Only three places left!

For anyone who has been thinking about coming on the first Maritime Memories Tour, don't delay as there are only three places left.

It has been my personal experience (and that of the travel industry in general) that people are delaying finalizing their travel plans until close to the time of departure--however, don't leave it too late to make your decision. Due to the special places we visit and the talented local people we meet, the size of the group will not be expanded. This unique itinerary won't be repeated next year, as I have other destinations in mind.

You can read about the details and highlights of this trip on my website: http://www.joycejamestours.com/ then click on Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island at the top. Please contact me with any questions you have and if you wish to register. My telephone number is: 613-695-0889 and email: knitting@joycejamestours.com.

Don't miss out!

Back from Scotland

I apologize for the gap in posts--somehow once I've been away, it takes me awhile to get back to a routine. The trip to Scotland last month was memorable and I'll share more of our experiences in future posts.

Members of our Scottish Skeins group in July were privileged to have workshops and to meet with talented members of the Shetland Guild. As we looked at their beautiful lace in detail, it gave us all a deep appreciation for the talents of the Guild members . We even made the local newspaper, The Shetland Times, which featured a photo of our group with members of the Guild, and an acknowledgement of our contributions to the building fund of their new museum.

One day on Orkney we visited the tiny village of St. Margaret's Hope, locally known as 'The Hope'. It is the site of an excellent little craftshop, called the Workshop, which carries the creations of a number of local artisans. Many of our group went home with North Ronaldsay yarn, jewellery and other treasures.

We also met with Liz Lovick at her home, which is just across from the Workshop. Liz has produced two CD-Rom discs, "Knitting Ganseys" and "Knitting Shetland Lace." I've just had a quick look at them and intend to view them in detail--they have a lot of history, instruction and patterns. Liz's website is: www.northernlace.co.uk/

I was reading the latest KBTH today and in addition to the many positive comments about an Estonian book of lace, there was a link to a submission Liz prepared for the KBTH Lace Virtual Conference, dated March 2006. Have a look at:
www.knittingbeyondthehebrides.org/lace/SameButDifferent.pdf. It is subtitled 'Shetland Lace in a European Context'. A lot of work and research went into this paper.

Anna Hergert Art Quilts

When I was living in Alberta, I used to go to a great yarn shop in Calgary called the Fibre Hut. The shop was owned by Anna Hergert and she carried a wide range of yarn, books, weaving and spinning needs. Anna also offered workshops, a sock club and gave knitting help if required to the many visitors to the store, plus it was a welcoming place to just drop in and visit.

Several years ago, Anna decided not renew her lease and she subsequently held a sale and quickly sold the stock. The Fibre Hut has been missed by many, not only in Calgary but in a large area of Alberta.

Since that time, Anna has been very busy: she and her husband Colin have moved near the hamlet of Buffalo Pound Lake which is north of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where she now creates beautiful art quilts in her studio, plus teaching and exhibiting her artistry at venues all over North America. She has won a number of awards and her quilts are frequently included in prestigious juried exhibitions. Have a look at her website: http://www.annahergert.com/. Anna also sends out a monthly e-newsletter, which you can obtain from her website.

I don't know how she accomplishes so much!

TICO - Travel Industry Council of Ontario

I'm not sure how many are aware that I was a retail travel agent for many years before I started organizing group tours. I recently wrote an exam which is compulsory for anyone giving travel advice and selling travel. The purpose of the study program leading up to the exam was to ensure that there was a level of professionalism and an awareness of the details of the Travel Industry Act and the Travel Industry Compensation Fund of Ontario.

Only three Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia) have similar acts which protect and reimburse travellers if an end supplier--a wholesaler, hotel, cruise line, airline--does not provide the services for which the consumer has paid. It is therefore important that a traveller books with a registered agent in one of these three provinces, although it is not necessary to be a resident. The fund is largely supported by payments from travel agencies and travel wholesalers. The amounts levied are based on a percentage of their sales and have to be remitted to the fund twice a year.

Compensation will only be paid to travellers after they have sought and did not receive reimbursement from a credit card or travel insurance company. It must be for the non-provision of travel services due to the bankruptcy or insolvency of a registrant, or the failure of an airline or cruise line end supplier. While such incidences rarely occur, it is fortunate that such potential support does exist. In the recent bankruptcy of the tour company, Conquest Tours, TICO was instrumental in ensuring return flights were arranged for stranded travellers. The limit for compensation from the fund is a maximum of $5000 CAD for those who qualify.

I passed the exam!

Breanish Tweed, Lewis, Outer Hebrides

Earlier this month I received a newsletter from Breanish Tweed. It's a family-owned business and their studio is located at the northern end of the Isle of Lewis, near the little village of Ness. Weaving is a tradition in this area, although the number of individual weavers have decreased greatly. Gaelic is still the common language. Have a detailed look at their site: http://www.breanishtweed.co.uk/ and especially watch the video. They offer a line of high-quality tweeds in a variety of weights and beautiful colours. The photographs will bring back happy memories to those who've come on the 'Scottish Skeins & Skerries Tour' in the years which included the Outer Hebrides on the itinerary.

The tweeds of Breanish are unusual as they are frequently woven in a lighter weight to those from Harris, using Shetland yarn, lambswool and cashmere, either alone or in combination. The yarns are all dyed and spun in Scotland. They even offer a Robbie Burns check to mark Scotland's Year of Homecoming and the 250th anniversary of their national poet and cultural icon.

I am not a weaver and from watching the video, can now understand when I've been told that the warping and tying on the traditional Hattersley looms can take longer than the actual weaving.

