Sun City Spinners meet every Tuesday at the Poverty Bay Bowling Club.
IN AN era when many organisations are languishing due to lack of membership and interest, one local group appears to have found the formula for longevity and success.
Poverty Bay Woolcrafters can trace its lineage back more than 45 years and has a thriving membership of over 65 women who get together with great enthusiasm on a regular basis.
Area delegate Sharon Johnston says one of the earliest records of a spinners and weavers’ group in the district, Matawhero Spinners, is dated 1969.
“We now have four groups within our region — SunCity Spinners, Waikohu Spinners, WWW. Felters & Weavers and Night Owl Spinners — who meet on various different days and nights of the month,” says Sharon who belongs to Wonderful Wednesday Woolcrafters Felters & Weavers.
Sharon attributes the success of the group to “a shared passion for working with fibre and the warm welcome extended to all”.
“It’s a caring, dynamic organisation and all our members seem to love the camaraderie and companionship of attending meetings and the busy schedule of events,” she says.
“We have an educational workshop each year, visiting tutors, wool-dying days, trips to other centres, mystery days out and an annual wool muster for three days in February.
“We also participate in community activities, including conducting classes at schools and demonstrating at public events.”
Pleasure and community projects the drawcardsEducation officer Frances Bailey says members attend meetings for the sheer pleasure of creating handmade items.
The enthusiasm of the group for the community projects they undertake is another major drawcard, she says.
“We make ‘knitted knockers’ out of soft baby wool for breast cancer patients who are awaiting prostheses, slippers for children at Planet Sunshine at the hospital, hats for premature babies and beanies for children at the health camp.”
The Night Owls’ group of eight to 10 members meets at her home every fortnight.
“They usually bring their own spinning wheels but we have a spare one here for anyone who wants to learn, and we are more than happy to teach beginners.
“The group is very welcoming and accepting, and men are welcome to come along too. In fact we have a male spinner from the Coast who spins wool for his wife to knit.”
Frances says she does all sorts and is a keen recycler.
“I make babies’ slippers, jumpers and knitted and felted hats — a bit of everything. I’ve loved spinning from the time I was a little girl and was fascinated with my grandmother’s wheel. I learned to knit with 4-inch nails and then graduated to meat skewers,” she says.
As a teenager, Frances used to knit on the bus en route to high school, an hour each way.
“I could make a 4-ply jumper for myself in three or four weeks.”
Poverty Bay Woolcrafters comes under the umbrella of the national body, Creative Fibre NZ — formerly NZ Spinning, Weaving and Woolcraft Society (NZSWWS) — an organisation representing all fibre crafts.
Creative Fibre NZ, which has over 3000 members throughout New Zealand, is divided into 15 autonomous geographical areas, each with its own area delegate.
“It brings together spinners, weavers, knitters, dyers, flax workers, felters, crocheters, free-form fibre artists and others involved in all facets of fibre arts and crafts,” says Sharon.
Creative Fibre NZ has an annual festival which local members attend. Next year’s event, Fibrant Auckland, will be held in Pukekohe in late April-early May.