Spin-In 2025 – Saturday, 22 February
February 22, 10 am to 3 pm
First Unitarian Church of Victoria, 5575 W Saanich Rd, Victoria, BC V9E 2G1
Since space is limited, please register in advance using this form. The cost is $20 PAYABLE AT THE DOOR. Please bring exact change.
Bring your lunch and a mug. Tea and coffee will be available. The Red Barn Market is across the road if you wish to buy a lunch. There will be door prizes, Show and Tell, and Equipment and Fibre Destash.
Show and Tell Table
Bring along your latest work to share with other spinners. We will ask you to fill in a short form giving your name and describing your work.
Equipment and Fibre Destash
If you have spinning or weaving equipment or fibre that needs a new home, bring it along. You will be responsible for selling your own stuff so please label it with your name, email, and price. If your equipment or fibre doesn’t sell, you will have to take it home.
Volunteers are needed for the Spin-In
Please bring a plate of snacks to share for our coffee breaks.
We also need a few volunteers to help with set up, take down, and to make more coffee.
- Set-up: 9 – 10 am
- Hospitality: 1-hour shifts from 10 am – 3 pm.
- Takedown: 3 pm – 4 pm
Please use the registration form (link above) or email spinin@vhwsg.ca if you can help.
Past Events
Spin-Out 2024 – Sunday, 21 July
This year’s Spin-Out is taking place at the Esquimalt Gorge Park (formerly known as Kinsmen Park) overlooking the Gorge Waterway. It is in the same location as last year.
Where: Esquimalt Gorge Park (1070 Tillicum Rd)
Location: By the red picnic tables at the main public parking lot, near the Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion
When: Sunday, July 21st, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
We will gather rain or shine (fingers crossed for lots of sun!). This is a free event and registration is not required. Please show up with your spinning, weaving, fibre craft, or project that currently has captured your fancy to work on while you socialize. While this is a spinning drop-in, we welcome all crafters. The more the merrier!
Please bring the following to add to your comfort: chair, brown-bag lunch, water, hat, jacket/sweater, sunscreen, spinning wheel or spindle or whatever equipment you need.
Note:
- Lunch, water, tea, coffee, and snacks will not be provided.
- Vendors will not be present.
- No kitchen facilities are available.
- There are public washrooms available within the park grounds.
We hope to see you there!
Spin-In 2024
Finally back in person – Spin-In this year was a great success with a beautiful location and vendors to round out the day.
Spin-In 2024 was held at the Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion in the Esquimalt Gorge Park at 1070 Tillicum Rd, Victoria. There is ample free parking. There are also 4 EV charging stations and bike racks. If you need a break from spinning, you can take a stroll in the beautiful Japanese Gardens or along the Gorge.
As usual, bring your lunch and a mug as well as your wheel and fibre. There will be coffee, tea, and snacks, and door prizes. The vendors this year are Small Bird Workshop, Chaotic Fibres, and Jill’s Fibres selling fibre and yarn. Watson Wheels selling spindles and other spinning tools and Gaukler Medieval Wares with spindles, and buttons and
Spin-Out 2023
This year’s Spin-In is called Spin-Out (because we will be spinning outside – rain or shine).
Where: Esquimalt Gorge Park, 1070 Tillicum Rd
Location in the park: red picnic tables area (see photo) close to the main public parking lot and beside the Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion
When: Sunday July 30th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
No registration, and no registration fee. Just show up!
We will gather together in the beautiful Esquimalt Gorge Park. Bring your own brown-bag lunch, chair, hat, jacket/sweater and spinning wheel and enjoy some time spinning outside and visiting with other spinners.
NOTES
* Lunch, water, tea and coffee and snacks will not be provided
* Vendors will not be present
* No kitchen facilities available
Spin-Out 2022
In 2023 there was no opportunity to hold a Spin-In because of ongoing health restrictions so some creative-thinking led to a Spin-Out, held at Gorge Park in the summer. It was a great success!
(Virtual) Spin-In 2021
Saturday April 24 from 1:30 to 3:30
Come for a few minutes or stay for 2 hours. You will need to have a computer with Zoom (video and audio capabilities).
Non-spinners are welcome. Just bring your knitting or set up your tablet beside your loom.
If you want to bring a friend to check us out, let the organizing committee know at spinin@vhwsg.ca and we will send your friend an invitation link.
Members will be invited to sign into Zoom and join a breakout room. Breakout rooms are sessions that are split off from the main Zoom meeting. They allow the participants to meet in smaller groups, and are completely isolated from the main session in terms of audio and video. We are planning for groups of 6 so everyone can visit and spin with friends comfortably. You will be able to join the room you want and move from room to room if you wish.
To participate, you will need to make sure your app is version 5.3.0 or higher. To check which version you have, start your Zoom app. At the bottom of window, below the blue Join a Meeting button, is your version of the app. To update Zoom, sign into your app and click on the icon in the top right corner. Click on Check for Updates and follow the directions.
There will be four $25 door prizes given out after the Spin-In. The winners will be able to use their prize at a yarn store of their choice. The winners will be drawn from among all the participants.
Questions? Send us an email at spinin@vhwsg.ca and we will do our best to answer them.
Spin-In 2020
Spin-In 2020 is just a round the corner! This event is organized by the Guild to bring together spinners and fibre producers for a day of spinning, conversation and inspiration. Mark Saturday February 22, on your calendar, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm. Both Guild and non-Guild spinners are welcome and knitters are welcome too.
This year the Spin-In will held at the Salvation Army Victoria Citadel at 4030 Douglas Street, Victoria, just off the Pat Bay Highway. There is ample free parking.
As usual, bring your lunch and a mug as well as your wheel and fibre. There will be coffee, tea, and snacks, Sam Talks, a used book and equipment sale, a Show But No Tell table and great vendors.
Sam Talks
We have two Sam Talks to present at the Spin-In.
A Helpful Plying Method 11:00 am in the multi-purpose room. (With permission from Kim McKenna)
This plying method, developed by Kim McKenna, keeps your tension and tangling under control while you ply. There will be a few handouts available. Cora Timothy will demonstrate the technique.
Sheep Breeds and Their Fleeces 2:00 pm in the multi-purpose room.
Holly Vickers has a great presentation on breeds and the characteristics of their fleeces. We all know about Merino, Blue-Faced Leicester and Romney, but there’s so much more for spinners to explore.
Used Book Sale and Equipment Sale
Sell those fibre-related books you don’t use anymore. The books should be in reasonable condition and you should come with a price in mind. Visit the folks at the used book table in the multi-purpose room and they will explain everything. You will need to take your books home again if they do not sell.
You are welcome to bring any fibre-related equipment you wish to sell from hand cards to a loom. Please label your equipment(s) for sale with the price and your name and drop it off in the sales area in the multi-purpose room. Anyone wishing to purchase your equipment will find you and negotiate with you. Please take your unsold equipment home with you at the end of the day.
Show But No Tell Table
Bring your beautiful handmade articles to share with other spinners. From skeins to finished articles, they are all welcome. Please label your articles with your name so others can find you if they have questions or want to congratulate you on a fine job–or in case you forget to collect your work at the end of the day. We want to be sure it gets back to you.
Vendors:
1. Endless Roving
2. Knotty by Nature
3. Spirit Song
4. Cool Cat Fibreworks
5. Pender Island Farms
6. Buttons, Bits and Batts
7. Jill’s Fibres
8. illitilli Angora