Lydia Weaver was one of a few people who visited the Alberni Valley Museum on Saturday, June 7 for a free workshop on spool knitting.
Cathy Bagley from the Alberni Valley Fibre Guild was on hand with paper tubes, popsicle sticks and yarn to show people how to 'spool knit,' also known as French knitting or corking.
Weaver said she appreciates the workshop series being put on by the Alberni Valley Fibre Guild and the museum because the sessions give her an opportunity to try different fibre art techniques for free.
The next session in the series will be Visible Mending, which is trending right now. Gone are the days when people tried to hide their mending stitches—now, with techniques such as Japanese sashiko embroidery, mending stitches are highlighted rather than concealed.
Visible mending is a way to give previously-loved items a second chance.
Visible Mending takes place at the Alberni Valley Museum on Saturday, July 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The public is invited to bring any clothing items in need of repair, and learn basic stitches and techniques from two members of the fibre guild. This session is free to the public. No pre-registration necessary.
The Alberni Valley Fibre Guild recently received a $4,000 grant from the Alberni Valley Community Foundation for its 100-kilometre Wardrobe Challenge, a two-year project designed to raise awareness of the local textile economy. They will share the grant equally with the Centre for Retrofitting and Failure Techniques (CRAFT), a non-profit organization run by Klehwetua Rodney Sayers and based on the Ahswinnis Reserve in Port Alberni.
A fibre guild spokesperson explained that the grant will help build a relationship between the two non-profits as well as ground the 100-km Wardrobe Challenge in the history of First Nations textiles.
To learn more about the guild and their projects, go online to albernivalleyfibre.ca.
