Officially 40

Printer-friendly version

The party started, as many parties do, the night before with the baking and toasting of a boatload of biscotti.  The flavors pictured here are (from left to right): Decadance (hazelnuts, dark chocolate, Grand Marnier), Lemon, Mocha (coffee and dark chocolate), and Ginger-Lime.

We packed up the car with yarn, and a warping board and trekked down to Weaving Works.  (A big thanks to the folks at Weaving Works for playing host.  Having a central location, with many warping boards to hand, was a huge help.)

We poured out all the yarn that had come in, and made a big pile on the table. (Note the note book in the upper left.  I've kept a snippet of each yarn that came in, as well as any cards or ephemera.)

I hadn't had time to wind all the skeins into balls before the party, so the first things folks did was wind balls.  (And with so many wee little skeins, I was glad of the help!)

Marilyn got Kai involved with ball winding.

Judith taught Eric (my husband) how to use a ball winder.

Julie and Selah got comfortable.  Everyone was having a great time, sharing stories.

Laura Fry showed up in the middle of the party, via fax!  (She faxed a fun poem that we read out loud at the event.  Betcha didn't know she was a poet, too!)

Bonnie showed us an elegant low-tech way to wind balls. 

Actually, a lot of tips and tricks were shared throughout the day.  Weavers, because of the bulkiness of our gear, rarely get together and weave.  Which is a darn shame, because everyone's got little refinements they've come up with and there's so much we could learn from each other!

We did get all the yarn wound up, and then started to warp.  The more experienced weavers in the room had some serious reservations about mixing so many fibers together (including cotton and wool, with their different stretchiness.)  And they are entirely correct.  This project is varsity-level weaving, and may require much in the way of MacGyverisms.  So, like turning 40, this warp will be an adventure.  And I've got some ideas/strategies that I hope will help.

And of course, before the party ends, there must be cake!

Next post, pictures of some richly varied and colorful warp chains, and a discussion about what makes a good warp yarn.