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Craft, creativity, and connection — Social networking, Ardenwoods style

Living in the artistic epicenter of North Carolina, it’s no wonder many Ardenwoods residents share a passion (and an undeniable talent) for the arts. Of course, with so many crafters in the community, creation often leads to connection — whether you prefer painting with gouache in groups or talking textile techniques on the trail.

Stitchery Club
Ardenwoods Stitchery Club

In early 2019, two residents saw the need for one such social group, and with help from Ardenwoods staff, the Stitchery Club officially cast-on its first stitch, going on to host an open house in early 2020 to showcase the works of its members.

Though the pandemic lockdown temporarily put group gatherings on hold, the weekly meetup was reborn in 2021 as Craft & Chat, expanding to include artistic endeavors of all mediums and abilities — from knitting to needlework, crochet to coloring books. Each meeting is an invitation for residents to work on in-progress pieces, ask for advice on creative direction, share patterns and ideas for future projects, and encourage one another to keep going.

One Craft & Chat member, Sally Farmer, has been knitting since childhood, originally learning the skill from her grandmother. In college, she became interested in weaving, and attended a weeklong weaving course at Penland School of Craft. Though she set her loom aside to pursue a career in psychology, she picked the trade back up in retirement — and, recently, she hosted an open house in her apartment to show off her impressive woven work.

Currently, Sally is spending her weekly Craft & Chat sessions working on a knitted sweater — as is fellow club member Lynn Black, who is knitting a matching garment using the very same pattern. Lynn first learned to knit in 1957 during her husband’s deployment. Working at the time in downtown Charlotte, Lynn would spend her lunch breaks with a knitting circle that met inside the knitting shop at Ivy’s Department Store. Each day, the shop owner would guide her through the process bit by bit, and, eventually, Lynn completed a pair of argyle socks for her husband.

He only wore them one time before they shrunk in the wash, Lynn recalled. But his mother happily claimed them instead — and wore them for the next 20 years.

Like Sally, club member Dianne Nutty began her knitting journey as a child, learning the craft in Girl Scouts at age 9. After moving to Sylva in 2012, Dianne joined the Dogwood Crafters Shop co-op, where she’s sold her knitted and cross-stitched creations ever since. Often working on her wares at Craft & Chat, Dianne’s biggest hit at the shop is her knit stuffed animals, and she can easily make several animals per week — though bunnies are her favorite, she said.

While many residents choose to craft (and chat) in groups, others at Ardenwoods, like David Zimmerman, choose to hone their skills at home — even outfitting extra rooms in their apartments into personal hobby studios.

David Zimmerman loves sharing his enthusiasm for basket-weaving.

A self-professed “jack of all trades but master of none,” David spent much of his childhood assembling model railroads and painting army figurines. In the mid-to-late ‘80s, he became interested in wood carving and signed up for a class at his local community college. But, when the course was canceled due to scheduling issues that semester, he switched to basket-weaving instead — and fell in love with the craft. Merging both of his artistic passions, David now works with a model kit manufacturer to help create instructions for products, and he also teaches basket-weaving to residents at Ardenwoods.

Put on Your Dancing Shoes

In March 2016, Judyanne Campbell began teaching line dance at Ardenwoods. Not only does dancing improve balance and strength, but it also stimulates the mind as dancers work to remember combinations. There’s also the bonus social aspect of dance class.

Ladies line dancing
Dancing is great fun, and healthy.

About a year into teaching at Ardenwoods, Campbell decided that her dancers needed a goal — rather, a performance — to work toward while exercising their memories. Her dancers agreed, especially Shirley Morrow, who leads the Ardenwoods Singers for two performances every year. Morrow had the idea for the dancers to perform alongside the singers in a show, and thus, the Salt-n-Pepper Shakers was born.

Campbell first began dancing at 6 years old, and though she enjoyed a long career as a radiologic technologist, dance was always part of her life. She is now a certified ballroom dance instructor and has been teaching ballroom and country-western dancing since 2007. Though she doesn’t compete as a professional, she has competed with students — and she even introduced resident Janet Mitchell to local ballroom competitions.

But the Salt-n-Pepper Shakers isn’t the only way dance has come to Ardenwoods. Occasionally, Campbell will work with Community Life Services Director Kari Schrader to bring some of her students to the community for live music events. The dancers pair with our residents and help bring a little extra cheer to the party!

In the seven years that Campbell has taught at Ardenwoods, she has formed close friendships with the Salt-n-Pepper ladies. Campbell notes that the dancers’ spirit and sense of fun and humor is what makes dance class fun every single week. She has expressed that she loves being part of the Ardenwoods family, and, likewise, we love having her around to jazz the place up!

The Art of Minimalism- How Having Less Makes You Do More

The idea of minimalism is not entirely new. It has been around for quite a while, but is seeing a resurgence in our lives today. Minimalism is the art of having fewer physical things and burdens in and around your home so you can focus on other things that you care about.

Throughout our lives, it’s no big secret that we tend to acquire a whole bunch of stuff. We may find ourselves going through a sea of things each time we move to another home or area, or maybe during a spring-cleaning spree. The average American home has more than 300,000 items in it, ranging from clothes, books, kitchen utensils, toys and more. As a society we are drowning in stuff.

It would be one thing if stuff we owned actually added to our general levels of happiness and productivity, but for most people, it brings anxiety and dread- definitely not the key to happiness!

… Read More

6 Reasons Western North Carolina is the Perfect Place to Retire

Why is WNC the perfect place to retire?

You may be researching any number of places as you figure out where you would like to retire.

There are many fantastic towns and cities that exist and they all have a certain charm for those who may want to retire there.

Whether you’re looking for new opportunities to enjoy the second half of your life via education, a change of scenery from your hometown, or you have family in the area, Western North Carolina may be one of your top choices on that list.

WNC consistently ranks high on places to retire, and we’re about to show you why.

Below are 6 reasons you should consider retiring in Western North Carolina.

… Read More

Take a Hike! Enjoy Nature on an Ardenwood Hiking Trail!

One of the beauties of living at Ardenwoods is the three hiking trails that circle our mountain top. The three trails join to make a loop; all trails are clear of major obstacles, easy to follow, well marked, and even have benches where you can take a break to enjoy the sites and sounds of nature.… Read More

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