Good Beer, good friends, good times…

I’ve missed you dear readers, but the marathon is coming to a close, and I look forward to a bit more of a routine and some time to actually grow some grass under my feet…

It has been a whirlwind 10 days, 14 workshops, completely unrelated, in five different venues.  Overwhelming at times, but totally wonderful experiences all the way around.

Last weekend I debuted my new two day workshop, Weave a Memory, sort of a beta test with a volunteer guild, the lovely ladies at Jockey Hollow Weavers in NJ. They all came in with warped looms, using a Theo Moorman inlay technique, the one I’ve written about incessantly, and armed with a printer/scanner, and some wonderful images, everyone had a blast weaving some pretty terrific stuff.  We experimented with silk, cotton sateen/percale, and even some artist canvas.  Images were stripped and rewoven back together.  We spent a lot of time learning what could be done with Photoshop, lots of mending of old photographs. A big thank you to the Jockey Hollow Guild for allowing me to beta test this, I learned a lot about what could and could not be accomplished during the time frame, and what kinds of images students might bring in.  I started everyone with an image I had pre-printed so they could jump right in!

In between there I taught an online class through Weavolution, and started an eight week garment construction class at the Newark Museum.

Then came the NY Sheep and Wool Festival.  My only regret teaching 10 seminars/workshops over four days was not being able to get to the vendors and spend money. 🙂

I have to say that this was probably the most complex packing job I ever did, and because I could drive there, I was able to bring lots of stuff.  Each of the 10 classes had a huge suitcase or trunk filled with all the necessary equipment, samples, handouts, and supplies, so I could seamlessly move from one to the next.  I took a few photos, but sadly I didn’t have a minute to breathe in most classes, so there are only a few highlights.

The most colorful was of course the Microwave dyeing class using Kool-Aid and other edible confections.  I had an eager class that took direction well, and we all divided up the samples at the end so everyone, including me, got to take home the makings for a great notebook.  The only grumbling was having to write the individual formulas 10 times for each of the participants!

I have to take a minute to thank the program chairs for the NY Sheep and Wool festival, they did a terrific job organizing all this, and assigned me a wonderful space, with carpeting, a private bathroom, space to set up multiple workshops simultaneously so I could seamlessly move from weaving to bobbin lace to garment construction without missing a beat.  Best of all, we had heat.  A rare commodity on a fair grounds.

I taught two inkle weaving classes, one for beginners, followed by an advanced technique class, where students came with a prewarped loom and learned 2:1 pickup, 1:1 name draft, and supplemental warps.  It was a lot to cover in three hours but they all did magnificently.  Of course I failed to get photos of some pretty terrific warps. 🙁

Then there was the speed tapestry weaving class.  This sort of evolved out of my Fiber Boot Camp class, but I was sweating the time frame, could students actually weave a tapestry in three hours?  I prewarped the frame looms, and gave them some instructions, and away they went.  One of the students kept exclaiming, “This is so freeing!”  I think they did a great job!

And there was the presentation on bobbin lace.  I don’t normally teach this, but have a special fondness for the medium, since my mother in law, many of you know, was a master bobbin lace maker in her day, and taught me well during college breaks back in the 70’s.  I have lots to show, and of course all of her pillows and samples as well as many of my own.  I think I enjoyed that lecture most since I could feel her presence in the room, cheering on the students as they all got a chance to try making a simple straight lace on my small travel pillow.  They were all surprised at how easy it was, and I was surprised at how quickly they recognized the relationship between the bobbins and the pricking (design).

And probably my favorite part of the NY Sheep and Wool Festival is the tradition of housing many of the instructors in a great big old Victorian bed and breakfast, The Grand Duchess, just north of the fairgrounds in Red Hook, NY.  It is within walking distance of some terrific restaurants, and the hospitality of the proprietress Beth, and the camaraderie of the other instructors is something I look forward to and and am thrilled to be part of.  I teach at a lot of conferences, and I spend time with a lot of teachers, but this is a different group, they are the knitting and spinning instructors, and the configuration of the third floor bedrooms in this B&B, which opens out into a common area, made for some great knitting, story telling, note comparing, and some wicked beer!  A huge thanks to one of Abby Franquemont‘s students who gifted her with some fabulous craft beers from the Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD.  I’m drinking my new favorite, “Raging Bitch”, a Belgian Style IPA, and I couldn’t believe it when my son brought home a six pack tonight after I sent him out to see if it was carried by our local liquor store.  I’m not sure which I love the most, the taste or the label!  I hadn’t met Abby before, you may know, if you are a spinner, that she has authored a remarkable book called “Respect the Spindle” which of course I own and love, and it was a privilege to spend a wonderful dinner with her at the Flatiron Restaurant, sharing beer, lamb, and boar paté.

So my adventures for the year are winding down, tomorrow I have another garment construction class at the Newark Museum, and then Friday I fly to Huntsville, Alabama.  I’m all unpacked, laundry done, and my house is clean (thank you a million times Jenny!) and I had a lovely dinner tonight with my son.  My husband is off again to golf, and then return to Saudi for another few weeks, and my daughter is thriving up in Massachusetts.  The only one needing some TLC is of course the dog, who left me a few presents in the studio (thanks for cleaning it all up Cody).  Note to self, buy a deadbolt so the dog can’t get into the studio while I’m on the road…

Stay tuned…