October Meeting: Visiting Richmond Weavers

Nine weavers travelled across the hill to meet up with Richmond (Nelson) Weavers' group today. This annual exchange started in 2008 when Marlborough visited Richmond, making this year's third such event.

Today's meeting started with morning tea, (since it was 10.30 by the time Marlborough arrived), followed by an extended show and tell; a report on the 60th birthday of the London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and a yarn store in Northern Italy the size of an aircraft hanger (!) by Julia who has just returned from Europe; then lunch, (Richmond group always puts on a fabulous spread), followed by general mixing. In addition, there was a generous lunch spread prepared by members of both groups, and a wee sales table by members wishing to reduce stash, towards which Marlborough Weavers inevitable flocked at the end of the meeting.

There is a greater variety of works, and some finds from other lands, when close to 20 weavers bring woven and other textile items to talk about. Within our own groups, we get used to each other's styles and color pallets that we can often guess who wove a particularly piece, so it's refreshing to have this opportunity.

Among the "finds" there was a miniature vertical 2-shaft loom, about 25cm high, made by a doll house maker in Nelson. It had wire heddles and the harnesses lifted the pedals were pressed. So if you have very tiny hands, you could weave on it.

There should have been a pictures of lunch, it was really quite lovely, but this writer was too busy talking most times, and trying out different asparagus sandwiches and eying a dirty yellow cone of Swiss silk at other times. Apologies.

by Meg Nakagawa