Fiber Arts February is nearing the end at the Washington Public Library with a presentation on Norwegian band weaving from a Washington artist this Saturday.

Kathleen Almelien will display her loom which she purchased on a 2016 trip to Norway, and discuss the art of band weaving which originated in 18th-century Norway for several uses with symbolic designs which she equates to today’s emojis. Almelien taught visual arts for 44 years and serves on the board for the Art Domestique Gallery in Washington. As bandweaving represents a heritage that she married into rather than it being her own, Almelien says her program is one that any weaver or fiber artist would enjoy, “I think they would find it interesting in adding to their knowledge. I really got into this when the pandemic came on because weaving is a solitary thing. It’s something that you can do and not be around people and I got better because I had my year and a half of weaving. The product takes about an inch an hour, and as I mentioned it is 120 inches long. So it is a commitment to doing something that grows.”

Almelien’s presentation begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Washington Public Library and is free to attend. Masks are highly recommended, and you can hear more from Almelien during Thursday’s Halcyon House Washington Page on air and at kciiradio.com.