Skip to main content

Convergence 2016

Every 2 years, the Handweavers Guild of America (HGA) holds Convergence at a different location in the US - and for this year, it happened to be taking place in Milwaukee, WI, which is just a hop, skip and a jump from Chicago. It also happened to coincide with Stitches Midwest in Schaumburg, IL; rather than going to both, I opted to attend the event that I've never been to that is technically further away from where I live, but much less of a horrific drive, if you ask me (or anyone who lives in Chicago proper - are you taking notes, Stitches Midwest organizers who are definitely not reading this blog??).

Anyway, my pal Lauren and I roadtripped to Milwaukee on Saturday to check out the Convergence marketplace and see some old friends - we both have spun on Team Louet for Spinzilla for the past 3 years, so of course we had to say hello to Dave from Louet:
L-R: Dave, Lauren, and Me. Gotta love convention center lighting.
The marketplace was small but had a nice selection of vendors. My main goal was to leave without adding any more yarn or fiber to my stash, and unbelievably, I succeeded (more on that in a sec). That's not to say there wasn't temptation - I think I have just gotten better about losing my mind and buying all the the things at such events. Also, I'm saving the blowout for Wisconsin Sheep & Wool next month.
The Convergence 2016 Marketplace
There were some really cool things on display, both on the show floor, and in a separate exhibit area. One example would be the Digital Weaving Norway booth, which had some amazing woven tapestry portraits:
The one pictured above (and all of the many others on display in the booth) were all created with a pneumatic computerized loom which was fascinating to watch. I probably should have taken a video of the process since there was someone doing a demo, but naturally I didn't think to at the time. One day I'll learn!

Schacht held a shuttle race earlier in the week which featured creatively decorated shuttles - these were the "People's Choice" awards on display in the HGA booth:
They also had some really interesting exhibits featuring art pieces and garments created by fiber artists. I took photos of a few of my favorites:
Shoal by Donna Kallner
Dragons and Winds by Sally Anaya
The Tao of Cats by Tien Chiu
There were also a few pieces which require a few photos to get a real sense of them if you aren't viewing them in person. This one won the first place award; from far away, it looks like it's all one piece, right?
Lossy Format #1 by Hallie Meltzer
But here it is close-up - it's composted entirely of crocheted "pixels," a fiber arts version of Chuck Close!
I also thought that this was interesting - again, from far away it's really tough to see what's actually going on:
L'heure Bleue by Deanna Deeds
It looks one-dimensional, right? But once you get closer, you see that's not the case:
Honestly, I think I liked the exhibit a little more than the marketplace, but I'm glad I was able to check out both. And, speaking of the marketplace, here are the 3 things that came home with me (along with some New Glarus beer of course - when in Wisconsin!):
After many years of admiring the handmade baskets that Susan Preuss has had for sale at various regional events I've attended, I finally bought myself a small spinning wheel basket for my Ladybug. I am so tired of hunting around for my orifice hook, which has a habit of disappearing right when I need it!

I also wanted to pick up some dyestuffs for some experiments and tutorials to share on this blog later this summer/early fall, and when I spied this small bag of "Instant Indigo" in the Eugene Textile Center booth, I was intrigued. I am definitely thinking of an ikat/indigo dye experiment.

My first purchase at the show was this pair of sheep socks in the HGA booth - they are really thick and I am sure they will be warm for the winter time! I couldn't resist adding to my fun/silly sock collection.

I'm glad I got the chance to go to my first-ever Convergence; I'm not sure where the next one will be in 2018, but maybe next time it's near Chicago I can take a class!

Comments

  1. I love seeing what other people create! That pixel tapestry(?) is wow! Just wow! Unbelievable!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends,  so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with  this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks).  The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels?  I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my  taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b