Many years ago I had an enlightening conversation with Rick Hart of Macomber Looms. Macomber was one of the first to make computer-assisted looms, and Rick told me that, to their great surprise, their clients were not young tech-y types so much as older weavers who could no longer get down on the floor to change tie-ups. Having a computer-assisted tie-up system for their treadles that they could use standing up extended their weaving lives by 10 years. On a recent morning, as I slowly climbed up from the floor after changing my tie-up, I thought of that conversation again, as I have many times over the years.
Like everyone, I get a little older every day. And like a lot of people, I get a little creakier and a little more limited in what I can do. A few years ago I broke my back, which did not help. But thanks to a great physical therapist—and the COVID pandemic giving me a lot of time at home—I am back on my loom. Weaving is not the same, but I have not needed to give it up. Assorted adjustments to my habits and my equipment allow me to keep weaving, which is really important to me. And I know I am not alone.
So, it seems to me that this might be a place to share the new ways of weaving that we’re learning with others who are in the same boat. Not medical help, of course, but what we do to make the process of weaving easier. These ideas aren’t only for the aging crowd but also for anyone who is having physical struggles, whether those are temporary or permanent.
I know some of these ideas, but collectively we know more. We would all love to read what you have learned, and what lets you keep indulging in your love of weaving.
Ideas for Weaving
Here are a few of my own discoveries, just to start:
I used to be able to weave for hours. Now I take a break every 20 minutes.
Instead of winding half a dozen bobbins at a time, I wind only one, and when it’s empty I get up to wind another. Efficiency is no longer a priority.
When I’m weaving an eight-shaft pattern that calls for lifting five shafts, I weave it upside down so I need to lift only three.
While my loom is designed to have the same lift on the treadles farthest out as on the middle ones, my own strength is no longer equal. I may rearrange the tie-up to have the heaviest lift in the middle—or even decide to only do projects that use fewer treadles.
I had adjusted my loom bench to be taller, giving me better leverage and a straighter back. Now I have lowered it again for a different and more comfortable working angle for my legs and back. (My knees still work, thank goodness.)
After I damaged my hand a few years ago, I gave myself the luxury of a good electric bobbin winder. It makes a huge difference.
My warping board is mounted lower than it used to be, and I can see a warping mill in my future.
Back in the 1980s I wrote a column called “Weaving is a Pain in the...,” compiled by asking people to send me their challenges and solutions. (If you have a library full of Handwoven issues, you can find it on page 26 of March/April 1985). The responses I got were great, with some real surprises.
Now, 40-some years later, I am asking again: Please tell me about your weaving struggles and solutions. I will share what I learn with all of you.