A great time was had on Roc Day!

I'm not even sure on how many Roc Days I've celebrated, I've been hand spinning for 22 yrs this coming April, so I guess it must be around 22 yrs. The day started out cold, as have most the days since Thanksgiving, but the sun was out and shinning this day. My friend Jan came by at ten to pick me up, and off we went to the Methow Valley spinners and Weavers 1st annual Roc Day celebration. So Jan and I got there early to set things up a little and get a table ready for our pot luck, and a table for spinning related things that we were to draw names for. This celebration was to start around 11am till 3 pm. Well the first person to show up was someone who doesn't belong to the guild, a new spinner. She was so excited to get started, and she had bought a used wheel, this would usually make a seasoned spinner shake their heads, because we know the problems you can have with a very used spinning wheel. Her name is Heidi, and she had bought a used Ashford spinning wheel, so Jan and I set in on getting the problems this wheel had fixed, so this future spinner could get started. So finally we got the darn thing spinning, and Heidi was so nervous to start, but with in a short amount of time she was showing a natural ability to spin. I forgot that feeling, while talking to Heidi, she had asked me question's about my beginnings in spinning, so this made me remember how I felt such excitement, as if I was floating above the floor. I needed to learn everything from the beginning, washing the wool, carding the wool, dyeing and spinning. Boy did thinking about it while I told Heidi my experience's, it took me back and reminded me of why I do this magical , totally mind blowing thing of starting something from scratch, that has been done for hundreds of years, and some people don't even know that we're still out here doing it and feeling the presents of the past with us, and all those before us who celebrated Roc day. So to my dear friends who are not spinners and are wonder what I'm talking about this Roc Day, well I'll tell you, when women and young girls had to spin and weave on top of all the other responsibilities , they would stop during the Holiday preparations. So when all that was over they would take a day to gather with their friends, and and spend a day getting back to the work of the home and also start spinning again. So that was a short version of the story, but the modern day spinner celebrates Roc Day the first Saturday after New Years, by gathering and having food together and just enjoying the common interest that we have and to have new enthusiastic spinners to be remind us why we even got started in this ancient craft.

So we had, I would say, a very successful Roc Day for our first annual, there was eleven of us and we had a great time, when it was time to leave I don't think anyone wanted to go.

It's been trying to snow here all day, but it did'nt accumulate very much, I think it was just to cold, but the morning of Roc Day I got up a little early and the sun rise was incredible, so I hope you can enjoy this picture I had the pleasure of taking. L. Diana