“Fun with Wool” at Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum

By Katharina Woodman, museum volunteer

For the second time, WSP was represented at a major community event at the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum with a booth: “Fun with Wool”. Handwork teacher Kerstin Pintus set up a beautiful display of wool in its various stages from fleece to yarn. She and Cynthia Reis were assisted by students Anne Mare, Armaan, and Robert in demonstrating how to use a spindle, how to card wool, and how to weave on a small table loom. Visitors marveled at the hand-dyed yarns and asked many questions about how wool is being processed. They were impressed with the fact that a modern school includes Handwork in their curriculum and the reasons why. Attendees of all ages tried weaving and making thread with a drop spindle – no easy feat! And, of course, Kerstin had brought marketing materials for visitors to peruse who wanted to know more about this unique education.

The event was called Trails to Rails and covered the period from the 1840s when settlers crossed the country in wagons to the 1920s when the railroad was well established in Sunnyvale and made it a prosperous town. It was a family-oriented affair with many games and activities for children, and the Fun with Wool booth fit perfectly into the program. Three years ago, Kerstin brought a similar display to A Walk through Time, which was equally successful. 

In addition, when Event Manager Kim Thurgate (parent of two former WSP students) posted a desperate plea for student helpers on the community google group the night before, high school students stepped up and took charge of directing parking at the event. – How delightful to be greeted by the familiar faces of Robert and Joseph as I pulled into the parking lot! We really appreciate this collaboration between the Handwork program and WSP in general and hope to foster more connections in the future.