The Whonnock Weavers and Spinners Guild will be holding its 34th annual open house on Sunday.
Hundreds of examples of weaving, spinning, knitting and basketry will be on display and for sale at the event including hats, scarves, socks, rugs and tea towels.
All the items will be juried ahead of time by 10 experienced members of the guild, a process that takes a good part of a day.
“Everything is juried and we jury for quality,” explained Marie Slessor, who has been jurying the show for the past 25 years.
“Everything is looked at to make sure there are no mistakes in the weaving or the knitting. All the ends are tucked in. Everything is up to our guild standards. So basically we are just going through everything and making sure it is of high quality,” said Slessor.
Although, says Slessor, the hardest part about jurying is keeping your own creative likes and dislikes out of the decision making.
“We are not judging for design or colour or that kind of thing, we are simply judging for workmanship,” said Slessor.
This year there will be six guest artists taking part in the event: potters Sophia Kim of Ladner, Diane Wooldridge of Maple Ridge and Molly Magid of Mission; woodworkers Keith Ruttan of Maple Ridge and Masashi Kawakami of Ladner; and Heather Schwartz, a basket maker from Langley.
There will also be a themed stage display.
This years theme is called “Outside the Loom and Wheel” and will focus on interests of the Whonnock Weavers and Spinners Guild members outside of fibre arts.
There will be coffee, tea and cookies by donation and door prizes, including skeins of yarn, a wooden salad bowl and an artistic rug hooking piece.
Funds generated by the annual open house will help subsidize guild workshops and projects throughout the year.
Admission is free.
The Whonnock Weavers and Spinners Guild formed in 1974.
Open house
The Whonnock Weaver and Spinners Guild 34th annual open house and sale takes place on Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Whonnock Lake Centre (27871 – 113 Avenue, Maple Ridge).
For more information, go to whonnockweaversandspinners.org.