Hollow Tree Spinning Guild Newsletter

The December meeting will be held Saturday, December 11, 1999, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, at Toni's. This will be our annual Christmas pot luck and gift exchange. Bring a dish to pass and come enjoy the fun! This is the last meeting of this millennium, by the way, so come and celebrate. I hope to see you there.

The November meeting was great fun. We finallygot to have our baby shower for Sarah and Noah. We even got to see the wonder child, who appears to be doing really well. He handled all the noise and confusion with aplomb, even though he was tired, and maybe teething. Sarah, keep up the good work.

The guild gift exchange will take place during our December meeting. Bring a gift, either purchased or handmade, value up to $10.00. Put the gift in a brown paper grocery bag, with no markings other than your name on the outside. This is to ensure you don't get your own gift back. We'll put them in a pile and each pick one. It should be fun.

Yes, it's that time of year again. Hollow Tree Spinning Guild Dues are due for next year, 2000. (Sounds weird, doesn't it?) Annual dues are $25.00, payable to Toni. If necessary you may pay your dues in two installments of $15.00 each, due in January and June 2000. Dues help pay for programs and supplies for the year. You can either bring your money to the meeting or send Toni a check. Everyone who has NOT paid her dues by the January meeting will be dropped from the mailing list after that time.

We are gradually acquiring some guild equipment and books for use by guild members. We will have a sign-out sheet for guild equipment which can be loaned out. Any guild equipment may be borrowed for a maximum period of one month at a time! This is to allow more than one member to use it. Also, the piece of equipment must be returned clean and in good condition. There will also be a monthly rental fee for equipment use, to cover wear and tear.

Merilyn needs at least 10 more squares for the guild afghan. As soon as she gets them she will put it together and we can raffle it off. I know it took me a long time to get my first square finished, but I am beginning a second one. Remember the squares must be 12 inches square, created out of natural-colored, natural fiber. That is, the yarn used must be a natural fiber, although it does not have to be handspun. Silk, wool, alpaca, llama, mohair, angora, any natural fiber is acceptable, as long as it is used in the undyed, natural color. The square may be made by knitting, weaving, crochet, any technique which will produce a 12 inch square which has the structural integrity to survive use as an afghan.

Becca needs recipes for the guild cookbook. She will type them, then several people have volunteered to taste-test them. If we can get the book typed and printed, I can get them bound them with a spiral binding. Toni says she will be happy to take the cookbooks to fiber events next year, if we have them done by the beginning of April. In fact, she sent me the recipe for those great cheese puffs she made last meeting.

Blend cheese & shortening (by hand or with a mixer). Stir in flour, salt, paprika. Mix well. Roll into balls. Spread on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Put into oven immediately after removing them from freezer. You may form the cheese around a stuffed olive or a pecan for a little different result.

If you have an idea for a program for the coming year, please send it to Stefie Atkinson. We need to decide what the program will be for each meeting. We voted that we wanted to have an active guild, and we have had some outstanding programs this year. Remember learning to make soap with Pam, or the basket workshop we had with Carol, Bec and Stef, or making felt in the cold, or learning to dye with indigo? Wow! Send your suggestions to Stef and we'll discuss them at the annual meeting in January. Carol's son, Alex, took a tie-dye workshop last summer and is willing to show us what he learned. Maybe this would be better done as a separate workshop, so non-members could come too? Send suggestions to Stef. If you don't make any suggestions and you don't make your opinions known, you can't complain about the programs.

Stef made her TV debut early in November. She taped the show, fortunately, and will bring the video to the December meeting to show us. I can't wait to see it. Way to go Stef.

Becca is trying to arrange a guild retreat, possible at the end of February. This time she suggests Manitouwac. It is closer than Door County and the place does not require a minimum number of people. She also thought that February is usually not as busy as the Fall. If you are interested, please let her know.

Pam Clements has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, so she is facing a pretty scary time ahead. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. And call or write her to let her know you're thinking of her. Pam, you have all our best wishes for recovery. Let us know how you are.

The Hollow Tree Spinning Guild Newsletter is written by Elizabeth James.

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Last Updated:January 10, 2000

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