Olympia Weavers Guild

05/17/2026

Three years in the making, it's finally here: Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving showcases both historical and contemporary woven creations, including blankets, tunics, hoods and skirts.

Journey through the seasonal cycle of weaving, from gathering materials and spinning wool to dyeing with natural ingredients and weaving intricate designs.

Along the way, learn firsthand from weavers and gain insight into the deep cultural and scientific knowledge embedded in every strand.

We’re proud to be collaborating with the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center (), whose members are the lead curators for this exhibition.

This exhibit opened September 13, 2025 and running through August 30, 2026.

Slide 1: Many Hands, Overspun shawl woven by Haʔməkʷitən Kelly Sullivan, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Wool spun by Roxanne Hockett, Port Gamble S’Klallam, 2025.

Slide 2: Ancestral Ceremony, Chepximiya Siyam Chief Dr. Janice George, Squamish, 2025

Slide 3: Mountain Protector, SiSeeNaxAlt Gail White Eagle, yellow cedar and mountain goat wool, 2025

03/15/2026

09/15/2025

Save the Date!
The Olympia Weavers Guild is getting ready for the 40th Annual Show and Sale.

Thurston County Fairgrounds at The Heritage Hall
October 3rd, 11am – 6pm
October 4th, 10am – 6:00pm

Come and see the beautiful one of a kind handwoven/handmade items that will make great gifts for yourself and others. There will also be demonstrations, drawings, door prizes and wonderful gifts raffled off.

https://olympiaweaversguild.org/show-and-sale/

~Denise

08/05/2025

Here’s a fun granny square class at Indigo Purls that could help you get hooked on crochet!

~Denise

Sunday August 17 and 24 from 9:30 to 11 learn the granny square that makes this awesome stroller blanket! Sign up to learn the square, how to put them together, and make the edging. A great stash buster! Sign up for this class at Indigopurls.com.

08/05/2025

Are you up for some fibery fun this weekend?
If so, check out the 2025 Flock and Fiber Festival at the Seattle Convention Center Summit Building (900 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101).

Classes:
Friday, August 8 from 10AM - 5PM
Saturday, August 9 from 10AM - 5PM
Sunday, August 10 from 10AM - 5PM

Marketplace Hours:
Saturday, August 9 from 10AM - 5PM
Sunday, August 10 from 10AM- 4PM

*** Please note that masks will be required in the marketplace from 10:00am-12:00pm on Saturday, August 9 ***
The event organizers are doing this to ensure that everyone in the community gets the opportunity to shop in a safe environment.
Masks will not be required throughout the rest of the weekend.

A list of marketplace vendors can be found at the event website (link below)

~Denise

Flock Fiber Festival

07/31/2025

Just a reminder that the last ‘Spinning in the Park’ is tomorrow 7/31 from 5:30pm-dusk

This is one of the views from the spinning area in case you need to bring some non-spinners who also want to have fun at the park!

Come have fun spinning and visiting with your fellow spinners in a lovely outdoor setting!

What: Spinning in the Park
Where: Bigelow Park in Olympia (1220 Bigelow Ave NE, Olympia, WA 98506)
Time: 5:30 pm until dusk

~Denise

07/29/2025

That's a remarkable archaeological find! A 4,700-year-old ball of yarn discovered near Lake Bienne (Bielersee), specifically in Lüscherz, Switzerland, dates back to approximately 2700 BC.

This discovery is incredibly significant for several reasons:

Exceptional Preservation: Organic materials like yarn rarely survive for millennia. Its preservation suggests unique environmental conditions, likely an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment such as peat bog or lake sediment, which prevented decomposition. This kind of preservation offers invaluable insights into prehistoric textile production.

Evidence of Textile Production: The presence of a ball of yarn clearly indicates that the people living in this Neolithic settlement (often referred to as lakeside or pile-dwelling communities) were engaged in sophisticated textile crafts. They were processing fibers, spinning them into yarn, and likely weaving them into fabrics for clothing, nets, or other utilitarian purposes.

Neolithic Context: The date of 2700 BC places this artifact firmly within the late Neolithic period in Europe. This era saw significant advancements in agriculture, settled village life, and specialized crafts. Finds like this help reconstruct the daily lives and technological capabilities of these early agricultural societies.

Insights into Materials: Analyzing the fibers of the yarn (e.g., flax, wool, nettle) would provide direct evidence of the types of plants or animals exploited for textile production by these ancient communities.

Archaeological Significance: The region around Lake Bienne, particularly sites like Lüscherz, is well-known for its rich archaeological record of pile dwellings, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These sites have yielded an abundance of exceptionally preserved organic artifacts, offering a window into prehistoric European life.

The discovery of such a common, yet incredibly ancient, everyday object like a ball of yarn provides a tangible and intimate connection to the individuals who lived almost five millennia ago, highlighting their ingenuity and daily practices.