RiverWools Winter Freeform Retreat Day
Finally, I'm getting around to posting a few pictures and words about the day. This took place on Saturday, Feb. 7. I took a few pictures beforehand, but was too nervous and busy with leading the workshop that I didn't take any during the event.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQe5uP0O3EygjA8BGI_78RtA64doFVRSMG_M-hXEr4Jx202qigB3MBbdZ0GAEXl9Tb3k-oQO5h9yJfTlCQlvqZZVbsyLaHS_Gthr5lbJNe9I2Xp8BfsGkQ_sfkw7AwpnruZkj/s400/FFretreat_4.jpg)
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I learned a lot from doing this workshop, both during the preparation time and from the day itself. I think everyone had fun and learned some new techniques, or felt inspired. I know that I would do a few things differently and I wish that I had been able to spend more one-on-one time with people, but all-in-all I feel pretty good about how the day went.
In addition to the crochet and knitting, we had Stephanie throughout the day. Stephanie is a massage therapist who set up a chair massage area and brought each person back for a mini-massage. She also focused on the particular physical stresses that handwork can have on our bodies and gave tips on mitigating them. Our favorite:
"Knit for only 20 minutes at a time. Haha." (Yes, she said the Haha.)
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I also made bullion rounds for everyone, so each person could have a sample of each of the two types. What, you didn't know there are two types? I didn't either. Until I started to try to figure out how best to teach the bullion stitch. Then, well, I became a wee bit detail-oriented and obsessive and decided that there are actually four variants. And that will be the subject of another post. Really.
Random Photo No. 2 (From the Mixed Up Files of Ms. Zann C. Carter)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0p2eMVumTuxBwvDDGDFwr-7oyP5S4-NCcLv1yTJ0GiA5x-GBE-ZB8wZB8ZGi4_bcmzQPyfVBYMuYH8AqfXE6dwtueIZAONXYcynzJ85b0sLhkGeOxW_c2TWlW7NeNe7ub8Xwq/s400/Ella.jpg)
The interesting thing is that I was able to make this image from a negative I found in the Family Papers. There are many, many negatives and no prints of them.
I thought I'd have to buy a special scanner, but I didn't. I put the negative on a small light box, which cost me around $15, and photographed it with my digital camera. Here's one of my mother (the little one on the right) and her two sisters, Hootie (Suzanne) and Nell, circa 1925:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEReQgMi8lioJjrVujFCkCu47JR5_cnmFm2e56ltr90PHbswPiBQs4XSJ0pzvz3TUkF5CNsFVYA3RHrenlDttu-4Ac-LTNauhf1tiDbYFoQwLNnA8vS44z778FIWavqzelKWL/s400/3sisters_negative.jpg)
In Photoshop, there's this nifty image adjustment called "Invert" et voila!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzwKP6QmRi98IXcVy2tw-Ebq-0F7MfsOODkqm5mUV-QztducpRLR1xWddmK6DbiWA-SmrrL5NIgZPnQNyNQzX0OFvHNodqXC5kiJoQn5glC6TCEXoDQ9c9N9nb25m3nd9X_EJ/s400/3sisters.jpg)
I'm looking forward to getting back to work on the Family Papers.
Namaste,
Zann
Labels: freeform crochet, geneaology, vintage photos, workshop