The Printed Word
I am a lifelong fan of the printed word. I love to get lost in a good yarn (sorry, couldn't resist), follow the contours on another's life, and teach myself new skills in the pages of a good book. All my life when I have discovered a new subject that intrigues me the first thing I do is look for books on the subject. I have quite a library of books on knitting, sewing, quilting, but also on photography, an earlier and persistent love. So when I went to put A Gathering of Stitches together a library was an integral part of my plans. When we opened the doors there were a good 700 volumes on the shelves. Then more came through our doors, donated and loaned. Our library will continue to grow. We've got many of the titles I love, but there are more I lust for. We've got books on knitting and quilting, dyeing, screen printing, sewing, dressmaking, home decor, pattern making, embroidery, crewel, surface design, history and much more. Some of these books are inspiration, and some are technique. They are here to support all the creating that happens at A Gathering. If you come in to take a workshop, you might consider coming early, or staying late to spend some time perusing the library. The library is also part of the studio available to you during your time taking a workshop. And if you are a member you can come in any time and sit with the books. They need to stay on the premises, but members can visit them anytime our doors are open.
Today we received a box from our good friends at Roost Books down in Boston. They came for a visit last week and I had a great time showing them around. They have most generously donated to our library and I am thrilled. Thrilled I tell you! There are some really great books here, including five beautiful American translations of some gorgeous Japanese titles, and SouleMama's Handmade Home. Amanda Soule is just one of the terribly talented local craftspeople we have here in Maine, she writes the eponymous blog SouleMama that tells a thoughtful and engaging story of life here in Maine. We cherish her contributions to our wooly, fibrous world here in the Northern reaches.
Come in and see these great new books, and all the others we have in the library. Use them for the inspiration, and the reference, that they are here for. Find a new technique, a new hero, a new vision, and see where it takes you! A Gathering of Stitches is here to help you create those ideas dancing around in your head. To work them out from an idea, into an actual object, something that adds form to your dreams….