Daisy and the Loom

Daisy visited a weaving demonstration while we were out on one of our summer adventures in July. Seeing that this place had a little loom where anyone could sit down and have a try with the shuttle, she immediately commandeered the seat and had to be dragged away after a solid half hour of very nice weaving.

Then we remembered that my mother has a very similar loom and hasn't been using it lately, and we thought she might lend it to us.


We picked it up yesterday, brought it home, and got the Composer to tighten a few loose bolts, then wound the shuttle with some thread and let Daisy go. After weaving eight new inches of fabric* she was ready for a swim, but it seems that this, for now, is definitely Her Thing.

* Lest anyone think that this eight-year old has supernatural powers, I should note that the weft threads (is that right?) were already strung on the loom for action.

Clara's Weaving

Clara's weaving continues. She's working with several kinds of thread--some plain, some crinkly, and a couple of rag strips for fun.

These last days are very difficult. For Nanny, for us. Surely we are close to the end, pulling that last thread across.

Each Shining Hour

My mother has always wanted to learn to weave, and a couple of years ago she got a loom for Christmas. But she has never set it up, not (apparently) being the type of person who is going to learn to set up a loom from an instructional video.

Enter Eve.

Who has turned out to be a true powerhouse neighbor, with her exquisite taste in vintage buttons, willingness to come over and cheer me up with homemade Croatian bread, and boundless store of weaving experience.


Mom brought her loom here, and yesterday Eve showed her and Clara how to get started. Which *seems* to have little to do with weaving, and lots to do with some tricky calculations on paper, and then making a lot of bundles of thread. But then the fun begins, and you start putting the threads on the loom.


I can tell that this is not a skill that I have room in my brain for right now, but Clara is on fire, and Eve is going to loan her a small loom. And Mom is able to sit up in her back brace and make it happen. Improving each shining hour.