CWS done

It was exhausting and exciting. My brain has been stuffed with both complex and simple weaves.

At the Complexity exhibition. This one looks more complicated than it is because she has used painted paper rolls to create the gold zig zag within the loose twill vocen silk.

Woven on 2 shafts with an ondule reed which is a reed with very crooked teeth.

What Bonnie is doing now. She weaves multiple tie downs in a fancy network draft while a few pattern warps weave another complex pattern. The really nice thing about these is that you can see individual threads.

The shaping of this garment was woven in with the crinkled structure a la Diane Totten.

And the sun came out and the cloud moved away from Mt Rainer so it could peek over our hill.

Tacoma

A couple of days to explore Tacoma before the seminars starts.

 Sally, Geoff and Jo

our hotel is the block beside the dome.

The Art Glass Museum has an artist in residence program which invites 40 art glass artist to work with their team each year. Fascinating to watch even though they often create "installations" which need reams of explanations rather than being beautiful objects merely.

Some Chihuly glass from inside the Union Station.

And I finished another toeless sock.

I'm in

Got the good news yesterday was that I have a place at the Complex Weavers Seminars. Talk about a last minute cancellation opportunity! I chose my seminars randomly so goodness knows what I will learn. It is bound to be inspiring.

So we celebrated with French champagne, local salmon and too much wine. 

Today's weeding was a good head clearer. I even found some tiny blackberries in the mown meadow. I was looking for a fawn but the thought of deer ticks put me off.

We went to Bellingham and I spotted:

It is a spinning, weaving and knitting store on two floors. What bliss. I was dragged off with a bundle of Corridale roving in many colours (the woman said "are you making Dr Who socks?" -- he must have lurid taste) because even they didn't have a sock yarn that will give me half inch colour changes. I will have to spin it myself.

Their weaving yarn wall.

Blaine

Here we are in the cool North West enjoying Geoff's hospitality.

At Semiamoo

The view from the back patio, complete with coyotes in the meadow.

The big house.

A new to me artist

Jo's conference is finished so we did the riverboat tour followed by a bus to the Marian McNay modern art museum which is in the house she built in the 20s. She was lucky enough to be the only child of a doctor who discovered oil on his farm. She was an artist, patron and collector. The collection is very nice and even though the rooms of her mansion are air conditioned to freezing, it was a pleasure to see lots of old friends on the walls and make new ones like Ben Nicholson, a British painter whom I hadn't ever heard of. His painting there is great. Perhaps after seeing their temporary exhibition of contemporary baroque works (they were busy and loud) his work which is minimal/abstract/cubist was a relief.

The gardens are nice, too.

Back on the bus for lunch downtown, then some soccer/knitting and I have "finished" the toeless socks and started the new yarn.

The only non painted toenails in SA

The new yarn is not as nice as it is superwash merino with 25% nylon -- good for socks that will grow. The yarn just makes it around one row sometimes, or three at other times. I can't see the repeat yet. 

There may be another ball in my future.

Learning and walking

Yesterday I walked to a yarn store. I have almost finished one sock from the balls I bought in Vienna.

It is a toeless sock because I like to knit toe up except for the toe that I will knit toe down when I have finished both of them and decide which is the left and which the right. I should have enough yarn left for one, or two, fingerless mitts to match. But I really wanted a self striping yarn. This is more of a gradient yarn. So, I went to the LYS and bought:

The name says it all. I hope it comes out striped and not speckled. Or I may be forced to buy another ball or two in Tacoma.

On the way home I visited the Brewster gallery of Western Art. They have some splendid saddles and romantic views of cowboys.

Last night was the conference dinner and prize giving with a good speech by the recipient, Dr Alvin.

Today I have rounded out my Texas education by going to the San Jose mission where the Spanish civilised the local Indian tribes who, unfortunately died of European diseases before being completely Christianized. It was very picturesque with a good movie and explanations.

San Jose 

Cells for the natives.

One explanation board said that the Spanish taught the Indians to weave on European looms, as well as all the other trades that were usefull to the missionaries.

Fabulous scene

Flying across US on a clear day

Unusual route over Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado (South of Denver), Kansas

My idea off having an audio track available to passengers could be extended now that wi-Fi is available on the plane (for $2 0per hour.) there could be , and probably is already, a camera on the plane's nose. There could be a commentary from the flight deck....look left, look right. On cloudy days, you could see on screen what I saw today and you could add lots of songs, poems, reminiscences, readings from journals, information by geologists, archeologists, historians, etc, etc. wpoldn't it be great! Plus, the airline could sell space to get more revenue. Everybody wins and I don't have to ask the steward Where are we?" -- he has to check with the pilot.