Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Departures of a palm and other good things

Yesterday Gary and friend came to collect the tall palm, and the next door tenant seized the chance to make him take another big plant he wanted to leave there. Timing.

The palm is reclining in there, on two seats.



 Shortly to be joined by a large pony palm 




Here's the open space left


And the rearranged plants looking much more compact. I like this.


Meanwhile the wheeled platform I'd made for the tall palm is now reassigned to my  box of weights. They're under the coffee table so that I remember to use them. Now they're movable, too.

This was great. Turns out the other pony palm belongs to me. I thought I only had custody.  So we're all done with the plants.

Then Tuesday Knitting group, and a lively group with new and returning members.


I started a new knotting project with more threads. This could be any width, really. Another participant watches me a while and plans to try this herself.


 
Marvelous sock knitting, expert level, and she's always happy to show beginners how to get going.


Here's the beginning embroiderer, no longer a beginner, doing very well.


This expert knitter is wearing her own work 

So's this one 

Knitting, knotting, crochet, embroidery, all in action.

Talk ranged over cat behavior, afternoon concerts, English pronunciation, poutine, Montreal, social media, Ravelry, early cellphone use, group chat, diamond rings and more.

Then home to a pot of tea, and Textiles and Tea with a fifth generation weaver, closely associated with the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

Here she is with her granddaughter, another weaver



Here, underneath, an overshot piece woven by her granddaughter, on top an overshot piece woven by her grandmother. 
Here's part of a retrospective exhibit for her 85th birthday 



She makes garments too


 Early pictures of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts 


She survived the 2016 Gatlinburg Tennessee,wildfires which ravaged large areas and many homes

Her home and car were incinerated, the car melted and running down what had been the driveway. She lost a lifetime of looms, yarn, everything.

In response to my question about recovering from the fire her granddaughter showed pictures of weavings from after the fire, with pieces of the melted car incorporated. 

Frances gave the weavings for permanent holding to a local exhibit venue, just didn't want them around her after she worked through the losses of all kinds 

Look her up, she's a treasure, an artist and weaver, a survivor and a historian, from a long line of similar women.

Happy day everyone. I certainly had one.




31 comments:

  1. Do you expect to see him much now that's all sorted?

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    Replies
    1. He still has an artwork here! He'll be busting in for the foreseeable future.

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  2. I love seeing all the projects on the go by members of the Library group!

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    1. They're a talented group. Always something new happening

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  3. All of the crafting pieces are lovely, especially the pieces worn by their makers. Your newly opened space is very restful to look at.

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    1. Thank you for the nice words about Glimpses.

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  4. 5 generations of weavers is pretty good going but losing so much in a fire must have been devastating - she did well to carry on.
    I like the tree and it's background

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    1. I agree, she did well, especially since she was in her 70s, a tough age to lose everything.

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  5. What a terrible loss from the fire and beautiful creations as a result. So wonderful that grandmother and granddaughter share this passion.

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    1. The granddaughter was there with Frances, reminding her of the occasional word that escaped her, ready to respond to my question. It was a lesson in working together. Overshot is one of the weaving forms generally recognized as American, not inherited from Europe, a source of pride to old southern ladies like Frances.

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  6. It makes me happy that your knitting group is actually an all-welcome group. I love the way you support each other, share, and learn.

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    1. It's definitely inclusive. Needlearts reaches across age and race and culture.

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  7. It would be hard to work through such a trauma. She is resilient. Your plants look pleased to have some space.

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    1. She looks fluffy but she's steel! I think the plants are happier.

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  8. Talk about making art from life's tragedies. And now you've adopted a ponytail palm! Lucky you! :)

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    1. I now have two, one the offspring of the other. They've been here years!

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  9. Integrating parts of her car into a woven work was an interesting way to work through the pain, but I can understand her not wanting to keep it.

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    1. She shuddered when her granddaughter showed the pictures.

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  10. What fabulous work and how wonderful that she has passed it on to her granddaughter. I'm impressed by her fortitude in coming through that fire.
    Your knitting group is doing a variety of wonderful work!

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    1. She's a marvelous woman not only surviving but picking her work right back up. The group is really interesting, the people and their work.

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  11. My goodness what a sad story for the weaver. I can't imagine how she felt seeing her work like that. I am glad she donated it and that she is working with her granddaughter and creating new things.
    Great idea for the weights! Reclaiming your space!

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    1. She's pretty unstoppable! I'd say she triumphed. And yes, it does feel like reclaiming my space, I'm liking it.

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  12. Terrible to lose a life's work like that but admirable (and enviable) to have such a way of working through that loss and share the results created in the process.

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    1. Fortunate her artworks were not in the fire, but elsewhere, largely on exhibit, but she lost everything else including her grandmother's loom.

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  13. TIming is everything. Gary's was good for the neighbor! That's so sad about the weaver.

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    Replies
    1. So much of life hinges on timing, in a lot of contexts.

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  14. The members of your knitting group are so talented.

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    1. Aren't they? And very productive. We see something on the needles one week, then on the knitter the next.

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  15. I was so interested in overshot weaving that I started reading about it on the Handweaving Academy website, especially about doing a different (faster) version called double tabby. It’s so interesting!

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    1. I'm really glad you use the post as a launch for more research, because that's what I always hope for.

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