WOW! Group - Part 2 - What the Rest is Working On

Besides Bill’s cardboard weaving, several WOW members were working on a variety of projects. Kathi set aside her landscape tapestry to start work on her Christmas card project. She was weaving a brown and green background on her rigid heddle loom to use as the backing for paper cut outs of a Christmas tree, as shown in the photo. Kathi plans to add some items to the tree, perhaps buttons, as ornaments.



Holli was continuing to weave the handles for a tote bag on her inkle loom from the Spring Mt. Ranch State Park demonstration last Saturday. This is a better picture of her design for the handles.




Jan was knitting a nice lacy pattern for a scarf, while Marilyn was knitting on a white sweater.

I worked a bit on my woven bookmarks, which I’ll now have to finish up with what I have and cut the rest of the warp off the loom. Which I’m not too sorry about doing. A couple of days ago I received the directions for the lace workshop so I’ll need to measure the four yards of warp threads and get my loom warped before October 25. I’ll be doing a huck lace pattern with four shafts. I was thinking about the lace weaves that I’ve done in the past, and they have all been done basically using two shaft techniques.

I wanted to be daring and do the warp in three different colors of cotton warp, but I may chicken out and do it in just one color. But one color just seems so boring, and the three colors that I picked out from Wooly Wonders are really splashy--purple, green, and blue. I have to see what I have the courage to finally end up doing.

Weaving and Spinning at Spring Mt. Ranch State Park

Yesterday five members of the LV Fiber Arts Guild demonstrated weaving and spinning at Spring Mount Ranch State Park, west of Las Vegas near Red Rock Canyon. They were celebrating Pioneer Days and showcasing several pioneer crafts and sports on the ranch.

The Black Powder group were periodically shooting their guns, while chili and cornbread were being cooked elsewhere. I never did get away from my loom to take a tour of the grounds, but did see several people eating the chili and cornbread. (I did hear that Bob, whoever that might have been, burned the biscuits, but don’t know if that was a rumor or not.) Next door to our weaving and spinning room, the ladies were making candles, and down the hill they were demonstrating washing clothes with a wash board and ringer. I’m sure an eye opener to the cub scouts touring the exhibits. Around the corner from the candle makers some mountain men were demonstrating throwing hatchets at targets. That reminded me of the old Johnny Carson Late Show episode with Ed Ames and the tomahawk toss.

Down in the corral there were some saddled horses, I don’t know if they were giving some rides or not, and nearby was a tent with rag rugs for sale. Very cheap, but we had to chuckle as they were made in India. Kind of ironic we thought.


We were demonstrating in one of the old stone buildings that had been used as a home on the ranch, perhaps for one of the ranch hand families. Of the five of us Holli had the cutest costume complete with white hat. She was weaving pieces of fabric on her rigid heddle loom making a tote and then switched to weaving the handle for the tote on her inkle loom. I tried for more of a Mexican rather colonial theme for my costume, so I could get away with dangly earrings and no hat. As you can see I’m still plugging away on my bookmarks on my Voyageur loom.



Vicky went for a western cowgirl look, as she didn’t want to wear a long shirt. I thought that suited her really well with the braids and hat. She was weaving on a rigid heddle frame that’s been converted to a tapestry loom. She was working on her own design in two colors, and had a really relaxed approached to her weaving.
Audrey switched between the drop spindle and the spinning wheel throughout the afternoon. People are always fascinated by the spinning wheel, almost mesmerized by its workings. We spent time explaining the difference between our looms, and showing how we wove our patterns. The adults were as interested at the children, and we gave out information about our guild and weaving instruction available. All in all, an enjoyable experience.

It was a beautiful day, although it didn’t start out that way with lots of wind and clouds as everyone set up. There was a pack of donkeys near the road looking through the fence at the tourists in the car parked in the middle of the road going into the ranch as I was hurrying to get into the ranch area, late as usual. I didn’t think to stop and take a picture of donkeys then, as they were gone when I left in the afternoon. The ranch is close to the Spring Mountains and the view shown here as I was leaving I think is notable.

The Fall Guild Schedule Has Started

Our guild, The Weavers and Spinners of Southern Nevada, AKA Las Vegas Fiber Arts Guild, started our fall schedule with the September meeting on Saturday the 13th at the Blind Center on the corner of Bruce and Washington Streets in Las Vegas.

The meeting was pretty well attended, as everyone was ready to tell what they had done over the summer. Several members had gone to the Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon in June. A couple of members had taken a workshop in Flagstaff, and I had attended my first Convergence in June in Tampa. But I couldn’t attend the first guild meeting to talk about it as my husband and I were babysitting two of our grandchildren in Salt Lake City.

I heard I also missed a terrific weaving sale offered by a retired guild member. But there is hope. Not everything was sold and the remnants will be at this month’s meeting on October 11 for a second chance for a sale to -- people like me who couldn’t attend the first meeting. How thoughtful.

Since the meeting is coming up soon I have to gather up the door prizes, my monthly chore for the guild. This photo gives you a preview of what this month’s door prizes will be, mostly cones of yarn and some books. Tough competition with the yarn sale still going on.

The guild has a new website, which you have to check out. Go to my fiber related links, or click on the LV Fiber Arts Guild. The creator did a very nice job with the new website. You can locate directions (and a map) to our guild meetings and a calendar of events, plus photos and links to good weaving websites. For example, this Saturday the 4th, we’ll have guild members demonstrating weaving and spinning at “Something Scottish” at the Rainbow Public Library at Cheyenne and Buffalo in the north end of the LV valley. At the same time other members will be out west of the valley at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park for Pioneer Days doing the same thing in pioneer costumes.

Fall in Las Vegas Means Arts and Crafts Fairs

The temperatures have finally fallen to double digits for the highs, and a person can drive with the windows down in the early morning. It’s also the time of the year that just about every weekend is filled with an arts and crafts event or a festival of some sort. Last weekend it was the Greek Festival with great food, music, and dancing. This weekend it was the Summerlin Arts and Crafts Fair in the northwest part of the Las Vegas valley.

Two friends, Kathi and Marilyn, and myself decided to do some looking and possible buying in Summerlin. We joined the line of cars bumping into the parking lot across from the park where the tents for the vendors were set up. It was close to noon so it was heating up already, although it didn’t seem to affect the amount of people that were entering the rows of tents.

The first thing we saw was a stretch of sidewalk about 8 feet wide that was divided into squares in which artists were doing chalk murals. I don’t know the details of who the artists were, and if it was part of a contest, or just an area of self expression, but most of the works were spectacular.

The arts and crafts fair, I assume, was juried from the quality of the vendors present. There was lots of photography, jewelry, and some really nice glass work among all the others kinds of vendors. Kathi bought some glass jewelry and a velvet, beaded bag she plans to use as a cell phone carrier, which was very nice and reasonably priced. I ended up buying some glass earrings and a pottery mug--I think I'll put small shuttles or pens in it. Marilyn was the strong one of the three of us. Of course, her excuse was that she blew her wad on a trip to the northwest with stops at the Village Spinning and Weaving in Solvang, CA, Powell’s Books in Portland, and The Weaving Works in Seattle. Here she is in the photo trying to stay cool in the shade.

Next weekend is the big Boulder City arts and craft event, called Art in the Park, which is always the first weekend in October, and one of the best. But I will be missing that. Our guild will be demonstrating weaving and spinning in two places in the valley next Saturday. Some members will be in the north end of town at Something Scottish at the public library on Cheyenne and Buffalo, while others of us will be out west of town at Spring Mt. State Park doing the same thing in pioneer costumes. I'm hoping that it isn’t too warm.