I was searching for some tapestry teaching video footage on some old hard drives recently and came across the recordings from my senior recital in college. Most of you probably don’t know that I was a music major as an undergrad. I played piano and clarinet while attending Lawrence University in Wisconsin. I was a liberal arts major among a conservatory of bachelor of music majors. I knew I didn’t want to be a performer, but I was interested in teaching so I took a lot of piano pedagogy classes. My senior thesis was writing a piano pedagogy curriculum for preschoolers.*

For all the decades since I graduated from Lawrence I have avoided listening to that recording. And that is because of what happened in my piano playing before the recital.

I like learning new fiber skills. Sure, I made granny square afghans like all geeky kids in the 1980s, but I hadn’t crocheted much of anything since. Then Gist Yarn’s amazing team started a sister brand Zollie and I wanted to try one of their kits. Marty the duck was the one for me!

I knit a lot and I’m used to following patterns and of course searching YouTube for whatever weird abbreviation or odd stitch someone is asking for. Since my crocheting was rusty, I was off to a questionable start when one of the first skills was to make a magic ring. But then I realized I was not alone. This kit is not only gorgeous, it is not simply a kit. It is an online class that comes with all the materials and tools needed. As a maker of online courses, this presentation of a class seems like a genius idea.

As of today, the days start getting longer again. We’re at the darkest point of the year in the northern hemisphere. In my new home I can see the stars shining brightly most nights and it has been fascinating to watch their position each evening. Locating constellations was hard at first because there are so many visible stars, but of course as I re-learn where the winter constellations are, I can find them again.

The Milky Way turns a bit each night and before we know it the summer stars will be visible. But while the darkness of winter is upon us, being able to watch the sky rotate above me is a good reminder of the rhythm of the natural world and perhaps of our own lives.

I’ve come by a few new tapestry tools lately such as a new set of bobbins, some bones, wooden needles, and shed sticks came from Bobbin Boy. I also got a new tapestry fork from Magpie Woodworks. Along with these wonderfully useful tools, there was an unexpected gift. What a treasure trove all in the last few months.

A really well-made tool is such a joy. I think having a tool that works well for your body and fits your hand well is an important part of spending time making things. It is always interesting to me that the tools I love are not the ones everyone else does! But that shouldn’t be surprising since we are all different people who weave and use our bodies in different ways.

How ever did I get to fifteen years on this blog? I suppose one week at a time is how that happened. I started the blog on April 20, 2008 and that makes it 15 years today.

What on earth have I talked about for fifteen years? The digital pages have been full of stories relating to tapestry weaving and now and then a peek inside other parts of my life. Remember the skunk house when I lived in southern Colorado? Or the Colorado Trail thru-hike in 2022? Those weren’t very tapestry related, but I found them fun to write about. There have been knitted creatures and all sorts of fiber-filled adventures along the way.

The blog is also full of useful information if you’re a tapestry weaver. I’ve talked about yarn and looms and technique and design and that is my primary goal in continuing to write it, creating a resource for information about tapestry weaving.