Summer 2010

Welcome to the first issue of CNCHnet, the new Journal of the Conference of Northern California Handweavers.  We want to present fiber related news and views to you in an interesting and easily accessible format, and we want you to feel comfortable enough to participate.  Send us pictures and articles.  Report on events.  Tell us a story.  This IS your Journal.

Now that the first issue is in your hands (or on your monitor) we can take a deep breath and begin to enjoy May, June and July.  As much as we would like to work with our fibers and yarns, the outdoors calls.  Gardens, beautiful weather, children home from school, vacations and day trips are tempting us and our textile projects take a back seat in our lives.

This is a good time to share our expertise and knowledge with those who haven’t a clue about how yarns and fabrics are made by volunteering to demonstrate at a County Fair, street fair, or Farmers’ Market.

It is also a good time to enter your fiber creations in the County Fairs.  If the Fairs don’t get exhibits for certain categories, they drop that category.  Then there is no venue to display your pieces.

I have been volunteering to demonstrate at county fairs for decades.  One incident that always makes me smile happened about thirty years ago at the San Mateo County Fair.  I was demonstrating spinning with a group and we were interacting with the fair goers, answering questions, explaining how the wheel works and so forth.  At some point, we noticed a little old man standing and staring at what we were doing. We tried to engage him, but he declined, seemingly content with watching us.  After 15 or 20 minutes, the group he was with called him away and we didn’t think too much more about him until right before closing time when he came back by himself and approached me with a serious expression on his face.  He finally spoke saying, “Did you know that you can buy yarn already made?”

For our next issue, let’s publish one of YOUR stories.

Judy Fisher, Editor

Take time to Look.