A Nation of Makers

Last weekend was the Portland debut of the film, HandMade Nation and the Museum of Contemporary Craft had quite a weekend full of events. I wasn't able to get tickets to the two big screenings, but when more were offered on Sunday, I went with a friend to that one. I did attend the panel discussion with the filmmaker on Saturday afternoon after a fine breakfast with some new local crafty friends. New to me, that is! By way of Twitter, I found this little cluster of folks going and meeting up and we all got our acts together to meet and hang.

While I was in the middle of writing last week's post here and try to make plans for the confligration, my internet went down. Well, it was stressful, but I spent some time downing Chai in a free wifi cafe and got it all together. Lesson the in pleasures and dangers of the Internet and it's power in my life. Yeah.

I kind of found myself in the role of interviewer in many ways. There were so many things I wanted to know about everyone's process, and business and lifestyles as crafters. So much of what I'm trying to do right now, business-wise is connected to assisting creative folks maneuver the business world better. Some I see are really quite savy and I was clearly the one learning from them. Delightful.

On the left we have Adrienne Shaffer of MmmFiber and Amanda Siska of Bread and Badger etched glass.

Here we have Heather of CroqZine with one of her two little one's that Saturday morning at Byways Cafe in the Pearl.

Here, left to right we have two folks (who's names I do not remember. UGHHH) who have started a new craft happening in Vancouver, BC called Got Craft, Kim Werker, and Amanda and Adrienne (stealthfully holding her business card ;-> )

I ended up finishing this shrug and wore it to the screening with a headscarf that I crocheted the previous day from a skein of Koigu.

On the way out of the panel discussion I ran into Kathy of Pendleton! Her office is just around the corner from the Museum and I was glad to see her and catch up. It then occured to me that I had never posted a picture of the wonderful blanket I got in exchange for my spinning demo at the Home and Garden Show.
So, here we go on that! It's the Mt. Hood Sesquicentenial blanket on a one-off colorway that was never mass produced. I just love it. It goes perfectly with my bedroom.