family history museums travel

Darwin’s Big Ball of Twine – Don’t Blink!

Hubby and I visited Darwin, Minnesota, on St. Patrick’s Day. We were in the area of this small town (population around 337), which is known for its giant ball of twine, and I had to stop. For a fiber artist, it’s a must-see. According to the informational signage with the ball of twine, this won the Guinness Book of World Records in 1991 for the largest ball of baling twine constructed by one man, Francis…

Continue reading

family history museums pragmatic historian travel

A Sleepover at Linden Hill

Last weekend, Hubby and I had the pleasure of sleeping over at Linden Hill Historic Estate in Little Falls, Minnesota. (https://linden-hill.org) The invitation came from good friends of ours who chose to celebrate a significant wedding anniversary there. Having worked for the Morrison County Historical Society for over 25 years, I knew a little something about the history of the place and had even been there before ownership had been transferred to the city. The estate…

Continue reading

art fiber art museums technology

On the Practicality of a Weaving Degree

On Mastodon Sunday, not one, but TWO articles that mentioned weaving came across my timeline. Weaving is one of the lesser-practiced fiber arts, certainly not discussed as often as knitting or crocheting on social media. Likely because it takes quite a bit of money and some training if you want to weave using a floor loom. My training in weaving actually came in college. I majored in visuals arts with a concentration in weaving. Anyone…

Continue reading