The Tres Hermanas website at http//tres-hermanas.tripod.com is finally finished! Of course, there will be constant tweaking as we add more and more to both our “brick” and our “click” stores. In the meantime, we hope you check it out – and let us know what you’d like to see added in the future.

New Products at THWW

Harrisville Designs

Harrisville Designs makes a fine line of fiber products ranging from educational looms, first knitting kits, and several nice yarns, to full-sized floor looms. We use their lap-looms in our beginning tapestry classes. Wonderful products at an excellent price!

Strauch Fiber Equipment

Otto Strauch, at Strauch Fiber Equipment, makes incredible equipment. His wonderful floor-standing skein-winder is one piece of equipment that neither Patricia nor I could do without! Strauch also makes hand carders, ball winders (including the Strauch/Fricke ball winder which will ball up to a pound of yarn!), and the famous Strauch/Fricke drum carders. Whether you are a spinner, a weaver, or a knitter, Strauch is a great source for much of your equipment needs.

International Dye-Artist Presenting Classes

Michelle Wipplinger, founder of Earthues Dyes, and twice-honored United Nations award recipient, will be in Ponca City for 6 days, July 17-22, where she will be teaching classes at the Pioneer Woman Museum.

Ms. Wipplinger will teach two classes on dyeing: one on dyeing with wool (6/17-19), and the other on dyeing cellulose fibers, i.e. quilting fabrics (6/20-22). The price for each class is $250. There will also be a $100 materials fee for each class -- and students will go home with lots of samples!

To register, call the Pioneer Woman Museum at 580/765-6108.

Pioneer Fiber Guild

The first meeting of the PFG was a great success! Special thanks goes to Tulsa Hand-Spinners Guild President, Susan Rocklin, who was kind enough to talk to us about forming a guild, as well as her experiences as a spinner and shepherd. (We all still laugh at the image of you shearing a skunk, Susan!)

We had several other special out-of-town guests join us for the meeting, including Barb Thomas of Thomas Creations (the makers of wonderful triangle looms we hope to carry soon!) and Reta Gardner, who supplies us with beautiful handspun yarns and fibers. Reta brought two 2-day old bottle-lambs with her, and we had a wonderful picture-taking session with them in the park behind the Museum after the meeting.

At the March 25^th meeting, we will talk about our guild and nominate officers. Don’t forget to bring your current projects for Show & Tell!

Pioneer Fiber Guild meets the 4th Saturday of each month at the Pioneer Woman Museum, 701 Monument Rd, Ponca City, OK. For more information contact Rebecca at the Museum: 580/785-6108.

What’s Happening?!

Gloria and Patricia taught a series of classes for Alt-Ed kids, and we just love both the teaching and the kids. One young man, who initially laughed at the idea of weaving, not only finished a scarf woven on the Harrisville Easy Weaver “A” loom and a tapestry purse on a Harrisville Peg Loom, he has learned to crochet and is working on a scarf for his mom! The whole class worked together to design and weave a large tapestry that they will give to the school to inspire future classes.

Exciting things are going on all the time in Ponca City! During Ponca City School’s Spring Break, Gloria taught weaving to kids at the Pioneer Woman Museum. They caught on to the techniques right away and did a great job with their pieces. Pioneer Woman Museum will be offering more classes for kids this summer.

And last but not least, the new quilting shop, Quilted Rainbows, has opened just across the street from us, at 319 E. Grand. It is a fabulous place, with lots of hard-to-get fabrics and items in stock. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and they are eager to help anyone, from newbie to pro. All this, plus they will be carrying the Hoffman Challenge fabrics this year.

Spinning Tip of the Month:

For short down fibers, such as cashmere, yak, angora, and bison, use cotton hand-cards to remove vegetable matter and make rolags.