Springwater Fiber Workshop Closing Sale !

It's very sad news for all the fiber enthusiasts of the Washington, DC region but the longtime source for classes and supplies is closing up at the end of the month. They are selling off yarns and equipment this weekend so check here for open hours.

Weaving demo in Nanjing, China

Brocade loom, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

I was fortunate enough to see some interesting demonstrations on my trip. At the Confucious Temple marketplace in Nanjing, we went into the museum of historical crafts where we discovered a fully operational silk brocade loom being manned by two weavers. The number of spools the weaver was keeping track of was mind-boggling. She had an assistant sitting up in the "rafters" of the loom, counting out some threads for either the warp or heddles, not sure quite what they were.
See all the loom photos

My Christmas Present to me !

After our last Potomac Craftsmen Guild weaving study group meeting http://potomaccraftsmenguild.org , I ordered a DVD on warping your loom from The Mannings http://the-mannings.com . One of our members showed portions of the DVD and the instructor, Tom Knisely, explains everything in detail in a soft, relaxed manner with plenty of closeup shots so you know exactly what you're doing. Since I am trying to teach myself to weave, I need all the help I can get, and sometimes, pictures in books just don't cut it. My group members are wonderful, but I need alot of repetition of the process to get it in my head.

The DVD is titled "A Comprehensive Guide to Warping your Loom from Front to Back" with Tom Knisely and sells for $44.95. If you are looking for a good fiber-related road trip, The Mannings is the place to go and drool over the huge selection of yarns for weaving, knitting and everything else. It's located in East Berlin, Pennsylvania, just south of Harrisburg, between Gettysburg and York.