Donna Gower keeps them all in line!

This is the chair of the Chair!  Donna Gower is Chairperson and Head Cashier.  She is the one you go to when you have a problem.  She is the problem solver and problem solver she is!  I asked her if she would be in my blog and she used some kind of rough language for my tender ears.  NO was in there somewhere so I did talk her into letting me do one and not putting her face up front and out there.  I do not know why because she is a beautiful woman.  And we have a lot in common.  She loves purple even more than I do.  See that jacket?  It is actually purple.

On the left is her purple and white bowl, her purple die, and her purple stapler along with her purple cup.  At one point her hair was purple, but now it is white, which holds the purple dye very well.  On the right is her foot in it's usual position., if you get my drift?  And yes, she did knit that sock!
I finally told her, "Donna, you gotta give me something!  I have more photo's of Big Foot then I do of you."  Now this woman has a way of making her eyes very little and looking at me very mean, but I know she is a cream puff and I know secretely way far down in the inner depths of her soul, she likes me.  Or at least tolerates me.  So she turned around and spread her arms and I got this picture.  My coup de grais, so to speak!

She made this and if you could see this up close you would see some workmanship that rivals the best of them. ( I think you can click on my pictures and they will get bigger.  If not you just wasted a little finger muscle.)  She designed and made all those things hanging down herself.  I think it is knitted but what ever it is I may have to kill her and take it. 

As I recall, Donna moved here a couple years ago from back East some where.  I knew at the time, but that memory has been replaced by something else.  She fit right in the Guild from the first day she walked through the door and is a very take charge person and follows through on what she says she will do.  That is always the mark of a truly wonderful person. So highest accolades to Donna and her crew for a wonderful 27th Annual sale this year.

See, Donna, this was not so bad was it?
 And I think my spell checker is on the blink cause I did this whole page without the yellow coming on, so just ignore my mistakes.

Joan Archuleta and who is that with her?

Well, I'll be darned!  It is Joan and her lovely daughter, Sheryl and the twin grand daughtes, Sophia and Anna!  Come to see Grandma!  Grandpa Ruben is probably home warming up the television and rooting for the Raiders!  Bad Ruben! Not really.  Ruben is a publish author as well as a very accomplished sculpter.  And he used to be police chief or something along that line.  I do not know that personally, only what I read in the papers!  (I am a very good girl!)  Goes to show our Guild ladies do have a life away from the loom, spinning wheel, sheep  and whatever else occupies their fingers and minds.

 Now take a gander here at a couple pieces Joan made.  On the left is a purse and on the right are 2 mats.  This woman is one of the best Navajo weavers I have ever had the chance to encounter.  I am dieing  to go to her house cause I know she has a "walking loom" and I do not even know what one is.  Her rugs do not hang around long so I do not have any pictures to show you.  You might check over on Facebook cause I think Ina has been snapping pictures all week and she actually takes very good pictures as opposed to mine.  She would never zero in on a purse in front of an open window and expect that to come out good.  But that is just a small part of my charm!

But to show that wool is not her only medium, here are a set of placemats she produced.  They are very nice and she did the hem stitching on the ends which is always a very nice finish.  I do it cause it is easier then trying to catch all those thread and tie knots in them.
Now, to show her softer side, last year she was busy knitting helmet liners for our brave troops in Afghanistan.  They were  wool and made out of either drab olive or black.  She gave me the directions and I actually made one and started a second, but I never got them over to her and now I do not know where they are.  (See why I make lists?)
I am very proud to count Joan as one of my friends in the Guild.  There are probably about 85 ladies in our Handweavers Guild of Pueblo.  They come from small towns around also.  I probably know about half of them well enough to call them by name if I met them outside the meeting room.  I would love to be able to spend a day on each of them so you would know them also, but you know how this blog works.  World AIDS day is coming up and I have that to cover.  And life presents me challenges every day, that I must tell you about or pop open!  So here is the deal.  I am going to bring you one or two spaced out over the month.  That way I can pique your interest in my Guild. (Isn't that cute how I call it MY Guild?)
Course I ran into a small problem when I would say "Can I put you on my blog?"  Quick answers...."NO! Now get outta here!"  And some really got firm with me.  LOL! 
Come see my ladies at the sale.  There are only 4 days left!

Sharon Pollock is on the hot seat today!

Let me see how the old memory is working today.  Well, I know this is Sharon Pollock.  I know she comes from Colorado City, which is just up the road a ways.  The "road"  is I 25.  I 25 is one of the nations supply lines from Canada down to Mexico and vice versa.  And according to the paper I see it is not all legal trade either.  I am not really sure Canada exports a lot of merchandise into Mexico, but I only read headlines anyway.
Ok, now I think I remember.  This is Merino and if you click on my pictures they will get bigger.  This has a lovely design and check out the edges on her work.  They are as even and her tension on the whole thing amazes me.  I may have her come hold my little paw and teach me a few tricks.  My edges usually look like a drunken caterpillar laid them out!

