Thanks to funding from the Oliver arts council, the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers are able to invite weaver Alison Irwin from Duncan for a two-day workshop on Pick-Up weaving using 4-harness looms on October 1 – 2 at the Shatford Centre in Penticton.
Alison Irwin lives in Maple Bay and has a weaving studio set up in her home. 
She teaches beginner courses and more advanced classes both locally and beyond BC’s borders. One look at her handouts and you know she’s got a graphic arts background! Several of her projects have been published in ‘Handwoven’ magazine. Alison also likes to keep a camera close by. Some of the images taken on her walks down to the beach, or out in the yard, or in the studio are then altered a little or a lot in Photoshop.
Anyone not yet registered will be out of luck: the workshop is booked solid already. As weaver Barbara Levant explains, “It has sold out because our Guild is quite big and we do have a waiting list. 
Our members go from Summerland to the border, so the OCAC funding has been spread over the South Okanagan. The participants are all very appreciative as the cost of the workshop is reasonable for all because of the funding. So again thanks to the Board for supporting this workshop!”
“Tromp as writ”, “Overshot”, “Throw the shuttle” “Tabby”, “Pickup” — these unusual expressions are just a few phrases to be heard in the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers Guild. Weaving is an age-old art of forming lengths of yarn into cloth. In early human society, weaving satisfied the need for clothing and shelter. Garments and dwellings were constructed from woven animal hair or plant materials. Today, the possibilities are endless with an array of threads, yarns, fabrics, dyes, animal hair, plants, and synthetics – and centuries of creative techniques to draw from. 
Coming up for the Desert Sage Guild: