multicolored rovings or batts so there are no surprises in your finished yarn. You will spin mini-skeins of yarns using different techniques so you will be able to visualize the final product from roving to fabric.

Lunch Break (1.5 hours)
You are welcome to bring your lunch with you and spin and socialize. There are also several restaurants nearby. Be sure to bring enough drinks for the day…spinning can be thirsty work!

Afternoon: Plying for Fabulous Yarns
Yarn that has two or more plies is more stable, has an interesting structure, and is delightful to knit with. Or, it can be a nightmare because the plies are too loose and the yarn is splitty. Would you like to spin boucle yarn but don’t know how or lack the patience? Learn the advantages of plying to produce strong, stable, good-looking yarns that you will love to work with. What we spin in the morning’s roving-taming workshop will be our leaping off point—we will learn several different plying structures and techniques, characteristics of different fibers, and what happens when plying mixes them.

Ginger (far left) and the Grupo Costa del Rio Colorado Cooperative

Ginger writes: Susan Walker, who works with the Wildlife Conservation Society (facebook.com/WCS.Patagonian.and.Andean.Steppe), and her husband, Andres Navarro, are long time friends and sponsored my visit to Argentina. They . . . → Read More: “Green Cashmere” Field Work on the Patagonian Steppes]]> Many of you know that Ginger was headed to Argentina to interact with cashmere goat herders and the guanaco cooperative (www.payunmatru.com). After an overnight flight from Houston, TX to Buenos Aries, Argentina then an overnight bus ride to Junín de los Andes, the real adventure started! And yes, that is two days of travel to get to the beginning!

Ginger (far left) and the Grupo Costa del Rio Colorado Cooperative

Ginger writes:
Susan Walker, who works with the Wildlife Conservation Society (facebook.com/WCS.Patagonian.and.Andean.Steppe), and her husband, Andres Navarro, are long time friends and sponsored my visit to Argentina. They live in Junín and work in the Patagonian Steppe on habitat restoration for the benefit of threatened and endangered species such as the Andean cat, Darwin’s rhea, hairy armadillos and guanaco. As part of the effort to improve the habitat, WCS has been working with the local goat farmers to reduce over grazing of the fragile grasses allowing the return of the guanaco migrations and population expansion of animals that depend on the steppe for survival. Many of the local goats produce a cashmere undercoat, which increases the individual animal’s value. The herders are forming cooperatives, working with WCS veterinarians on better husbandry, and learning how to improve the quality of the cashmere through breeding management programs and by combing out the cashmere at the appropriate time.

Goats playing on the steppes

I traveled to the Patagonian Steppe to observe the conditions of the farmers and animals, consult with the farmers to assist with improving the quality of the animals and fiber, and purchase raw cashmere. A day’s driving brought us to our first stop at the Grupo Costa del Río Colorado cooperative. This group is incorporating sustaining husbandry to reduce herd size and improve cashmere production. I was able to purchase a quantity of raw cashmere, which represented a 10% increase of their annual income. This was the first purchase of “green” cashmere: cashmere that was produced in a sustainable, environmentally friendly manner! It was very exciting to be part of this momentous event!

Guard dogs in training

We visited another group, the Carrizalito Cooperative, and I was able to purchase more cashmere. Members of this group are incorporating guard dogs into their herds to reduce loss of goats to predators, mostly the puma. Where the dogs have integrated, the program has been a success! Both of these groups are working toward or have applied for Wildlife Friendly Certification from WCS (www.wildlifefriendly.org).

Migrating Guanaco

We drove through the Payunia reserve on our way to El Aguita where we spent a couple of nights. Along the way we observed large herds of guanaco migrating from wintering feeding grounds to the summer grounds. We had a meeting with the cooperative (www.payunmatru.com) who are shearing the guanaco. We discussed marketing, fiber, processing, I was able to evaluate the handspun and mill spun yarns. I was not able to purchase any guanaco on this trip, but Ewephoric Fibers still has a quantity available through our Etsy shop.

First ever sale of Green Cashmere

I will work with these groups to assist them in producing the best possible, sustainable cashmere by consulting on breeding programs, fiber collection, and by introducing this luxurious fiber to hand spinners and fiber artists through Ewephoric Fibers! Be sure to keep checking back with us as we process the raw cashmere into exquisitely soft and luxurious spinning fibers! I will share more tales of travel and keep everyone informed of the progress!

Hope to see you there!

Jane and Ginger are very excited about introducing our first ever most fabulous fiber club! We will be stargazing through the Hubble telescope (pictured above, the Crab Nebula). Each offering will feature 4 ounces of roving or custom carded batts in an astronomical colorway along with suggested spinning directions. One of the months will feature a blend of luxury fibers. You will receive your fiber 4 times a year, about every 3 months. Cost is $120/year, shipping included.