On the left is a hand dyed scarf that Sharon made.  On the right is another she made and went to a lot of work tying this into a knot that the ladies have learned to tie and I have not as my attention span is not that long.  I have even forgotten who taught them how to do it, but I knew at one time.  Oh, I remember, it was Jennifer some one.  Hang on and let me go to Youtube and see if I can find the video.  It is called Jennifer ties one on.   Found it.  I will post it at the end of the blog. 
Back on topic.  As I recall, both of these scarvers were white and she hand dyed them at one of Joanne  Caldwell's "Dye Party's".  Remember when we used to throw Tupperware Party's?  Now we just throw Tupperware.
I know Sharon has worked two days at the sale already.  Maybe more.  She is a very good salesperson.  She is a Guild Lady!  And I am very happy I got the chance to work with her at least the one day.  I enjoy working the sale as it gives me a chance to get to know all the ladies better.  So here we have Sharon at the end of her shift and I could be wrong, but I think she may have dozed off on me.  My stories do get a bit boring!



See ya tomorrow!!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiB6HtZNXb8

Betty Kochevar, one of the Grande Dames of the Guild.

Here is our lovely Betty standing by the perpetual calendar, which we are selling at the sale going on right now!  Now when I say Betty is a Grande Dame it is not to be pronounced Grand Dame.  The "a" will be soft as "Graund Daume".  See?  This woman is every inch a lady!  Know up front that classy ladies rarely befriend me, but the ladies of the Guild are different.  See I have to give you a lesson in ladies here.  Women fall into three classes mostly.  There are women, ladies and then the "B" words.  Most of the females in the Guild land right smack in the lady category.  They all have a rather genteel quality about them which is not something that can be forced, but rather something deep inside that is a part of their very being.  Imagine when I first stumbled into a Guild meeting.  Oh, dear!  But most of them accept me without question and actually seem to like me just the way I am.  So, I hang out with my ladies of the Guild!
But this is about Betty and her endeavors.  I forgot to ask her how long she has been with the Guild, but I bet it is a long time.  (When you meet Marilyn Hoisington  I will give you more history.)  Betty was there before me.  She lives over in Joanne Caldwell's neck of the woods and more on that little fox later also.
And here are pictures of Betty showing off some of her work.  Top picture is a Christmas Ornament.
Then a very beautiful scarf of which I did not get a very good picture, but you have come to expect that, haven't you?
Bottom is a beautiful blue vest, which I thought pretty strongly about stealing, but for some odd reason, the women of the Guild bring out the "not being bad girl" side of me.  Bet if I asked her for that she would give it to me.  Sure hope it sells , but the chances of that happening are very good.  Stuff is flying off the shelves.  I think we are going to set a new record on our sale.  I think I heard someone say this is our 27th sale.  Same time, same place every year; the first weekend in November at the Historic Down Town Union Avenue District. 
But once more I do digress!  Back to Betty Kochevar.  I do not ever recall not seeing a smile on her face.  And what I know about her  life is pretty much zilch.  I know she has a husband and that exhausts my knowledge of her home life.  Oh, wait!  This woman is a fantastic cook!  Course most woman that weave their own clothes are not going to be picking up a lot of fast food on the way home from anywhere.
So for the sake of brevity, let us bid a fond farewell to our little Betty and let me go do some thing about that mess in my kitchen!  See you tomorrow; same time, same place!

Tara Matthews is showing off her wares today.

I would like you to meet Tara Matthews.  She is showing off a something or other here that you pull over your head.  She told me what the name of this is but the vacuum between my ears was so loud I missed it.  I think it is like a shawl kind of.  I do know it was very pretty and very soft.  She did a very good job, but then she does very good work.

Now this is a very lovely scarf.  Tara likes to makes scarves and I like to buy them so we have a lot in common there!  Tara has been with the Guild off and on, sometimes here and sometimes moved a way  for about 15 years.  Oh, I like her fingernails!  I usually dine on mine.

When the elections are held next month, I think, Tara will be our second vice president.  First we have a president, then a vice president and then a second vice president.  I think that is how it goes.

Can you see that purse back there?  I did not get a very good picture of it, I am sorry to say. The colors in it are abosolutely vibrant.  Now, what else did you make Tara?

"Oh, let me see!  Hmmm.....I forgot."  I know that feeling Tara, so don't feel bad!  I have never seen so many handwoven pieces in one room before.  I do not even know where mine are.  So I want to thank Tara Matthews for being my subject for today.  And a very good subject she was!

OK, I am going to call it a night and hit the sack.  Remember to set your clocks back an hour.  One year I set them the wrong way and I was two hours early for church.  Course I had 3 grandkids with me and they were little and just figured I was old and addled so I just let them think that.  But now that I am old and addled I have to act like I am not or they will revoke my park pass!!

Have a lovely evening and I will see you tomorrow when I once more go the Vail Hotel and run down some innocent little Guild member and embarrass her to tears.  I am so worthless!

Karen DeQuardo is our secret shopper today, or is she?

