The Gathering

This past weekend marked the end to 2006’s fiber affairs, at
least for me. It’s been quite a ride
this year and 2007 is shaping up. Not
bad, not bad at all.

The Gathering..  It
was great and it was not as great. Some
things are best unsaid. I had a wonderful
time. How could I not? There were over
200 spinners staying at the Loon Mountain Club for the weekend. That’s 48 hours of eating, talking, spinning
and the sharing of stories and projects.

the view from my window

The two weekend days were broken up into three class sections. I’m
kicking myself now. Hindsight. I should have taken Rita Buchanan’s
classes. I should have. Now, in the aftermath, I am reminding myself
that I can always learn something new, even in a beginners class.
Instead,
I learned that there are two parts to Bosnian Crochet, only two. Most
of what you need to know can be covered
in about 15 minutes. The stitches can be
learned in about five minutes…. the rest can be shown in the remaining
10. I took the class all day Saturday, two
sessions. The company was wonderful. Deborah is an incredibly
knowledgeable
textile historian and her stories are very interesting. But, two
stitches. I can see myself using this technique for
crocheted basket work, maybe bags, something like that. Thing was, when
I saw the technique, I
realized I’ve used it many times in the past. I have never been taught
to crochet. I learned by picking up the needle and
playing around.  I had naturally (read
that as made up, reinvented, and) used those two stitches years ago for
making
crocheted sculpture. It produces a very
sturdy fabric. I didn’t know it had a
name. I think, that at the time, I
assumed it was a single crochet. That
was the Saturday class. Sunday’s Rug
Hooking was rather more informative. Again, the technique is incredibly
simple;
the tools, likewise. It is a terrific
way to use up odds and ends and get a beautiful and creative product.
I’m psyched. I have loads of Lincoln roving that I’ve been spinning and
dyeing for a rug or bench pad. It will be hooked instead of woven. My
sample is underway.

 
Friday and Saturday evenings were spent in a big room with
vendors and spinners doing what we do best. There weren’t many vendors, but the ones that were there were good
ones. Christopher Hall was there with
Montedale roving. Umm… just what I
needed. And, Foxfire. I bought another Forrester spindle, this time
a light weight .74 oz., wild cherry beauty. It spins like a dream. We
relaxed, we talked, and Saturday night we listened to a local NH story
teller. By noon Sunday, we were exhausted. How can that
be?  I ate my box lunch in front of the fire in the
main lobby and waited for my ride north.

It would be nice if the Gathering was a yearly event. It’s the kind of thing that benefits the mind
and the soul; new skills, new friends, and time spent with visiting with old
ones too. The NETA Spa is next up, in
February. It’s a very different experience. While the Gathering is about learning, Spa is social, more vendors, late
nights. Today, as I’m winding down from
one, I can’t wait for the next.

And a “HEY” goes to the RISG. We have 16 members, small state, small
guild. We had a 75% attendance for the
Gathering. 75% !