Ginger writes:

Did you join us at the Florida Fiber In? We had a wonderful time! We met old friends and made new ones. The demos were great! I learned Navajo 3 ply on the fly; a bit more practice and I’ll actually be good at it. Tacking down the loop was the aha-moment! I gave a demo on Taming the Wild Roving. We talked about how to get the yarn you want from multi colored roving that has all the colors you love, but not necessarily in a complimentary format. . . . → Read More: October News]]>

Ewephoric Booth at the Florida Fiber In

Ginger writes:

Did you join us at the Florida Fiber In? We had a wonderful time! We met old friends and made new ones. The demos were great! I learned Navajo 3 ply on the fly; a bit more practice and I’ll actually be good at it. Tacking down the loop was the aha-moment! I gave a demo on Taming the Wild Roving. We talked about how to get the yarn you want from multi colored roving that has all the colors you love, but not necessarily in a complimentary format. The notes from the demo will be available on this site after SAFF.

Ewephoric Fibers introduced Gotland at the Florida Fiber In. Gotland is an ancient breed of sheep developed by the Vikings on the Swedish island of Gotland. The base breeds were Karakul and Romanov sheep from Russia that were crossed with the native landrace sheep. Many of the short-tailed primitive breeds came from these early crosses as the Vikings wandered the world. Gotland became known as the fiber that was hand spun, hand woven, and sewn into the capes worn by the Elves in Lord of the Rings.

Gotland is a beautiful gray, lustrous fiber that is strong, durable, and has wonderful drape. As is true of many of the primitive breeds, the Gotland fleece is not the softest fiber. To give it a better hand, Ewephoric Fibers blended Gotland roving with soft, shiny Suri llama. What a terrific blend! The Suri softens the yarn, adds to the sheen, and deepens the colors.

SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair: www.saffsite.org), Fletcher, NC, takes place October 21-23, 2011. This fair is rapidly becoming one of the go to places for new spinning fibers, yarns, and all the new tools and toys available. Ewephoric Fibers will have a booth (#18) in the Sales Arena area. Since this is a pole barn, we are hoping for cool, crisp, fall weather, but not too cool! Ginger is going to be teaching a ½ day workshop on Taming the Wild Roving. We will be spinning multicolored roving and learning how to make the yarn of your dreams from that amazing roving that you just love.

Ewephoric Fibers will use SAFF to introduce some wonderful new exotic fibers! Guanaco is a CITES protected camelid from South America. The Patagonian Steppe in Argentina is home of the Cooperativa Payún Matrú (www.payunmatru.com) where this amazing fiber originates from. Guanaco is a down fiber, exquisitely soft, fine and rare. Only very limited amounts of it are available each year as the shepherds capture the migrating herds of guanaco, shear them, and then release them to finish their migration across the arid steppe to the summer feeding grounds.

Ask us about Green Cashmere: No, it is not actually green! The shepherds who shear the guanaco are goat shepherds, mostly indigenous, who are replacing their feral herds of goats with more profitable cashmere goats. Increased income is realized from cashmere goats as markets for fiber, meat, and hides are developed. Dogs used to guard the herds lead to a reduced loss of livestock to predators and less retaliatory killing of those predators. As the habitat of the steppe improves the world’s migratory populations of guanaco reclaim their ancestral routes with the Andean condors soaring overhead, Darwin’s Rheas racing along the steppe and Andean cats and pumas can return with plentiful native prey available.

Wildlife Friendly Certification (www.wildlifefriendly.org) for ‘green’ cashmere ensures that the environment is being used in a sustainable way through better use of the habitat, reduced killing of predators, improved husbandry, and fair market income from these rare and sustainable fibers to support and elevate the shepherds. Be part of the solution and acquire some of the first green cashmere and guanaco fibers to come out of the Patagonian Steppe for your finest handspinning endeavors! Ginger will be traveling to Patagonia in December and will be returning with fibers, just in time for Christmas! Do not miss out on this rare treat!

Cheers, Jane.

Join Ewephoric Fibers (www.ewephoricfibers.com) at the Florida Fiber In (www.floridafiberin.org) inOrlando,September 16-18, 2011. Attendance is free, although a donation at the door will help to defray costs. Come on in, even if you have not pre-registered!

