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The non-Pennsic Vacation
Aug. 3rd, 2011 05:43 pmI was supposed to go to Pennsic this year. But at the last moment, I decided (for various reasons) not to go. Instead, I'm staying home and trying to do lots of the things I never seem to find the time to do. I'm determined not to waste my vacation by sitting on the couch, staring vacantly at the TV (which is not to say that there won't be some of that, as I believe in moderation in all things).
I have a list of things i'd like to do over the next 1.5 weeks. Some are visits to various places, and some are crafty projects or reading that will be done at home. Though I'm not much for blogging on a regular basis (as the patient readers of the LJ are aware), I will try to keep some sort of record about my activities.
So today's plans included two fun things, which was a good plan, because it was a little rough for me to unpack everything this morning while a little voice whispered in my head saying "It's not too late! You can still go to Pennsic! Just throw everything in the car and drive!" I resolutely ignored the little voice by unpacking all garb, accessories, and toiletries, and then left the house to check on our community garden plot and to give my mom's dog a walk.
After visiting with Buster the Boston terrier, I headed off to Torrington to visit a shop called In Sheep's Clothing. It's a knitting/spinning/weaving shop whose owner has looms set up in the store and offers weaving lessons. Ever since the fun time kls-eloise and I had at the Vavstuga weaving days, I wanted to do so more weaving, and I've been looking for learning opportunities. Wesleyan Potters is offering a class this fall that last 6 Saturdays, but I have conflicts against two of them, so that's out. Since I originally planned to talk to weavers at the Artisan's Row at Pennsic, I wanted to find some sort of replacement activity.
I'm so glad I went. Ginger, the owner of In Sheep's Clothing, was incredibly nice and welcoming. She took the time to discuss the basics of rigid heddle looms and why she uses them more often than other types of looms that she owns. We discussed heddle sizes, fibers, and the types of object that can be made on the looms, etc.. I ended up scheduling a two-hour class with her for this Saturday, and the rental of a small rigid heddle loom for a week. Her prices are very reasonable, and I'm looking forward to learning how to warp the loom and weaving a few small projects.
After Torrington, I zipped down Rt. 8 to the Oakville section of Waterbury, which is home to David Brown Books, the American branch of Oxbow Books. Since it's their American distribution warehouse, they're only open on weekdays, and that means that I can get to them maybe once a year, if I'm lucky. I'd looked at the online catalog last night and wrote down some options, but of course the best part of going to David Brown is looking at their damaged titles wall. Since their definition of "damaged" seems pretty broad to me, and since the discounts on these books are steep, it's well worth the time and strained eyes. Today's visit showed me a lot of things that my friends would be interested in, but nothing that really called out to me. Instead, I picked up full price copies (but without shipping costs!) of two books I've been eyeing for awhile: Plenti and Grase: Food and Drink in a Sixteenth-Century Household, and The Building of the Green Valley: A Reconstruction of an Early 17th-Century Rural Landscape. I've skimmed through them both, and they look like they're going to be well worth the money.
On the way home, I stopped by the library and picked up two more books, as well as Seasons One and Two of Jeeves and Wooster. I've read some of the Wodehouse stories, and I've seen a few episodes of the series, but now I have the time to watch as much of it as I can stand. :)
Tomorrow's plans will either be a trip to Mystick, or a trip to IKEA. I'm thinking IKEA would be best, as my sister wants to go, and she's the one with the SUV that I need in order to bring home some of the bigger items I want. It might sound like an odd option, but it'll be fun in it's own way.
I have a list of things i'd like to do over the next 1.5 weeks. Some are visits to various places, and some are crafty projects or reading that will be done at home. Though I'm not much for blogging on a regular basis (as the patient readers of the LJ are aware), I will try to keep some sort of record about my activities.
So today's plans included two fun things, which was a good plan, because it was a little rough for me to unpack everything this morning while a little voice whispered in my head saying "It's not too late! You can still go to Pennsic! Just throw everything in the car and drive!" I resolutely ignored the little voice by unpacking all garb, accessories, and toiletries, and then left the house to check on our community garden plot and to give my mom's dog a walk.
After visiting with Buster the Boston terrier, I headed off to Torrington to visit a shop called In Sheep's Clothing. It's a knitting/spinning/weaving shop whose owner has looms set up in the store and offers weaving lessons. Ever since the fun time kls-eloise and I had at the Vavstuga weaving days, I wanted to do so more weaving, and I've been looking for learning opportunities. Wesleyan Potters is offering a class this fall that last 6 Saturdays, but I have conflicts against two of them, so that's out. Since I originally planned to talk to weavers at the Artisan's Row at Pennsic, I wanted to find some sort of replacement activity.
I'm so glad I went. Ginger, the owner of In Sheep's Clothing, was incredibly nice and welcoming. She took the time to discuss the basics of rigid heddle looms and why she uses them more often than other types of looms that she owns. We discussed heddle sizes, fibers, and the types of object that can be made on the looms, etc.. I ended up scheduling a two-hour class with her for this Saturday, and the rental of a small rigid heddle loom for a week. Her prices are very reasonable, and I'm looking forward to learning how to warp the loom and weaving a few small projects.
After Torrington, I zipped down Rt. 8 to the Oakville section of Waterbury, which is home to David Brown Books, the American branch of Oxbow Books. Since it's their American distribution warehouse, they're only open on weekdays, and that means that I can get to them maybe once a year, if I'm lucky. I'd looked at the online catalog last night and wrote down some options, but of course the best part of going to David Brown is looking at their damaged titles wall. Since their definition of "damaged" seems pretty broad to me, and since the discounts on these books are steep, it's well worth the time and strained eyes. Today's visit showed me a lot of things that my friends would be interested in, but nothing that really called out to me. Instead, I picked up full price copies (but without shipping costs!) of two books I've been eyeing for awhile: Plenti and Grase: Food and Drink in a Sixteenth-Century Household, and The Building of the Green Valley: A Reconstruction of an Early 17th-Century Rural Landscape. I've skimmed through them both, and they look like they're going to be well worth the money.
On the way home, I stopped by the library and picked up two more books, as well as Seasons One and Two of Jeeves and Wooster. I've read some of the Wodehouse stories, and I've seen a few episodes of the series, but now I have the time to watch as much of it as I can stand. :)
Tomorrow's plans will either be a trip to Mystick, or a trip to IKEA. I'm thinking IKEA would be best, as my sister wants to go, and she's the one with the SUV that I need in order to bring home some of the bigger items I want. It might sound like an odd option, but it'll be fun in it's own way.
