Tuesday Knitting Group, Textiles and Tea

The knitting group was fun, new member came, learner from Sunday, and we saw good things.

Coming up is a little library display of our finished works, I'll be delivering mine Friday, didn't get it together today.

Here's what I plan to display 

Clockwise from nine o'clock, crocheted cotton scarf, Shetland catspaw lace scarf, notebook with granny square covers, neck gaiter, Tunisian crochet with Dorset buttons, Tunisian lace cowl. 

Here's the blanket from which I got the remains of yarn to make my comfort dolls. Many small balls in bright colors, great for dolls. D, holding her  blanket, gave me her leftovers. She's including it in her display.

and this cowl 

Here's double sided knitting. Remember when I did that ages ago and thought my brain would never recover? This isn't mine.

Now for works in progress 

Beginner crocheters working on granny squares.

Chat included indigenous people, Braiding Sweetgrass, baking bread, reading groups, Recording for the Blind, craft displays, Thanksgiving leftovers and more.

Then home to a pot of tea and Textiles and Tea with Patrice George, pioneer in the introduction of the computer interface in weaving. 

She was an early adopter, taught many designers and professional weavers this new world, and since retiring from teaching at FIT, still makes opportunities for people of all ages to learn weaving, with and without computer interface.

During her career she designed coursework using computer interface for the School of Visual Arts and Parsons, and worked with the UN to set up textile cottage industries  in Jamaica, to create employment.   She started weaving as a teenager, went off alone to Sweden to learn. Intrepid always.

Top right is the first try she ever made with the computer interface, an ikat style trial, after which she never looked back.

Here she is in Sweden, age 17.

And here's the cutting edge moment in 1986 when she, and the cat,  got national attention demonstrating computer assisted weaving at the Museum of American Folk Art, after which invitations to teach and demonstrate began to pour in.

Her commercial fabric designs

Here's a Jamaican sewist and clothing designer who, assisted by Patrice, learned to weave her own cloth, in order to pass on the learning through the UN Jamaica program. She's seen wearing a robe she designed, wove and made.

And here, Patrice in retirement, teaching children the skills and fun of weaving. And samples she created on a small loom, still experimenting.

She sees the next challenge in weaving to employ earth-friendly yarns and dyes, along with technology, in the weaving world.

And, as if that wasn't enough riches in one day, here's what arrived after supper, great timing.

The best fruitcake in the world! Thank you so much, dear friend, for this lovely start to the holidays. 

You know how Mary shouts OMG OMG OMG and runs about in joy? My version, slightly lower key, is to murmur, oh how lovely, isn't she kind, how thoughtful, I love this cake. 

And there's fruit, so it's breakfast. Also dessert. And afternoon tea. Late night snack. All purpose!

Happy day everyone, my Tuesday certainly was.