“I did not know what to expect, and was simply blown away”

In late March, just as the calendar showed winter giving way to spring, a few brave daffodil blossoms welcomed weavers old and new to Weave Together with Handwoven 2025.

Attendees made the trip to York, Pennsylvania to take weaving classes on multi-shaft, inkle, pin, and rigid-heddle looms (and even on their fingers, with no looms needed!) from a group of talented instructors.

While there, they shared meals and ideas with other weavers, instructors, and editors, and spent time in the Marketplace considering cones of fiber, weaving books, looms and tools, and more. A pair of evening speakers provided inspiration.

Throughout the retreat, weavers enjoyed a sense of community. Here are a few of their comments about the experience:

“Thank you for a fabulous weaving experience. I did not know what to expect, and was simply blown away ... I loved the enthusiasm the weavers had for the full range of projects from shoelaces and pin looms to more complicated shaft weaving. And humor and love!”—Vanessa

“I am very excited about what I learned and am already planning projects for 4–5 of the techniques I tried. It was great!”—Robin

“I’m probably not unique in buying much more than I’d planned [at the marketplace]. Seeing the yarns, kits, books in person is so much better than on-line. And I felt good in supporting innovative small companies.”—Jane

“The participants all seemed to have common experiences, which made it possible to share experiences and learn not only from the highly accommodating instructor but also from peers.”—David

We’ll give Lori Jane the last word about this year’s retreat:

“Felt like I have finally (I am 71) found my people!”

Snapshots from Weave Together 2025:

Weavers pair up to thread cards for John Mullarkey’s “Double-Card Double-Turn Diagonals” class. Weaving progress in Angela Tong‘s “Overshot on the Rigid-Heddle Loom” class. Tom Knisely, seated at loom, answers a student’s question in his “Sakiori and Zanshi” class. Weaving round-robin-style on multi-shaft looms in Karen Donde’s “That Doesn’t Look Like Plain Weave” class. Angela K. Schneider, left, led a “Pin-Loom Party.” Weaving without a loom in Mary Shackleford’s “Taste of Fingerweaving” class. Jennifer B. Williams, right, teaches “Bedouin-Inspired Inkle Bands” on the inkle loom. Students in Tom Knisely‘s “Sakiori and Zanshi” class take a closer look at woven samples. Weave Together 2025 instructors from left: Sara C. Bixler, Jennifer B. Williams, Angela K. Schneider, Karen Donde, John Mullarkey, and Tom Knisely. Not shown: Angela Tong and Mary Shackleford. John Mullarkey, facing camera, provides a helping hand in one of his card-weaving classes. Students show off their finished work in Sara C. Bixler’s “Shaker Stool Weaving” class. Sara is standing second from right. Christina Garton, editor of *Easy Weaving with Little Looms*, and Tom Knisely hold up a very large heddle. In an evening presentation, Tom shared tales of his work as a textile detective, including what he learned about that heddle.

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We’re already hard at work on Weave Together with Handwoven 2026, which will be held on March 8–12, 2026 in Loveland, Colorado. Tickets go on sale this summer—learn more and sign up for notifications.

We’d love to see you there!