Toika

People are always asking me how long I have been weaving. The answer always surprised them, they think I have been weaving since I was a toddler. Actually, I came to weaving pretty late, several years ago, after I had raised my children.
Once I learned to weave though, I was committed to it. I couldn't get enough of it. I bought looms and material and equipment, and finally, the house! Now I have a 2600 square foot house, with 13 looms set up, tons of fabric, and my biggest problem is which loom to weave on.
Well, not really. I still have to work as an RN 2, 3 4 shifts a week. Have to pay the bills. That is my biggest problem, because it takes me away from the studio, which is where I really want to be.
Right now, I am attached to this Toika. It weaves, actually I weave on it, a rug 7 ft wide. I have had the loom a year, and I have wanted to sell it several times. It annoyed me, and confounded me. I didn't like it, and it didn't like me. But I kept getting orders for bigger rugs, so I found myself weaving on it anyway. With help from my daughter, Morgan, I became acquainted with this loom. I had a sectional beam put on it. I put all new Texsolv heddles on it to replace the saggy string heddles that came on it. I made a list of all the things I had done wrong on the first big rug that came off it. I studied the sheds, and finally got decent ones. And I got more orders, and realized that this Toika was paying the heat bill, and the taxes, and was actually doing more for me than all my other looms combined. Somehow, we got to know each other, and I can honestly say that now, I love the Toika. She is my friend, and I wouldn't part with her. My neighbor came in and said.....you are ALWAYS weaving on that loom!!! And she was right.