It’s a fortnightly gathering of handweavers, spinners and dyers. The Sheffield group supports the Claude Road Market.

“The market a chance for people to see what we do,” Ms MacDonald said.

Some ladies travel from as far as Cradle Mountain and Mole Creek for the get-together to share knowledge and enjoy the company of the group.

“It’s a way of getting ladies, or gents, together. It’s about friendship, it’s a time to relax and to get out of the house and have a chat.

“Sometimes silly things happen and we spend half the time laughing.”

As well as weaving, spinning and dying, the ladies do needling and combine old methods with new ones.

“Some use food colouring and vinegar to dye and then put it out in the sun,” Ms MacDonald said.

“It usually takes five to seven days, depending on how strong the sun is. When the water is clear, the fiber has absorbed all the dye.

“It’s a popular method because there are no harsh chemicals.”

Ms MacDonald has been in the Handweavers and Spinners Guild for 20 years. She moved to Tasmania from the mainland in 1999.

“When you say you’re a spinner, people just think you sit in front of a wheel,” she said.

“But we are creative and do a lot of different things. If I think people are getting bored, I issue them a challenge.”

And not long ago, some of the ladies in the group returned the favour, issuing Ms MacDonald a challenge.

It was to make a wall hanging, and she successfully completed it, making a bush scene with Tasmanian animals.

While most of the ladies were spinning at the most recent group meet-up, Tanya Chester was making a lot of noise, needle felting. The Devonport woman is hoping to have her intricate fantasy design completed by Christmas.

Needle felting involves using barbed needles to interlock wool fibers, forming a condensed material. It is done in layers, working from the background forward.

“There’s a lot of detail in it,” Ms Chester said. “It takes a long time, but it’s good to get your frustration out.”

Eileen Day has been spinning and weaving for more than 30 years. She encouraged people who were interested in trying it out to give Ms MacDonald a call.

“You don’t have to be a weaver,” she said. “It’s a social time. We help one another if we have problems.”