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The Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
January 20 - January 26, 2005 Edition
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Community: From one hand to another January 20, 2004 Story by Anna Marie D'Addarie Mindy Brodsky came to the Fiber Folks meeting at the Ag Hall on Jan. 9 looking for help to finish her sweater. A few minutes with expert knitter Shirlee Miller, and Mindy was sewing away. Photos by Diana Waring (From left to right) Diane Demone and Glenn Jackson spinning while others work on projects at the monthly Fiber Folks meeting. Marianne Honey (left) tries her hand at spinning on my wheel. I'm showing her how to feed the newly spun wool onto the bobbin. This is exactly how I got started spinning two years ago. Rebecca Gilbert (left) and Katherine Long spin on drop spindles. The first thing you need to know about the Island Fiber Folks is the word “no.” The group has no elections, no board of directors, no dues, no agenda, and absolutely no rules. The second thing you should know is that this “no” philosophy works very well. The Island Fiber Folks group is becoming more popular each month as people discover that the laid-back folks who gather at the Agricultural Hall are the source for just about everything you ever wanted to know about fiber crafts. Forming a non-group Four years ago a few spinners and weavers were asked to do a demonstration at the annual Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Fair. Seated in front of the big fireplace that year, they got to talking and the idea of a regular get-together was born. The Ag Society agreed to let the new group meet in the hall once a month. The core group then decided to have a tent at the Fair to demonstrate and highlight Island fiber work. After three years, the fiber tent is now a must-see exhibit at the Fair, housing animals and Fiber Folks, demonstrating fleece to final products with weavers, spinners, knitters, rug hookers, and other hand-crafters. Quite a bit of progress for a group that still has no rules. A continuous line Spinning, knitting, and handcrafts were highly valued talents in early American society. Each family member was expected to spin, weave, or knit. Most children brought their knitting to school and it was not unusual for lessons to be interrupted by a child with a knitting question. Patterns and techniques were freely shared. Handwork was a necessity, not a pastime. In some New England towns, families were each assessed a certain amount of spinning -almost like taxes - which meant everyone had to spin. Today we are seeing a tremendous resurgence in knitting. It is chic to knit and everyone is doing it. The Island Fiber Folks are carrying on the tradition by gathering together and sharing information. If you are having trouble with a knitting pattern, there will be someone at the monthly meeting who can help. If you would like to try your hand at spinning, someone will let you sit behind the wheel and teach you. Beginners and experts sit side by side, talking, laughing, and carrying on a tradition of community hand work. A few months ago, a local farmer dropped off a bag of fleece to be shared with the Fiber Folks. Soon the fleece will be spun into fiber, perhaps dyed, then woven or knitted into something unique and completely from the Island. Thread running through us The Fiber Folks are not an historical society trying to keep old time crafts alive, but merely people who love fiber in all its forms. We can be found in yarn stores fondling the mohair or at the Martha's Vineyard Community Services Thrift Shop combing the racks for a wool skirt to be cut into strips for rug hooking. We are farmers sharing fleece. We are beginning knitters making our first scarf and experts turning the heel of a sock without looking. We are lifelong residents and newcomers. We are men and women with one great thing in common, our love of turning a simple piece of fiber into something fabulous with our own hands. The Fiber Folks meet on the second Sunday of each month, except July and August. In August the group mans the Fiber Arts tent at the fair. For more information or to be added to the e-mail list, call 508-693-6065.
©The Martha's Vineyard Times 2004 - www.mvtimes.com