In which I recap the rest of 2014

So, two years later, I return to the blog.  I really had good intentions the last time I worked on it. I was committed to bringing it up to date and even had a list of things I wanted to talk about. So much for good intentions.  I have had some fun, been busy working, and picked up a couple of new hobbies along the way.  Sorry to anyone who is actually reading this, but my OCD self won't let me just ignore the missing years and start in afresh.  So here goes.

Highlights from 2014 that weren't already mentioned:

May 3-5 - A Spindle Turning Class with Neal Brand in Denton, TX.  

Neal is well known for his Tibetan style spindles.  You can see samples of his work in his etsy shop and if you're really lucky, he may have one or two that haven't been snapped up already.

Went with several aquaintances from the L.A. Spinning Guild to this workshop where we learned techniques to turn several different types of spindles and accessories.  Came home with several new friends and some new skills to practice.

My First Ever Turned Spindle

Two Finished Whorls

A Whorl in Progress

Two Finished Spindles, Various Bits and Pieces

Two More Finished Spindles, Support Bowl, and Whatzit

 

May 27, 2014 - Another Wheel Joins the Menagerie

A fellow guild member sent me to look at this gorgeous but neglected little flax spinning wheel at a local (ok, 20 miles away) antique mall.  The seller had cut the price in half by the time I got there.  A friend in the know tells me it is likely a Tyrolean wheel, either Bavarian or Austrian.  Someone else identified it as an eastern European "Gypsy" wheel, and I've also seen a similar wheel identified as Hungarian but without provenance.  The paint is badly in need of preservation and I think it's too frail to be a functional spinner, but it is just too lovely to let go.

 

 

 

June 12-15, 2014  AAW Symposium

I made a road trip to Phonix to attend the American Association of Woodturners annual symposium.  3+ days of seminars, classes, shopping, and schmoozing.  In addition to a car full of tools and supplies, I came home with the two bowls below...   Every year, members are asked to donate bowls that are sold at the symposium to raise money for a local nonprofit.  Each bowl costs just $25.  AAW calls this program "Empty Bowls."  This year's proceeds benefited Seeds for Autism.  I couldn't resist the two bowls below - the first because the spalting reminded me of a map, and the second because of the interesting shape and the dark spot that looked like a ray.

November 2, 2014 WEFF

The Southern California Handweavers Guild has an annual event called WEFF, WEaving and Fiber Festival, in Torrance.  My friend Gail used to have a booth to sell her beautiful triangle looms, and in 2014, another friend Eileen and I shared a table in her booth, selling our hand-turned wood items.  I also sold sock blanks.  I'm in total awe of Eileen's talent and her generous spirit - she was one of our group in the spindle-turning class and helped a couple of us with techniques at her home after we returned from Texas.  Loads of friends came to the festival, so we had a fun day visiting and shopping, and I sold enough to make it worth the cost of the table and hauling all my stuff over there.  But probably not enough to be a vendor again.

Some Blanks Before They Became Tools

An Assortment of Tools Waiting to be Purchased

 

And that's enough of 2014.