Conference Fun

The weaving conference was a blast! Lois and I loaded up the cars Thursday night with stuff to sell and headed out Friday morning. We were set up and ready to go well before the doors opened at 5 p.m. Lots of temptation in the vendor hall; unfortunately, the shoppers all seemed to be watching their wallets pretty closely. We talked to several vendors and all said the same thing - very few checks, even fewer credit cards and customers all saying they brought a specific amount of cash and when that was gone, they were d.o.n.e. shopping.

Saturday's class on planning your cloth and weaving drafts with Sharon Alderman started out full of promise - I had several 'aha!' moments in the first 2 hours - but by lunch it was well over my head. Sharon wrote the book, literally, on weave structures; she had tons of samples and a wealth of experiences to share. I took lots of notes and hope they will make more sense as I continue to weave.
Sunday was inkle weaving with Daryl Lancaster. Daryl had to be exhausted after teaching for 5 days straight, but she was full of energy and information. Definitely one of my favorite classes.

The loom I used in class belongs to the guild. Although it had an inkle band on it when it was donated us, Daryl thinks it may actually be a card weaving loom (but will work for inkling too).
I came home with a woven band well under way. And a new inkle loom of my very own. (I'll post pix of it as soon as Dick puts it together.) My baby weighs just over a pound and fits in the bottom of a tote bag or on an airline seat tray. It won't do a 15-yard, 4" wide band like the guild loom but I think 2" wide and 2 yards long is a fair exchange for portability and affordability (just over $50). Other than the loom, the only things I purchased were 2 shuttles I needed for class (handmade in exotic hardwoods, of course), blown-glass stitch markers (gorgeous!) and 3 cones of 5/2 cotton to make towels. And yes, I went with a specific amount of cash, just like everyone else. When it was done, so was I.