hat made by member of AZ Desert Weavers & Spinners Guild

I got invited to a guild meeting with Caroline, my step-mom. I was sleeping in when the husband called. I skipped breakfast to take a shower. We drove the four minutes to the Community Center and entered in the door. I got a name tag. We picked some seats at a round table amongst the nine available, then Caroline showed me the library – a room with some cabinets and shelves full of books and magazines on spinning, dyeing, weaving, knitting, crocheting, etc.

There were plenty of ladies with gray hair and friendly smiles. There was a boy there, maybe 8 years old, with his grandma. There were a few men in the crowd – one actively knitting, and other women in the crowd knitting and spinning as well. Everyone was so kind and enthusiastic to be there and share their ideas, goals, and projects – I didn’t feel too young or too inexperienced.

In memory of Helen George (1908-2012)

There is a raffle table – items donated from people living, gone, moving, or with too much in their stash. Caroline won some pink, gray, and brown yarns. There was a show-and-tell table dedicated to a life-long member that lived to be 104 years old and did some beautiful work throughout the years. There was a donations library table with books and videos about the fiber arts; a snack table with cookies, cheese, crackers, and fruit; and a table with coffee and tea. I had a cup of vanilla tea.

A guest speaker, Sharon Elliott, talked to us about basket weaving. Now that I’m learning to weave fiber, making baskets seems like a good idea – even more so when she showed the basket made of palm tree (there is one in my backyard). The inspiration didn’t stop there. I saw hats, and vests, and jackets, and socks that I want to make and wear. There were towels and rugs too. Knitting and weaving gives me plenty to do, but adding in the other options – thickness of yarn, adding beads, and patterns – leaves me with endless possibilities. Thank you to Caroline for the invite and for lunch at Viet Kitchen afterwards.

weave & paint done by member of AZ Desert Weavers & Spinners Guild

I enjoyed meeting Christine and Ruth and having lunch with them. Caroline and I talked with Christine for an hour after lunch in the parking lot. It’s great to meet creative people and collaborate and not worry about competition, just learning and friendship. Then it was back to the grind for me – volunteering at Indo-Euro Foods where my dad had kindly taken the morning ‘shift’ so I could enjoy learning something new.