Taking a breath

I do seem to be taking a lot of days off lately, don't I.

I think I'm making progress in that direction.

HH was/is instrumental.

Years ago, when I first started weaving, I bought a used Leclerc Mira loom.  It was too short for me, I'm 5'9".  But I didn't know any better at the time, so I wove on it for at least a year, or more.  I had a permanent muscle cramp in my shoulder blade.

There was so much I didn't know, and I struggled trying to get the loom to do what I wanted.

Somehow, I came across Tom Beaudet, on an online weaving forum.

I emailed him, asking for his advice, and he was kind enough to listen to my tales of woe, and he took the time to help me figure out the answers.

Over the years, I have talked to him often, and finally went to Massachussetts and met him.   I bought two looms from him.

A year later, he came to visit Crazy as a Loom, and he gifted me with another loom.

So you could say we have history.

Tom graduated from high school when I was ONE year old.  So he at least 80......or so.

But I aspire to be just like him.  He is the youngest 80 year old I have ever met.  He is interesting, interested, he is living his life with commitment and purpose.  He is a weaver, but more than that.  He knows more about looms and weaving than I could ever hope to know.

I am smitten.   

You can read about him HERE.

So today, I went to see him yet again, to test drive the Leclerc WEAVEBIRD, something I have wanted to do for a long time.

This is a 16 harness, 36" wide loom.

I know that someday I am going to want a computerized loom.  Something that never, ever has to be tied up, so I will never have to crawl around under the loom ever again.

I got to weave on this baby, and it was quite sweet.
I loved it.
I was afraid that I would.
I'm an addict, you see.  I think I've told you that before.

I told DH to take a picture.  He did.

I should have told him to take 10 pictures, and he would have.

But you get the one he took, for what it's worth.

I'm not sure when this loom is in my future, but I'm sure that it is.

I thought it would be noisy, but actually it's really not.  And it's smooth.  And it treadles like a dream.  One treadle to open, and one to close.

I suppose you could point out that I did not get one bit of work done today, and you would be right.
But I'm ok with that.

If you never look up, you'll miss the blue sky.