Today was the first day of the Handwoven Holiday Sale which happens every year the first week end of November and runs clear through to the next weekend.  What a fun time for the Guild. It is held at the Historic Vail Hotel and what a beautiful back drop this is for the work these women produce.  Oh, yeah, I do it too, but not like these women.  They are artisians.  I am a klutz.  See that towel I showed you yesterday?  Look real close.  It has a big yellow mark on it so it is in there soaking in some bleach water right now.  Some times I amaze even myself.
So I had to set up the craft show at the church this afternoon and after I checked out the black bear stuck in the tree down in the blocks, dropped a package in the mailbox, I headed down to the Vail.  I got there at exactly the same time as Karen DeQuardo.  Think way back to when I took the pine needle basket class at Colorado Fiber Arts and you will remember Karen.  She is the one that owns the place now.  She and her friend Winnie were taking turns; one minding the store and the other shopping at the sale.  Karen was shopping for a rug.  Well, that in itself is an undertaking because there are some works of art on the rug wall this year.  Hell, there are works of art all over that Vail Hotel!
So back to Karen.  I asked her how many times she had visited the sale and she told me every year for as long as she could remember!  I watched Karen wander around the sale and I think I can safely say that she touched everything in there at least once. Some of the pieces got an extra groping.  Made me laugh.  I just love to watch a woman who loves to shop and this girl does.  And she knows quality when her fingers and eyes encounter it.  And there was a lot of that going on in there.
See, if you had visited the store like I told you to, you would know that she carries some of the best fibers in the state.  Colorado Fiber Arts, located at 121 Broadway here in Pueblo, Colorado carries about anything you could want in the line of threads, yarns, wools, batts and stuff I know nothing about.  I do know there are skeins of hand spun stuff that I would trade an arm or leg for, but she does not take body parts, so I am out of luck.  And if you want to learn how to do something she can fix you right up with a class, or teach you herself.  I learned how to felt there.  Oh, and the gourd classes. And the basket weaving.  See I know a little about a lot of things.  What was it momma used to say, "Jack of all trades and master of none!"  Yep!  That is me.  Course she also told me "Do what you do, do well, girlie."  Well, mama, I am trying!

Whoops, back to Karen.  Never let it be said I have a one track mind.  So, if you wonder about anything fiber related, pick up that phone and dial 719-543-1161 and tell her or Winnie that Lou said.  Now sometimes that "Lou said" will get you in  a world of hurt, but these people like me.  They like every body and nothing would make them happier than helping you turn out a lovely piece of knit, crochet, tatting, felting or weaving.  I like to just go in there and feel stuff.  Some times I just pick up a button that is handmade for the purses I make.  I think they also have groups that meet and set around and knit or crochet and shoot the breeze.  Hope they are not talking about me!
Back to business.  Why do I call Karen a secret shopper?  Because she is very quite and unassuming and is very quietly gathering her treasures and stashing them up at the cashier so it actually looks like she is not even buying anything, but in all honesty, she did buy all three of the rugs that T.L. draped on her.  That is why she draped them on her!
So that is it for today.  I have decided to spotlight a member every day. I may expose the people who work behind the scenes one day.  But for tomorrow, I am going to do the craft show at the church and then pop over to the sale and see who is hanging out just wanting me to interview them.  Be sure and make some time for the sale! And stop by here daily and see if I have your face on my slide show.  That will be changed daily also.
Damn!  I am good!

The Weavers Sale is going to start tomorrow and I am there!

 




This is what my towel looked like on the loom. This is the finishing end of it. I made this one with a cotton warp and Pigtail Cotton Chenille. It is 100% cotton and weighs 2 pounds and 4 ounces. This sucker is big and it is soft and I thought about keeping it myself, but I am so money hungry it makes me sick.

This is what it looks like after it is washed, blocked and then tossed in the dryer for a little fluffing up job.  My daughter has a towel I gave her three years ago that I made out of Island Cotton.  She is going to bring it over so I can see it.  She says she uses it and loves it and washes it and it is just like the day she got it only it is softer and more absorbent than ever.  Sure makes me feel good when some one actually likes something I do. 
Course it is a little hard to beat anything that is home made whether it is a tea towel, a shawl or a bowl of mashed potatoes.  I had a friend once named Judy and she always brought mashed potatoes to the pot lucks.  I think that pound and a half of butter that she added finally caught up with her because she moved to California and promptly died.  And what all that has to do with the Weavers's Sale I have not a clue, but here is the deal for you!
I am going to stop by the sale tomorrow afternoon and take lots of pictures.  Then I am going to download those pictures into my Picassa.  Then I will spend three or four hours trying to figure out how that slideshow works.  And when I hit the publish button I will also hit the notify button and send it off to Joanne Caldwell who will send it out to her contacts.  So you ladies better be ready because I am going to snap your little pictures for the next week and then all my friends out there who read this will get to meet you.  This is going to be so much fun!!
But if you are a reader of my blog and not a member of the Handweavers Guild of Pueblo, and you live in this area, I fully expect you to pop in and visit at the Vail Hotel,  217 South Grand (at Union), in Historic Pueblo, Colorado.  Hours are from 10:00 AM-6:00 PM.  And keep a sharp eye out here cause I am going to devote a lot of digital snaps to this sale this year.
I love these women in my Guild and never cease to be amazed at what wonderful work they do.  Oh, and hey!  They let me sell my soaps and lotions at the sale.  I feel so special!