Purposeful anticipation was in the air as five weavers converged at the Sincuidados Community Center in Scottsdale on November 12th and 13th. The joy of weaving, removed from distractions, yet with ready access to the collective knowledge of other weavers at-the-ready, created the atmosphere of an early holiday gift.
Each of us had specific personal goals. Ann Ormiston warped her Wolf Pup with a pink huck lace and plain weave project from Handwoven. Alice Mertz wove placemats in an overshot pattern with a multiple color warp. Susan Baker-Ory created a gamp sampler, while Sybil Yastrow sampled a collapse weave scarf. Originally I was going to weave my linen pillow covers. But since my loom refused to be transported (long story!), I borrowed Alice’s table loom for a 2-2 twill & basket weave wool scarf for my nephew.
There’s an old saying that the devil fools with the best-laid plans, but there is a silver lining for each cloud. So while my poor pillows had to sit home alone (ok, they had my husband for company), pulling together a warp at the last minute gave our group an opportunity to warp a loom from back to front – my first experience at doing so – and we all compared notes on technique. We had 3 1/2 yards wound and ready to thread in less than half an hour. And I must say, the tensioning was perfect!
I’ve been to several weaving workshops, but I was so excited at the amount and level of information that was exchanged at our small gathering. There was a calm atmosphere of collaboration as each of us worked on our projects. And it was great being able to watch others work, learning helpful and new ways of executing the skills of our craft.
Needless to say, time flew by like a dream, and all too soon it was time to pack up and get on the road. It was a great experience, and we’ll be getting together again. This could be the start of something really great!
Many thanks to Alice for her coordination work and access to the community center!
Enjoy the slideshow!
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