Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Florida Tropical Weaver's Guild Conference

I met L for breakfast at First Watch Saturday and then we traveled to Maitland for an estate sale. I picked up an open boat weaving shuttle for $5 - usually $45 so I was happy :) She got a niddy noddy and some wooden needles. Very cool stuff there but they were not priced very

friendly :) Then we went to the Florida Tropical Weavers Conference in Lake Yale ( http://www.flbaptist.org/Lake%20Yale%20Baptist%20Conference%20Center/about_us_mission_history.html ). We had a wonderful time. We were lost most of the time – I had no idea there were so many Route 44’s in the Eustis area - but other than ending up in a mobile home park we did finally make it there. It is a very nice facility with a full sized cafeteria and motel type rooms. There were only four or five vendors there and we helped each of them out... I got some coned unmercerized yarn - for towels - in dark green, olive green and cream from Serendipity Farms.
And I got some mercerized yarn - for anything not requiring absorbency - in white, black and grey from Lunatic Fringe. Also picked up some cotton fiber for spinning in natural green from Southwest Corner. Joan also gave me cotton seeds to grow my own green cotton!! She made the most beautiful top out of green cotton fiber that she spun on a Lendrum. Her website is here: http://www.cottonspinning.com/ We met up with Joy who was staying on the campus and taking classes and even had a very nice lunch - hamburger, salad, and cookie dessert. After leaving there we went to Mt. Dora where the yarn shop is having a sale because she's moving hopefully to Orlando. Finally got home around 4:30!! LONG day especially because I was so excited that I couldn't sleep and was wide awake at 3:00!!

I am renting the guild’s Dorset loom. It is beautiful and I am looking forward to getting a warp on it and weaving. I wound the warp for my table runner on Sunday. Note to self – do not pass over the same pegs more than once… Doing so really tangles the yarn… You would think that I could at least wind a warp… Ah, well. I think I just need to do it more often. And the warping reel is missing some essential pieces which doesn’t help.

I have started a baby blanket for one of the accountant’s at work. The baby is a boy and is due July 1. So of course the baby blanket is blue… Pictures to follow.

I also went back to Weight Watchers. Again. Maybe the third time is the charm… I really like the new Momentum plan and am looking forward to losing a few pounds!