Friends and Neighbours by Leah Blain
It all started with a notice in the Salmon Arm Observer 40 years ago.
The article caught Noelle Cox’s attention. She an her husband were still new to town, having moved here the year before.
“Someone put an ad in the paper that said, ‘If you’re interested in joining a spinners and weavers guild to come to a meeting in the basement of the library. I was quite excited,” said Noelle.
The Shuswap Spinners and Weavers guild formed in 1979. That year they had their first Christmas sale in the library basement (the building that is now the art gallery). The next year they had their first sheep to shawl demonstration. Of course, these public demonstrations and competitions didn’t always go well. They laughed as they recalled one particular competition at the fair.
Read more: Chase couple wins a quilt from Salmon Valley Seniors
Read more: B.C. weavers to help Alaska Native project honouring survivors of violence
“We had three teams - Vernon, Kelowna and Salmon Arm,” said Ann Nikmo, “the only space we had was the quonset hut so we had to take turns. We did ours on Friday and people kept telling us to ‘sshhhh’ during the opening ceremonies, but we said, we’re in a competition and we have to finish by a certain time.’”
And then there was the guild sweater project. They had asked James Murray, who was the Observer photographer at the time, to take a picture of the finished product. It didn’t quite work out the way they wanted.
“The sleeves were different sizes,” said Ann laughing at the memory.
They had to do some fancy manoeuvring so it wouldn’t be noticeable in the picture.
“If you didn’t have these failures you wouldn’t have things to talk about and laugh about,” Ann added.
Over the years the club held pretty steady between 30 to 40 members.
“About five years ago it took a big jump. We had between 60 and 70 members.”
The key to their continuous popularity is twofold.
“We’re very inclusive,” said Ann, who has been a member for 30 years. “Anyone working with fibre can belong.”
The spinners and weavers guild includes felters, dyers, knitters and crocheters. Besides welcoming an eclectic mix, they are active in the community.
“I think because it’s because we do a lot of stuff in public,” said Noelle. “We go to the Salmon Arm Fair and heritage days at the mall and I think that brings in a lot of people.”
“We’re a very active group both in our own right and the community,” added Ann. “We have a blog, we’re on Facebook and on Tuesday nights we’re at the library.”
Ann’s own history with weaving began in her post-secondary school years.
“I was at university in home economics and I had to take a textile course. The new professor was from Eastern Europe and she had to take all these people and try to teach us textiles…”
Her professor was the internationally-acclaimed textile artist Joanna Staniszkis whose commissioned works hang in prominent buildings around the world.
Read more: Master the art of pine needle basket weaving
Read more: Dream weavers
Both Ann and Noelle enjoy their creations on a more practical level.
“I use my blankets, tea-towels and table runners,” said Noelle.
“Not a day goes by when I don’t use something I’ve made,” said Ann, explaining it’s a great way to up-cycle.
“I think what I love is that you can just take a bunch of yarn and create so many different looks and create something from scratch. I’ve seldom gone into a store and bought yarn. I create things from other people’s left-overs. It’s fun to do.”
The Shuswap Spinners and Weavers will be having a few events throughout the year to celebrate their 40th anniversary. To find out more visit their Facebook page or their blog, shuswapspinnersweavers.blogspot.com
@SalmonArm
newsroom@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter