Back in March or so, I posted the CfP about the seminar "Weaving Knowledge" - and now I happened to run across this: 

The conference is taking place on September 25 and 26, so the weekend after the coming one, and apparently there's an online attendance option. I have not been able to find anything online about it except the CfP, and the link written on the poster will take you to a registration page for the conference, also no further information given (nor in the registration confirmation email) - but if you are free on the weekend, and interested in practical aspects of historical textiles, it might be a nice thing to do.

The European Textile Forum has been in the planning for a longer while than usual this year, due to the - again - scarcity regarding catering possibilities in the lovely place that we usually hang out in. After a certain point in the year, this makes me more and more anxious. The Forum, after all, is a full week, and the people who participate have to plan for this week in advance - taking off work, for most, and this should be done well in advance for most people. So I've been biting my nails for a few weeks now (figuratively, but still).

To my very great relief and utter delight, it looks like this is being resolved now, and hopefully I can do the final calculations soon, and all things will be set into motion. 

Resolving this, just like the last time, was done by asking what feels like a gazillion of people. I am, in general, of the opinion that most problems can be solved by finding the right people. This, however, can take time. A large network usually helps, but even then you have to ask everyone (or what feels like everyone) and hope that they have someone in their network, and that said person will come back to you.

Of course I didn't only ask my friends and colleagues, I also wrote to a number of different possible people or institutions that could have been an option. And this is where I'm actually rather disappointed, as there were some companies who are offering meals for companies or institutions (so they are obviously professionals in that regard), but my inquiries never got an answer. Not even a short "sorry, we don't do that kind of thing". I know that there's no right to getting a reply (and I have a few dark spots on my vest myself, when a request or mail just fell behind and then was forgotten at some point - and if that was one of yours, I'm sorry, I do try hard to answer to every mail, but sometimes I do fail) but it is getting harder, after a while, when you ask people and instead of a "no" there's just... silence.

But enough complaining - I am a very happy woman today! (And if you're interested, there's more info on textileforum.org, where there will also soon be the CfP and the registration form and so on. Focus topic of the year is "knots", which means that I will face one of my arch-problems, because I am fantastically bad at remembering knots with only a very few exceptions...)

Every three years, there's a NESAT, which is kind of a big deal to me. I've managed to go to all of them since the one in Copenhagen, and I am very much looking forward to the next one: NESAT XVI in Glasgow, Scotland, 2-4th June 2027.

There will eventually be a website, and a CfP, and planning - but for now, I have the date marked up in my calendar, and will be waiting for more news along the line.

Due to some reason that I still haven't found, my facebook access was suddenly blocked, and the only way to free it up again was to take a video selfie, or a photo selfie, and upload that.

Apparently this is a safety feature now, if there is a doubt that your login or account is legitimate. Or so.

I did consider just closing down my facebook, but then I sent in a random selfie, it took about an hour, and yes, I am on the big time sink again. Though I don't hang out there a lot, but occasionally  interesting things pop up there, so it's not all a waste of time. For instance, today I found a call for papers (which, admittedly, I also have gotten per mail, so I wouldn't have missed out).

It's for PunTex International Seminar "Weaving Knowledge", whcih will take place in Nicosia in September 25-26. Abstracts are accepted until March 15, so if you'd like to take part in this seminar about experimental archaeology applied to textile production, you can find out more in this pdf here:
 

In connection with the sprang cap I made for a museum exhibition, there will also be a sprang workshop - at Burg Trausnitz near Landshut, on June 27. The day starts with a guided tour through the exhibition, and then there's a lunch break, and then there's the workshop. I'm already looking forward to this, it's far too rarely that I get to teach sprang... and maybe I can manage to get the for-fun piece that I currently have on the frame done until then.

(Actually, I should, as it's on one of the workshop frames...)

If you are interested, you can go here to find out more about the (German language) workshop! 

Looks like someone lost track of time yesterday and somehow managed not to push the "publish" button on the blog in time... 

After the look back on the past, here's the first glimpse of the future: 

I will be giving a workshop on simple band weaving at the end of February, or, more precisely, in Unterschleißheim on February 28. We'll be starting at ten, have an hour lunch break, and the workshop ends at three in the afternoon, so there will be plenty of time to try some easy band weaving.

The course is, of course, in German ; ) but if you are interested, you can find out more about it on the website of the Forum Unterschleißheim.

After a little bit of a tech hiccup (that, if you ask me, should not have happened, but at least it got fixed relatively quickly) I'm very happy and relieved that the blog is back, with very little extra shenanigans for me to do. Phew.

I am still technically on blog hiatus, though, and will be until November 17 as planned. But since I'm in the blog checking for its okay-ness, you might as well hear from me.

I am deep in the preparation for the Forum, so there's stacks of stuff here and there, waiting to get sorted for packing. The wood is already in the car, as is the big coffee maker; the clamps are waiting to be loaded, the yarns are almost all stuffed into suitable boxes, and I have had the motivation needed for untangling (well, mostly) all of my unfinished tablet woven bands. There's also a stack of books that will travel with me.

So. Much anticipation. Lots of packing still to do. See you here later in November!