Retreating

Spinners and weavers from all over Vancouver Island and slightly beyond have been happily retreating in Parksville the past 3 days.  The pictures below should give you a flavour of the events.

There were a lot of busy feet and whirring wheels.  Do you recognize any foot wear???
These photos are candid shots and I am glad to say there were no worn out heels or protruding toes in sight.
We have all admired someone's handknit sweater.  Their talent and taste are clearly visible on top but check out the feet if you want to see the real person.  There could be a raving extravert hiding near the floor. 

There are many styles of spinning wheels and we could look at them but I thought it might be more revealing to check out the choice of footwear and treadling technique. There are strong differences in the choice of foot wear.  Some prefer the stocking feet approach while others prefer a range of shoes including sensible walking shoes, garden clogs and a running shoe that could cope with the rocks on the beach.  We even have a half-way approach with slippers and socks.  There is also a split on the one versus two treadle approach.  This limited photo survey suggests there is no correlation between the choice of footwear and the approach to treadling   

There also seems to be a mix of sock styles with some opting for the good old sport socks and others preferring more colourful feet.

Some spinners bring a companion along and all spinners find a companion along the way.  When asked what they enjoyed the most about the retreat, the overwhelming majority indicated meeting old and new friends.