During our visit last year we met Iain Finlay Mcleod and several of the weavers, and I can attest that some beautiful lengths of tweed were purchased by our tour members. At that time, Breanish Tweed was located in a trailer but with plans for larger, more permanent, premises. We'll be able to see the changes during this year's tour in July.

Knitting Guilds

I've been going through the newsletters of guilds I belong to and am impressed by the commitment and activities of so many widespread memberships. They all offer a variety of activites: guest speakers, field trips, workshops, charitable knitting, frequently a guild library, a 'show and tell' session and a general mutual support and enjoyment of the craft.

My home guild is the Ottawa Guild of Knitters: http://www.ottawaknittingguild.ca/. They have a large membership and well-planned meetings with enthusiastic attendees. Their newsletter is called 'The Tangled Skein'--I always look forward to receiving an issue.

I also belong to the Gilli-Hook Heritage Knitters Guild in Calgary: http://www.gilliknitters.org/. Since I haven't been able to attend their meetings, for several years, I keep up with their activities through the newsletter. I think the most talented knitter I've ever met is my friend, Gladys Vallance, a member of the Calgary guild. For anyone who doesn't know, a 'gilli hook' is of Nordic origin and was used by knitters to hold their yarn, so they could knit while going about their other duties.

One of the Toronto area guilds of which I am also a member is the Downtown Knit Collective, also known as the DKC: http://www.downtownknitcollective.ca/. This is a large, active guild and they have a number of well-known designers and authors, in addition to many talented knitters amongst the membership.

Probably one of the older guilds is the Knitting and Crochet Guild in the U.K.. which recently marked their 30th anniversary: http://www.knitting-and-crochet-guild.org.uk/. Take some time to look at their comprehensive website in detail--there is a lot to see. Their twice-yearly journal is called the 'SlipKnot' and I found each issue has an interesting collection of articles. Recent topics were, "The Home Front in World War Two" and "Thoughts on the cataloguing and classification of knitting patterns", news from regional guilds, techniques, announcements of upcoming events, ads. In fact, I've been reading through a recent issue and was reminded of how much I enjoy the 'SlipKnot', plus it's time to renew my membership! For anyone planning a visit to Yorkshire, the guild has a permanent home with a knitting collection and an extensive library of books and patterns.

Although not just for knitters, the Textile Museum of Canada: http://www.textilemuseum.ca/ should not be missed. Their mission statement is: "Explore the continuum of textile art through time and space, from 2,000 years in the past to the day after tomorrow"--something they do very well. The attractive building, easily accessible in downtown Toronto, offers a variety of exhibitions and an extensive library. Two displays at present are: "The Cutting Edge" and "When Women Rule the World; Judy Chicago in Thread".

I also belong to the Tucson Handweavers & Spinners Guild: http://www.thsg.org/. This guild started in 1973 and have many study groups--not just limited to weaving and spinning, but to knitting, rugs and baskets. Their newsletter is called "Woolgather" and in addition to its printing, the guild sends out frequent email updates. Although the primary interest of the membership seems to be spinning and weaving, there is much for knitters too. They are a very active group and hold events and meetings for those interested in any of the textile arts.

Whether knitting is a craft which gives us independent pleasure, this quick review of some guilds and newsletters shows us how we are all part of a much larger community. I'd be interested to hear of other guilds. Please send me an email: knitting@joycejamestours.com and I'll be able to mention your guild in future posts.

Joyce

Jamieson & Smith, Shetland

The venerable firm of Jamieson & Smith in Lerwick, Shetland has produced a new website: http://www.shetlandwoolbrokers.co.uk/. Have a look at their home page and the circulating photographs at the top. The firm is known locally as 'the Wool Brokers' and our visit there is highly anticipated by group members--in fact, you could say it reaches something approaching a fever pitch!

Our first stop is in the receiving area where the farmers bring in their clip, and it is weighed and graded. Oliver Henry, known as 'the wool man' is always there to speak to us about the process of grading. There are enormous bins of different qualities of fleece and Oliver shows us how he decides if the end result should be the fine cobweb yarn or destined for a wool carpet, plus all the gradations in between. He is very obliging and well deserves his reputation as an expert.

The very helpful retail staff are there to give us advice on choosing colours and amounts for any project. Frequently, one visit isn't enough for the tour members and they often make time to go back again if not once, but several times during our five days on Shetland. The staff are also experts in mail order and for those who want to take their yarn back home with them, offer us the courtesy of bundling up the purchases and sending them to our last hotel in Glasgow, thus avoiding the luggage restrictions on our domestic Loganair flights. In fact, mail order is a speciality of the firm and several years ago they won a national postal award for their services. In the office upstairs, the phones seem to be constantly ringing with orders from around the world.

It is amazing to see their stock room with the myriad yarn colours in boxes reaching to the ceiling. J. & S. also carry the famous knitting belts, a woolly board for blocking sweaters, plus a selection of patterns and books. They carry a wide range of yarn weights and colours--from the one-ply lace weight which is used to make the treasured shawls (including the beautiful 'wedding ring shawls), through the 2-ply lace, jumper weight, to the heavier Shetland aran (formerly known as 'Brora Soft Spun'). A range of nine natural shades is found in their 'Shetland Supreme Natural' line, which comes in 2-ply lace and cobweb weights, plus a jumper weight. For spinners, there are 'Shetland Combed' tops which is in white. Have a look at their blankets--completely woven from Shetland yarns. As another option for spinners, depending on the custom import regulations where you live, it could be possible to order a fleece which Oliver will select.

More about yarns from Shetland in another post.