Redcliffe Show puts skills in a spin

Members of the Redcliffe Spinners, Weavers and Dyers group will share their passion and demonstrate their skills at this year’s Redcliffe Show on June 28, 29 and 30.

They will also be vying for top honours in the needlework competition.

Life Member Karlene Lewis started the club with Maureen van der Zalm about 49 years ago when the pair grew tired of travelling to Brisbane Spinners and Weavers and decided the Peninsula needed its own group.

She will be entering work in this year’s Redcliffe Show and will be among those demonstrating their skills to give showgoers an insight into what they do.

“It’s surprising the number of children who don’t know anything about spinning, so we show them how the wheel works,” Karlene says.

These days, there are some adults who visited the display as children who now bring their own to take a look.

Spinning fibre into a thread which can be used for weaving, knitting, crochet or embroidery takes patience, but it is also a hobby which brings a sense of peace and calm.

When it’s done in a group, as is the case on the first and the third Thursday of the month from 9.30am at Redcliffe Showgrounds’ Webb Hall, it can be loads of fun.

Members enjoy a chat and develop new skills, with regular demonstrations a chance to boost their knowledge.

Member Christina Robinson says: “It’s really relaxing. We have a really good bunch of people here.”

Jan Welch started spinning in 1983.

“I love the history, the connection and creativity. I’m not governed by patterns,” she says.

Margaret England was using a weave-it square to make squares she will use to make a blanket, when we visited the group.

She is a member with her mother Helen and says she finds it relaxing and enjoys the social aspect.

Fellow member Kate Farthing has been spinning since the mid-1980s.

“It’s one of those crafts that the mind can do something else. It’s like you walk through a doorway and it’s a different little piece of creativity,” she says.

She describes herself as a ‘wool believer’ who loves the weight and feel of sheep’s wool as a fibre.

Members of the Redcliffe Spinners and Weavers will display their work and run demonstrations throughout each day of the show.

“We’re doing something all the time,” Karlene says.

Anyone wanting to join the group, can come along to one of their regular Thursday meetings to find out more.

See more photos here

By Dominika Lis