Friday 9 January 2009

Weaving Guild, Pot Luck, and Music-making

The Border Weavers met today in the home of one of the members for our delayed Christmas pot-luck lunch. This had been postponed in December due to an ice storm. We also checked out each others weaving books and magazines for inspiration and information.

The Border Weavers Guild was formed by a group of nine ladies who were members of a knitting circle. After several meetings where woven items were shown as well as knitted items, it was suggested that those interested in weaving could form a weaving group. And so that is what we did.


Weaving is one of those activities that needs lots of different skills, from maths to colour design. And it requires attention to detail when warping a loom or following treadling orders. most of the members have a tapestry loom, made by the husband of our oldest member. Most of us have tried some tapestry weaving, albeit simple, and one lady made herself a poncho on her tapestry loom. I must give that a try. Several members have floor looms and make the most wonderful woven items - scarves, towels, shawls, wall-hangings, rugs. Everything is just so beautiful.

The pot luck was fabulous with cream of broccoli soup, chicken wings, coleslaw, home-made breads and muffins, pear and pecan crisp, brownies, key lime pie and my pumpkin cheesecake. I just love the way so many meetings and get-togethers are around pot lucks over here. Not something I had ever done in England, but I am definitely going to start whenever I am back there visiting family or working.

I drove to the weaving meeting today and had to stop on the road to let a gaggle of around a dozen wild turkeys cross the road. It was a great sight – they are big birds and looked at me as they crossed in front of the car. Of course I didn’t have a camera with me! The roads are very slippy with ice and snow on them. I enjoy driving in this weather for some strange reason. It’s been about -10 all day and is going down to -20 tonight.

After the meeting I went back to the house of my violin playing friend so we could spend a couple of hours playing together. I had taken my cello into the meeting with me as it was too cold to leave it in the car. We played some fiddle tunes that I had copied and written in the bass clef - they sounded good played on the two instruments. Than we did some Handel and Bach pieces that we like before finishing with some show tunes.

This is the best therapy I know. Music lets me leave all cares behind, yet brings emotion into my life. It is so much fun to play with others - we laugh a lot, especially when things don't sound so good! Time to go home came too quickly, so I set off along dark, lonely roads with Yo-Yo Ma and Claude Bolling keeping me company with their wonderful jazz. One day I'll sound like that. One day.....

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