Trip Recap

large cauldron - not sure what they used it for - scouring?  dyeing?  at Masson Mill

Jacquard loom at Masson Mill

Paradise Mill - had lots of spare loom parts stored - here are a stack of beaters with fly shuttle boxes attached

Docent at Quarry Mill explaining how a hand loom works

One of the 'jobs' awaiting me when I got home was to write a travelogue for Fibre Focus (the provincial weaving magazine for Ontario).  It was good to go through my photos and write up the journey so soon after I got home as it doesn't take long for daily life to take over and memories to fade.

I don't know what the huge cauldron was for at Masson Mills, possibly dyeing.  There was nothing explaining what it was for - it just sat in the courtyard, very imposing!

There were lots of Jacquard looms to be seen, some of them still in running order.  We also saw quite a few shaft looms with dobby mechanisms and of course fly shuttles.  The loom minder at the Quarry Mill said that one operator would mind 4 looms at a time.

Unfortunately the spinning mule at Quarry Mill had broken down the morning we arrived so we didn't get to see it in operation.  But the man who operated it said that they hoped to have it up and running in a few days as they had 'spare' parts in storage.  The mule is not original to the mill but of the same vintage.  Quarry Mill is extensive and presents the textile industry very well, generally.

Paradise Mill and the Silk museum was interesting, too.  We managed to arrive in time for the guided tour so we got to see some of the equipment being operated.  The museum was well laid out and gave a good history of silk weaving in the area.

I'm still jet lagged - no real surprise there!  But I am managing to get a few things done.  What I really need to do, quite urgently, is to review the two conferences coming up rather quickly and get my travel arrangements sorted out.

Hopefully Doug will get the samples for A Good Yarn: LandH done in the next couple of days so that I can get them cut apart so he can then start stapling them.  Once I've got the sample pages done I can do the lay out and start generating the text.

Juggling.  It's all about the juggling.