A Saturday with Friends

I started out this morning planning a loop braid, to have something to work on during the Small Looms Group meeting of the South Jersey Guild of Spinners and Handweavers.  The group meets in Moorestown on first Saturdays from September through June. I was an active member of that group before Bob and I went on the road, and I was happy to have our visit with family coincide with their last meeting before their summer hiatus.

It felt so good to be back with my friends today! I have really missed the friendship and inspiration of this group of women. During the meeting I spent some time loop braiding this braid below, showing front and back sides. (Click to embiggen.)

This is a variation of Ingrid Crickmore's seven loop braid, with directions found here. You may recall, dear blog reader, that I used a loop braid as a closure for my handwoven bag as I wrote about here. I find these little braids faster to make than kumihimo braids, especially when you only need a short piece.

April and I had fun spinning on our new little 3D printed spindles from Turtle Made. They spin as well as my Jenkins Turks, which is saying a lot! I especially love this micro size.

After the meeting, a contingency from the Guild headed over to the Mt Laurel Home for Funerals to pay respects to the family of our friend, Camille Buchanan. Camille passed on May 16 of cancer and she will be dearly missed. I was constantly inspired by her abilities and her love of learning. For example, when our Guild arranged to have internationally renowned weaver Laverne Waddington teach a backstrap weaving workshop, Camille wove her own backstrap before the class even started using Laverne's tutorials from the Internet.

Camille leaves a hole in our Guild that will not easily be filled.

After stopping at the funeral home, my friend April and I stopped for a glass of iced tea and a visit to catch up. I have missed April and it was fun to spend some time visiting.

A satisfying day all around.

Update on Ella.  So far, generous people have donated $550 to Ella's fund to help pay for her knee surgery. We are grateful for all who have donated.