Fiber Camp! Knitting Camp!

Say you're 7,8,9,10,11 or 12 years old. Say you want something to do for a week or two in the summer. Say you're a parent looking for something to occupy a kid for a week or two in the summer. You're crafty? You like doing things with your hands? How about Fiber Camp?

We are offering two different camps this summer. Knitting camp, for ages 9-12 will meet in the afternoons (12:30-3:00) and focus on teaching basic knitting techniques. Each camper will knit a sock puppet during the week-long session. Fiber camp, for ages 7-11, will meet in the morning, and give the campers exposure to a variety of fiber arts, from weaving to knitting to spinning and dying.

Both camps are offered in week-long sessions. The first session is June 25-29, the second is July 30-August 3, and the last is August 6-10. They both cost $155 per session, with a materials fee of $15 for knitting camp, or $10 for fiber camp.

The picture above is Samantha Lee, a twice veteran of the camp, with a skein of her own hand-dyed yarn!

For details on registration and times, please consult the listings here:

http://springwaterfiber.org/html/kid.html

Stitch 'n Pitch

So you like sports. And you like knitting. There are more of you out there than you know. There are hockey players who knit in the time-out box. There are rowers who make sweaters. And now, there is Stitch ‘n Pitch. For everyone who thought sharp, pointy sticks and flying baseballs were a GREAT combination, this is your event! For everyone who thought baseball was deathly boring except for a few seconds of excitement every 30-40 minutes, this will give you something to do while you wait.

Along with other organizations, Springwater will be selling tickets to this year’s Stitch ‘n Pitch, which is to be May 14, at RFK stadium. Put on by the National Needle Arts Association, this event will cost $10 per ticket, and that will get you admission plus the kinds of goodies you expect from a day at the ballpark.

Come on down, eat a hot dog, knit a shawl and catch a fly ball. Great fun will be had by all.

The Alternative Fiber Series, Part 1: Hemp

Yes, hemp. No, not like that.

More like this:

Source: http://www.ingenkonst.se/images/hemp_bls.jpg

As summer approaches, we tend to start to think cottons. Lighter weight and cooler than wool, it is clearly the year-round knitter’s fiber of choice. But why should we limit ourselves? Hemp provides many of the same perks as cotton, and often beats it at its own game.

Argument 1: hemp is softer than cotton. Don’t be fooled. You may not feel it right off the bat, as it takes a while for this fiber to loosen, but anyone who has worn this stuff for more than a day will tell you it simply feels amazing.

Argument 2: hemp is stronger than cotton. Actually, it is one of the strongest plant fibers anywhere. You would be hard pressed to accidentally break or fray this stuff.

Argument 3: It is better for the environment. Okay, so this is a bit hippie-dippie, but cotton growing is a large enterprise that takes up a lot of land and resources. Hemp, on the other hand, is produced in smaller quantities, and grows like, well, weeds.

Argument 4: The stuff we carry at Springwater (shown above) is luscious, Elsabeth Lavold yarn. Her products in general are of high and consistent quality.

If you’re not convinced, come try it for yourself. See what you think. And I promise, it is totally legal.

double your discount!

The April special at Springwater is double the normal 10% discount on items purchased by Springwater members. This means for this month, all members get 20% off all their supply purchases!

This would be a great time to become a member, as the cost would pay for itself in no time at all. For $45, you become a member (and supporter!) of Springwater and its academic, community and artistic programs, and in doing so, gain the benifits of discounted classes, the discount on supplies and member's only events and functions.

As a non-profit, Springwater depends on support from its community to stay effective and open. Please consider membership for this reason, and for your own benifit.