This year the craft retreat was down in southern Iowa, at Strangers and Guests CAtholic Worker Farm in Maloy. It was super fun for me to learn some new skills - i especially loved the rag-rug weaving. It was renewing and inspiring to see many friends from other Catholic Worker farms and houses in the midwest. We also made baskets, candles, bread, cheese, and did folk dancing and knitting. Here are some photos of the amazingly complicated but elegant loom process.

We're threading the warp off these spools through this matrix thing.

and around so we can make many rugs with one warp


here's lee making his rug on an earlier warp.

now it's time to cut the rugs off the loom

and here's my finished rug!