We will be launching a bunch of new products you won’t want to miss:

Fiber Moths (Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org)

There . . . → Read More: Keep Your Fibers Safe!]]> Ginger writes:
We all have fiber and or yarn stashes that are squirreled away awaiting that perfect project. We have all had the experience of opening our stash and, horror of horrors, discover a little cloud of moths! Or you find a little pile of gritty dust. Your natural fibers can become dinner for moths, silverfish, roaches and other insects. Mice also find that nice warm fluff a fine place to raise a family. So how do you protect your treasures from unwanted company and damage?

Fiber Moths (Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org)

There are many compounds that can be used to protect your fiber or yarn. My grandmother used mothballs made from naphthalene. Whenever I encounter that smell, it triggers memories of my grandmother knitting wonderful items. Naphthalene, however, is flammable so it is no longer used. The current compound used in mothballs — 1,4-dichlorobenzene — smells about the same! These work by sublimating, going from a solid state to a gas state, which means you have to replace them on a regular basis. The fumes are toxic to moths and other bugs, and theyrepel mice. However, the fumes are also toxic to people, so if you are going to use them, be sure to open your storage containers in a well-ventilated area.

While mothballs are very effective, it can be difficult to get rid of the smell. Even washing won’t entirely remove the odor. Placing the fiber, yarn, or clothing in the sun for several hours helps to volatilize the last of the molecules and remove the smell. Mothballs have also been recently listed as a potential carcinogen.

So what are the alternatives? There are a variety of herbs and spices that can be used to keep unwanted pests at bay. Sachets made of lavender and calendula flowers or rosemary, mint, or cloves will not only repel pests, they will also smell wonderful! Non-moth ball alternatives only repel insects; they do not kill them. Good fiber hygiene is the best way of protecting your precious fibers, yarns, and wool/alpaca garments.

Washed Shetland, Ready to Store (photo by Jane D.)

Some dos and don’ts:

• Just like good personal hygiene, good fiber hygiene starts with bathing. Wash your grease or dusty alpaca fleece before you add it to your stash. Bugs will flock to dirty fleece before clean fleece. This applies to any protein fiber such as wool, alpaca, camel, silk, etc.
• Do not store fibers in plastic where the plastic actually touches the fibers. Rabbit angora, in particular, and other very fine fibers have a tendency to mat if they are against the plastic. Store your fleeces in pillowcases then place them into large zip-top type bags. Smaller items like yarns, roving, and clothing can be wrapped in non-acid, non-dyed paper and then into a zip-top bag. Squeeze out most of the air and your fibers will be protected from outside attack. Use heavy plastic bags as moths can eat through lightweight plastic.
• Check your fibers or clothes on a regular basis and look for infestation. If you have stored your items in zip-top bags, any problem should be contained, literally! If you are suspicious of any item, you can either freeze it for at least two days or put it into the microwave for a couple of minutes. If microwaving, do not use any plastic or acrylic ties or bags. These can melt into the surface of the fiber. If a bag is infested, just throw the whole thing away.

So you have found a moth. Now what? First you need to determine if you need to worry. If the moth is flying around in the middle of the day, it is most likely a flour moth. These small gray-brown moths get into dry packaged goods like dry pet foods, oatmeal, pasta, and rice. You generally find them flying around these items in the pantry. These moths do NOT get into your fibers and are not really a problem to protein fibers, other than being a pest. A trip to your friendly hardware store to get some flour moth traps will deal with this problem. Wool moths look very similar and can be difficult to tell apart, but they do not like the light and, like little vampires, they will avoid it at all costs! If you pull out a woolen item, fiber, yarn, clothing, and suddenly have moths about, it is time to worry and look for infestation.

If you determine that you have wool moths, dispose of the item and carefully check any other material that is nearby. If unsure, freeze or microwave any suspicious fibers then repackage in cloth and a plastic bag. This is a time to be absolutely ruthless!

And Care2.com also has some excellent advice for deterring moths and making sachets. Here’s their recipe for Natural Repellent Sachets (you can find the ingredients in bulk at most health food stores).

2 ounces each of dried rosemary and mint
1 ounce each of dried thyme and ginseng
8 ounces of whole cloves

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Blend. Make sachets by choosing a 4″ x 4″ piece of natural fiber with a tight weave, such as silk. Sew three sides together, then fill with the herbs and sew the fourth side shut. You can adapt this pattern to any size you want (2 x 2 is the traditional size for the undergarments drawer, for example). A good idea for small sachets is to fill cotton teabags sold for making your own tea (these are often sold in health food stores). If you are really in a rush, just tie the herbs up in a cotton bandana or handkerchief; place the herbs in the middle, gather the edges together, and tie with a ribbon. Variation: Other herbs that are good for repelling moths include lavender, lemon, sweet woodruff, and tansy.

For further reading:
Cornell University has an excellent article on moths along with a couple of pictures.

What do you do to keep your fibers safe?