The Basket making class with Marilyn Knapp

Spinning

Show and Tell

Stehekin Spinning Rendezvous June 2007

The 25th annual Stehekin Spinning Rendezvous was held June 22-25. The 4 days passed quickly for the 25spinners that gathered at the Stehekin Valley Ranch in the beautiful Stehekin Valley. Spinners, wheels, and bags of fiber arrived on the boats Thursday and Friday, with the eager beavers arriving even on Wednesday. The ladies loaded up for the 9-mile trip "up valley" to the Ranch. Awaiting the spinners were their accommodations, some moving into cabins with complete bathrooms, while others opted for the tent frame cabins and the jaunt to the community shower room.

Friday was a get acquainted time of spinning, visiting and catching up on the happenings of the past year. Cookies warm from the oven were a taste of what was to come in the way of tempting meals. Weather was comfortable if a bit windy while spinning took place out in the yard in front of the cabins.

Saturday morning dawned with scattered clouds but sunbreaks were to be the weather of the day.. Temperatures were confortable and spinners were able to enjoy some sun time on the deck in front of the cookhouse.

A fun project of making yearn coilde backets under the direction of Marilyn Knapp was the activity of the morning. Although a bit difficult in the beginning soon 17 of the ladies were busily wrapping their paper coil with various shades of hand spun yarns and sewing coild together with a figure 8 stitch. Several baskets were finished by Saturday evening and even more by mid day on Sunday.

At lunch Cliff and Kerry Courtney presented spinners with a cake to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the spinning rendezvous. Beginning in 1983 the spinning rendezvous has been held at the Ranch, growing from just one spinner visiting from outside Stehekin, to the 21 that were attending this year.

Pictured are Hobbie Morehead, Kerry and Cliff Courtney, and Roberta Pitts who were present at the first Spinning Rendezvous in 1983.

A highlight of each rendezvous is the Show and Tell held on Sunday morning. This year was no different. Comfortably settled in the dining room each took a turn showing what had been accomplished over the year. There were many wonderful projects on display and all were soon voting for "best of show and tell" for the year. Ballots were counted with this year's winner, for the second year running, was Katherine Berger. Katherine wowed the group with beautiful items made from the sheep into finished garment. One a sweater knit from hand spun yarns that were dyed with natural dyes. Another was a lace shawl of over 1000 yards of lovely gold lace weight yarn.

An array of door prizes was distributed throughout the weekend and we can expect to see some completed projects from these at our next rendezvous.

Spinning was only interrupted by the call to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Meals at the Ranch are never disappointing. As one of the spinners put it, this is a truly magical place to gather and enjoy hours of doing what we all enjoy so very much, spinning.

Check at www.courtneycountry.com or www.stehekin,biz to view the pictures of the Ranch and Spinning Rendezvous 2008. A complete set of pictures is also on www.stehekinchoice.com. Dates for the 2008 Rendezvous will be June 20 21, 22, 23.