Dateline Summerfield, NC……June 23, 2016
We are back from the Bluegrass Area Basket Weaver’s event at Jabez, KY. Somehow, we managed to not melt. Again. You folks in central Kentucky manage to have about the hottest, muggiest weather of anywhere we go every year! Thank goodness for electrical hookups in the camping area and an air conditioner in the Camper!! The Red-Shirt Ladies once again outdid themselves by putting on a wonderful event. Joni’s classes were full almost every day, and Joni said that she is amazed by the great baskets her weavers put out.
One design in particular that we wanted to share with you is the Limited Edition Monkey Trap. The pictures show a new Monkey Trap in Wormy/Ambrosia Maple woven by Cheryl Kruse, one in Cherry by Patti Davies, and one in Walnut by Jan Smith. Cheryl's and Pattie's are flanking Joni’s original one in darker Cherry. The rim has a groove in the side, so that the weavers shoot straight out to the sides, similar to those from the bottom base. The Monkey Trap Nantucket gets its name from the size of the hole in the rim. The opening is large enough to reach into, but too small to pull your fist out. The story goes that folks in the old days would catch a monkey by dropping a plum or a nut or some other monkey relish into a hole in the side of a gourd or coconut. When a monkey reached in and grabbed the prize, its fist was too large to come back out of through the hole. The monkey was said to be too greedy to let go and thus was easy prey for the monkey catcher to catch! From the picture below, you can see that this technique still works, as we “caught” Joni reaching into her Monkey Trap for a Butterfinger!
Joni also taught the 10” Antique Tray with a traditional, ebony-inlad rim, the Checkerboard Tote, Jane’s Candy Dish, and the 4” square Treasure Box. I believe I nailed approximately 41 traditional rims (a record number of nails for one event) and a whole bunch of slip-on rims. Some people even tortured me further by doing whole sets of Antique Trays (10”, 12” and 14”) instead of just the 10”! It seemed that a good time was had by all.
The really big news last week, however, was the arrival of Aariona Alexis Turner, our third grandchild. The little rascal decided to wait until we had driven all the way to Kentucky before deciding to pop out. We were much to far from home to give Joni any chance of talking me into turning around and heading back in time to see her after she was born, until after Jabez. We did drive straight to Lindsey’s on the way home. She is a beauty, and I think Kamaya and Kingston are as proud of her as the parents.
One final note. The folks in Joni’s classes at Jabez got a sneak peek at the galley proof copy of "The Nuts and Bolts of Nantucket Basket Weaving", by Joni and Denise. It seemed to get good reviews. Joni and Denise have each turned in their corrections and all the edits have been submitted to the publisher. We will see one final proof copy and then it should go live early next week, On Amazon and Create Space. A Kindle edition should follow shortly/
Take care everybody.
Remember, Its a beautiful day, don’t let it slip away.
David.
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