NEWS Day 4 (Last Day)

Sunday, the very full weekend of NEWS came to a close.


Time to say bye to my dorm


and my dorm room. (Won't miss them too much!!)


My morning class in fabric analysis with Jan Doyle was short and to the point.

I still need to practice more at home, but Jan provided samples and practice exercises and a clear method for figuring out how a fabric was woven.

That fits together really well with the block design class I took on Saturday.

I definitely need to let it sink in so I understand it better....but important foundations for that knowledge are finally in my brain! I'm so happy about that!


I closed out the weekend with a paper weaving class with Jan Doyle just for fun.

The room was full of lots of beautiful paper, and the class notes included several options for projects.

Many people went for broke and tried a triaxial weaving (the so-called mad weave). I had a major mad weave FAIL at a workshop in NH a few years ago.....so I figured I should stick with weaving in a grid this time! I wanted the class to be fun.

I wove a weaving draft. I was so tired that I didn't notice the really obvious mistakes in the left portion of my project until I took a photo of it this morning.

I will fix it and possibly frame it. Jan had framed pieces that looked great!


I also wove this heart, and this fish variation on the heart. I forgot to glue the fish together before I cut it so the edges are a little wiggly because it wants to fall apart. Luckily, a glue stick can repair many things!


We headed toward home in our very full car. As we were loading the car I realized I bought more yarn than I thought.

On the way home we made an ice cream stop at Kimball Farm. Yum! Kimball Farm will become part of my NEWS tradition for sure!!

NEWS is a whirlwind of learning, exhibits, new and old weaving friends, and inspiration. I'd recommend it to any weaver....even if you're not from New England. It's scheduled at a great time to be in New England....so you could tack on a little vacation.

Some day I'd like to attend Convergence and even try some other regional weaving conference.

Right now, I'm just happy to be home!!

NEWS Day 3

Is it a bad sign when you can't remember what day it is??

Starting this post I couldn't remember what day of the week or what day of the conference it is.

Hopefully that means my brain is working hard to consolidate all that I've learned this weekend!

8 shaft thick and thin by Judie Eatough

My second class at NEWS was a full day class on Block Design, taught by Judie Eatough.

12 shaft thick and thin by Judie Eatough

Last winter I was struggling with a few concepts about blocks, so when I saw this class I jumped at it.

6 hours of class on a beautiful summer Saturday might not seem like your idea of fun....but every once it a while it's mine!

4 shaft pick up by Judie Eatough

I'm thrilled to report that at the end of the day, the two areas of block design that were super confusing to me in the morning were all straightened out.

Sheer laziness prevents me from writing about what I was confused about and what I understand now. (Plus, Jim emailed me yesterday to say that my second NEWS post had the most words of any post I've ever written. Yipes!! Today I'll leave a few words out!!)

4 shaft crackle by Judie Eatough

Judie brought a great mound of samples that illustrated lots of weave structures.

I had my wits about me enough to take some random pictures during one of the breaks.

8 shaft thick and thin by Judie Eatough

I'm really glad I took this class. For me, one of the things I really wanted to get out of NEWS was a better understanding of blocks so that I can continue learning about them at home.

I think I'm good to go!!

Static Fashion Show

I popped into the Static Fashion Show where we could see the entries from the runway show up close and personal. The exhibit was quite crowded. Lots of beautiful work.

It's interesting to see how different some pieces look up close compared to how they looked on models.

Betsy Blumenthal delivered a closing lecture with a look at weaving since the 1960's. That was fun for me because I've heard people talk about what they were weaving when, but seeing slides of the work of various weavers was great!

One last day of NEWS left.....but planning has already started for 2011! Hope to see you there!!

NEWS Day 2

Friday was the first day of classes at NEWS (New England Weavers Seminars).

Campus Center - where most of my classes are held
(Note the blue sky - two days in a row!)

Weavers have various class options:

• 3 hour classes
• Full day classes (6 hours)
• 2 day classes
• 3 day class

We can mix and match to fit in 5 or 6 3-hour class sessions. (Or fewer if just coming for a day or two). It suits different learning styles because you can do 3 hour sessions on different topics, or dive in to a 3 day workshop on a single subject.

Inside Campus Center

The only other time I came to NEWS (in 2007), I signed up for 5 classes - 3 of them involved making things like jewelry, nuno felting, weaving with copper - and two of them were the least challenging weaving topics I could find. I had been a little worried that I'd find too much of the conference way over my head. Plus I thought making things might be more fun than lectures....and I'm always a little afraid of getting bored in school!

This year, my personal class selection pendulum may have swung a bit too far in the other direction. While my friends are taking classes in things like batik, dyeing, shawl pin making and such, I'm signed up for Computers in Weaving, Block Design (full day), Fabric Analysis and Paper Weaving. Serious stuff that I know will help me be a better weaver. Sometimes a girl just wants to have fun though! (Well, paper weaving might not be too serious!!


This morning Judie Eatough taught a general class on things your computer software can do to enhance your weaving. I picked up a lot of tricks about my software (Fiberworks)....and learned that something I was banging my head against in the software last spring was actually not really possible in that product. Plus, she gave us each a CD with the class notes, tons of tricks for many weaving software products, drafts, and who knows what other info. I have been so busy I haven't looked at the CD yet.

