The Complex Weaver's Conference was June 12-14th and I haven't fully had time to process or get to my studio. When I'm at the conference, it's all "I can't wait to go weave!" then I go home and it's back to the daily stuff... I spent a wonderful 2 and a half days after the conference with my cousins in Denver and then went right back to work for 9 days straight (and put together a new bed, had a mattress delivered, caught up at Physical Therapy...) I know I need to give myself breathing room, but with only so many vacation days and 2 conferences this year I failed to do so.
I'm finally unpacked and processing. My head is deflating from the compliments and excitement around my 2 hour seminar and discussions of hanging fiber work (I presented my seminar "Finish and Exhibit That Piece!"). I took a number of seminars myself, apparently when I signed up I wanted to know allllll about pleats and textures. I maybe could have done with a little less of that, or mixed in some other topics, note for next time.
I met Cally Booker who pointed out that we've been connected on social media since the early twitter days (2 decades?!) and we were finally meeting in person. It was such a huge compliment when she told me that she sends her students to my YouTube videos to see double weave pick-up in action. Then I was sitting next to Heather and she said the same, she references my videos specifically for double weave pick-up. Cally has just released her book Designing and Weaving Double Cloth in the UK and it's set to release in the US at the end of October. Yay for connecting and meeting with other double-weavers!
I had a little jewelry set up (which I failed to photograph) for Market one evening and another weaver said she loves the earrings she bought from me at Convergence a number of years ago and she purchased a few more pairs. Sales at this short market were actually much better than I'm used to for a weavers conference. I get it, most of us are looking to buy yarn. I really appreciate and love all the support that this group provides. The excitement and passion is absolutely contagious.
I think my favorite seminar I took was with Wendy Morris "Weaving Peaks and Throughs." Her talk was wonderful and straightforward along with lots of beautiful samples to see. All of the classes had beautiful samples and it is always an honor being in the presence of so many amazing weavers... "weaving royalty" someone murmured when we were in line for check-in at the hotel behind a few well-known teachers.
I have Elizabeth to thank for convincing me to send in some proposals for this conference, and for being my roommate. I was nervous about this being a "complex" weavers conference as I don't think what I do as particularly complex...but apparently the stigma with double weave pick-up is that it is, in fact, very complex. I think of it more as tedious or time consuming rather than "complex" but I am working towards integrating more patterning within my pick-up work...so I am heading into the realm of what I would consider complex. I found myself looking up cones of fine linen yesterday... but for now I'm working with what I have, because I have a lot of yarn to use.
I didn't take a lot of pictures, at the conference or the remainder of my visit. I did get a chance to visit with two of my cousins. Kyle lives in Denver with his lovely family (thank you for hosting me!) and his older sister Michelle was there helping with the kids. It was really nice to catch up.
I also made it back to Boulder for an evening. I took the train and bus from Denver to Boulder which was really nostalgic. I had dinner with Russ who moved out there after training me at my current Millwork Specialist position here in Michigan.
I packed a lot into one trip, and I'm still letting everything I learned between looms and people and family to steep into my wellbeing...while preparing for my next weaver's conference in August.
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