The Wonder of Children

Last summer, I had a wonderful trip to the U.K. with my daughter and her family. We spent a memorable time in Wales, primarily to attend a family wedding, but it also gave us an opportunity to reconnect with relatives. They all made us very welcome and made sure we saw as much as possible of this beautiful area. It was difficult to leave.

En route to Wales, we spent one day in London -- although it didn't seem like enough time to see this historic, exciting city, I think we made the most of our day there. One of our stops was the Natural History Museum and I've posted photos of two of my grandsons, thoroughly engrossed in the exhibits. To me it shows the wonder of children and their boundless curiosity.

Liz Christy Irish weaver

Today I received an email from Liz Christy of Swallow Studios in County Monahagn. She included a video made by the Irish Craft Council , one of a series of short films with talented craftspeople.

Have a look at the video and learn more about Liz's approach and dedication to her weaving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfMf0Hef9Vw.

Those who came on the tour to Ireland will remember meeting Liz at her studio. We loved having the opportunity to see the beautiful scarves and shawls, woven in colours inspired by Liz's love of Monet and his gardens at Giverny. I expect you will enjoy having a look at Liz's blog at: http://swallowstudios.wordpress.com/

Madrona Fiber Arts 2009

The Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. The event is from February 12 to 15 at the beautiful Hotel Murano in Tacoma, Washington. To learn more about the teachers, classes, special presentations and the marketplace, have a look at their website: http://www.madronafiberarts.com/. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot), Cat Bordi and Elsebeth Lavold (from Sweden) are the three featured speakers.

Suzanne Pedersen, founder of this highly popular event, has again included the Shetland Textile Museum as one of the four designated charities. This year to raise funds, sock kits with specially commissioned, hand painted colours from the Madrona logo are available for the four days during the show.

I was fortunate to attend Madrona in 2008. Have a look at my post from last year to see some of the other attractions in Tacoma.