Continuing our series of photos pulled from our camp archives, here is another from the 1930s showing the inside of the Curosty activity cabin. This cabin briefly served as Rockbrook’s office, but soon became, as you can see, where the girls at camp learned to weave. Working with wide floor looms and smaller tabletop looms, campers made —as they continue to make today— wonderful, colorful fabrics. The photo shows many great examples of these early weavings. Take a look at this post to see a few modern photos as well.
Crafts for Canines

One of the cutest crafts we spotted this summer coming out of Curosty was this adorable hat that camper Anna Kate knitted for her dog Ollie. What a great idea! When her family arrived on closing day it did not take long for the hat to grace Ollie’s head. Maybe this should be a new Rockbrook activity?
After a quick visit to Etsy, it is clear that Dog Crafts are here to stay! If you have any creative craft ideas please send them our way.
Basket Weaving at Rockbrook

One of the traditional mountain crafts that is still taught at Rockbrook today is basketweaving. Curosty, our weaving and basketry center, has been the home of this mountain activity since Rockbrook’s founding in 1921. With its location right next to the creek, it is the ideal sight to learn this ancient art. Campers soak their reeds (dried grass) in the creek for several hours until the reed is soft and pliable. Then they are able to weave them together to make baskets of all shapes and sizes. For the younger campers we provide a weaving base which helps them to arrange their reeds in the proper order. It is quite a special moment when all of your weaving efforts pay off and you have a functional art piece, handmade at Rockbrook!

The Art of Weaving at Rockbrook

Arts and crafts has been an important part of the program at Rockbrook since it’s founding in 1921. Giving girls the chance to express themselves creatively, the crafts program features many specialties such as jewelry making, pottery and painting.
A favorite creative outlet at Rockbrook is weaving on the loom. Weaving takes place as part of the “Curosty” activity. Curosty (a regional term for “know-how”) is the home of our fiber arts classes which include weaving, basketry, knitting, cross stitch, and needlepoint. The class takes place in our 19th century log cabin which can be seen in the photo above.
In a catalog from the 1930’s Curosty is described as: “a place where the lore of the mountains is preserved in the indigenous craft of weaving.” In the 1920’s the creative outlets were also considered important to young women as they would “help make their homes more attractive.” Although the roles of young women have changed a lot since the 1920’s, the creative outlets still give the campers the chance to express themselves creatively and expand their skills in a multitude of outlets.
Click here for more about our current craft program which still features weaving on the very same looms from the 1930’s!