Mary Martin Sloop established the Weaving Room at Crossnore School to preserve the ancient craft and to provide an income source for many mountain families.

Women would weave their rugs and clothes on looms in a special building at Crossnore, and sell their wares from the site. They would pass on their tradition to young Crossnore residents in the process.

Martha Hill manages the Weaving Room and Gallery, which also displays locally made pottery and other craft items.

Call 828-733-4660 to order by phone.

CHENILLE SCARVES
10"x70" plus fringe

BRONSON LACE
TABLE RUNNER
17"x72" plus fringe
17"x36" plus fringe

Intricately woven in mercerized cotton, this colonial pattern will add elegance to your table or buffet. Machine washable. Off-white or beige.
17"x72" plus fringe $85
17"x36" plus fringe $45

WOODEN UTENSILS

Crafted in cherry, preserved with cooking oil. With leather tie. Sold as a unit or as individual pieces

10 piece unit $95.00

FRENCH TASTING SPOONS

No more burned mouth. No more messy cooling dish. By the time the soup travels the length of the handle, it's cool enough to taste. Handcrafted cherry. Unique gift for any cook. Other pieces also sold separately. 13" long.

$9.00 Each; 3 for $24.00; 10 for $70.00

Young people at
Crossnore learn the value of work and the merits of business through cottage industries, including building kaleidoscopes.

Because the kaleidoscopes are made using antique bobbins from cotton mills, they are called Bobbinscopes. Bobbinscopes are made by Crossnore residents using roving bobbins from old cotton mills.

Used during the 1920s to 1940s to spin fibers into yarn, many of the bobbins, as well as the oak they are made of, come from the Crossnore area. You can still read the company and date of manufacture on some.

The production, marketing and sale of the Bobbinscope are all part of a "World of Work" program for Crossnore School. Residents age 14 and up applied to become part of the Bobbinscope team, which teaches various business principles and concepts. The program also aims to help children learn to become self-sufficient, responsible and contributing citizens.

Crossnore Bobbinscopes are made with three mirrors, rather than the traditional two, making the number of color combinations and patterns virtually limitless. The paint found on the ends indicates color coding for different job applications and any scars found on the wood were left by sharp knives in removing excess yarn.

You can buy a Bobbinscope for $29.95 at the Weaving Room & Gallery in Crossnore, or order one by writing the Weaving Room, PO Box 249, Crossnore, NC 28616. Please include $5.00 shipping for orders of one to five Bobbinscopes or $7.50 per order for orders of six or more.