This afternoon was my free class period - so I spent the time visiting the vendors and exhibits that are part of NEWS and are free and open to the public.


The Faculty Show is a display of items created by the talented faculty for the conference.


The Gallery Show is a juried show of items woven by members of the various New England weaving guilds. I went back today to look at my favorites more closely.


The Guild Displays are tables put together by each New England weaving guild. Most guilds have a theme and the room is full many, many projects.

In addition, the travelling library of samples with drafts is available for study.


There are two floors of vendors in the Campus Center. If I were to choose a theme for my purchases, it would have to be gadgets - as opposed to my usual theme of yarn. More on that another day.....I don't want to shock my husband Jim by having him see gadgets here before I have a chance to explain that in addition to a loom budget and a yarn budget, I appear to also have a gadget budget!!


Plus, Smith College Museum of Art was open, so I spent a short time there. After my recent discovery of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth, and now Smith's Art Museum, I'm starting to wonder what other college art museums I've been overlooking all these years!

Tonight was the juried fashion show. There were so many beautiful garments created and woven by so many talented New England weavers. The March of the Kimonos by Mainely Weavers kicked off the evening. Each kimono is made from 3 folded dishtowels. Rumor has it that the folding technique is in an issue of Handwoven. (And if any of you commenters or readers know which issue, I'd love to hear about it!)


Then weavers, or models they recruited, walked the aisles modelling beautiful clothing and accessories. The awards ceremony capped off the evening. (Or maybe the wine and cheese in the dorm after the awards ceremony really capped off the evening!!)

NEWS Day 1

Yesterday was the opening day of New England Weavers Seminars (NEWS) at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

If you're in New England this weekend, it's not too late to come for some of the public events at NEWS, to see the shows, or even to sign up for a class!! Plus there is some great shopping here! (I promise that this is the last of my NEWS-related nagging - but stopping by here on Saturday would be fun if you can make it!!)

On the way, we stopped at nearby WEBS for yarn and supplies.

The knitting half of the store. Did I mention this store is huge??

The warehouse full of yarn. Yes, you can shop in here too!!

In line I met Tromp as Writ. She was buying supplies for a project that I am eager to see!


Plus, I was able to see and try a computerized Toika Eeva!! Sweet!!


My purchases include yarn to knit a scarf for my niece and red tweed yarn for my second knitted lobster. Plus a few other goodies. (No progress on the first lobster to report at this time! I've been busy!!)

We did have lunch at our favorite lunch spot in Northampton, Sylvester's Restaurant. Yum!


After dinner in the dining hall, Daryl Lancaster delivered a moving opening presentation.

Awards were presented for the Gallery Show.

The Gallery Show and Guild Show opened. Plus we were able to make the first of (possibly) many visits to the vendors.

About half of the gallery show

The juried Gallery Show contains beautiful work by members of New England weavers guilds. There was so much that was beautiful and inspiring. I'm uncertain about the ethics of photographing and blogging about other people's work....so I'm just going to show you guys pictures of exhibits as a whole.

As if all that weren't enough, we had a sunny, mild day - great weather for settling into my dorm room and walking around Smith's beautiful campus!

Lobster Shells

After a lobster feast, there's usually a bowl of lobster shells on the table.


After a bit of knitting, there's a claw, the lobster tail, the body and the unstuffed lobster head in a bowl on our kitchen table. Another claw is on the needles.

I'm starting to believe I really will complete this project before we head to the beach in a month! Fingers crossed!!!

I am absolutely terrible about deadlines....and I don't know why I'm suddenly breaking my vow not to knit on a deadline. I do love this project. So fun!!

Heading to NEWS bright and early tomorrow. If you don't hear from me all weekend, it means I'm so engrossed in the yarn warehouse at WEBS that I can't pull myself away!!

(If you don't hear from me by early next week....send a search party!!)



Related posts:

Starting the lobster project

Getting Ready

I'm preparing for some weaving at the beach. I was gifted with beach-colored fluffy chenille.

I'm hoping to combine that yarn with various goodies I've acquired at the NHWG yarn table to help my nieces weave a scarf for their grandmother when we're all at the beach together later this summer.


So far I have the colors selected and the warp wound. I have a little bit of everything in there - cotton, wool, rayon, smooth yarn, slubby yarn, boucle.

I hope it all plays well together!


I'm also getting ready for NEWS (New England's regional weaving conference). It's Thursday - Sunday at Smith College in Northampton, MA.

It should be big fun!

Well, except that I'm taking classes that are more serious and difficult than the fun classes I took last time. Hopefully I'll learn lots and fill some gaps in my technical knowledge!

And still manage to have fun!

Solar Powered

I'm solar-powered. With the record lack of sun in the past two months, I feel like my battery has run down.

Today I turned to yarn to snap out of that funk.


I'm knitting a lobster to take to the beach. Maybe by the time it's done we'll have beach weather!!


I've never knit a stuffed toy, but so far it's very fun.

Nice little rows and lots of adding and dropping stitches. Never boring!!