NOBO Handweavers

July 18, 2010:

As you will recall, Lady NOBO invited us to bring our favorite weaving-related book to discuss at the June meeting. The book which Eileen brought and subsequently donated to our library is entitled “Barbara Eckhardt: Poetic Space.”

This is not exactly a book, but rather a catalogue documenting Ms. Eckhardt’s work, as curated by Nancy A. Corwin for an exhibit at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, in 1998. It has been said that Ms. Eckhardt was on the cutting edge of weaving, and this catalogue certainly attests to that. The wall hangings featured are multi-layered combinations of weaving techniques, inlay and embroidery.

What is just as compelling, I believe, is the story of Ms. Eckhardt’s life. Though unfortunately cut short, what she accomplished in her lifetime is truly an inspiration.

As a nice coincidence, the bibliography portion of this catalogue mentions articles in three back issues of SS&D which we are fortunate to have and which make a valuable accompaniment to the catalogue. They will be available at the meeting this week to be borrowed as a unit.

During the May meeting, we received some wonderful contributions to our library from long-time members Patricia Morton and Sue Jones (well, as “long-time” as is possible), in addition to several items from Linda Snook, Librarian for the Weavers’ Guild of Boston. Also during that meeting, Terry Anderson, a brand new member, donated her extensive collection of Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot magazines. These items, along with a book recently received from John Nove by way of Liz Sorenson, and a couple of publications donated from my personal collection, have been catalogued, shelved, and are in the process of being added to the NOBO Library Web site, compliments of Ted Gent. Thank you, one and all.

June 20, 2010:

The following quote, printed on the back cover of The Handspun Project Book, is attributed to one Joan Z. Rough:

“ ‘Where do you ever get the patience to raise the sheep, to spin the wool into yarn, to transform the spun fibres into a sweater or a pillow?’ I hear the question often, and it always surprises me: because I am not particularly patient with most of the everyday duties of an ordinary late twentieth century person. But patience doesn’t enter into my work with fibres. The time I can spend weaving, or spinning, or simply watching the sheep grazing in the field is relaxing time. It is time to be refilled with some of the wonder for life’s simplicity that we have lost with our childhood. It is time to recover from an hour’s bill paying, in which I have been warned in no uncertain terms about folding, spindling and mutilating. It is time to enjoy the beauty around me, when I am not asked to tamper with the natural rhythms of life. The birth of a lamb, the small of a sack of newly shorn wool, the sound of the spinning wheel and the pull of the fibers between my fingers, the color that develops from the weeds in the dyepot: these are what permit me to deal with a computerized society that too often challenges what little patience I have. My work is not a question of patience; it is a question of making the time to enjoy and appreciate what is left of the real world. And whatever I can turn out with that time, be it a sweater, or a wall-hanging, or a pillow, it is a product of myself, the proof of who I am and what I believe.”

Although the book was written and published by Deborah Kahn in 1978, I believe the above quote has just as much meaning today as it then. Perhaps more. It’s an interesting book; I’ll bring it to the meeting this week.

I’m looking for a book detailing the history of spinning wheels. A book entitled “The Spinning Wheel” was mentioned at NOBO last evening; however, I do not have the author’s name and have been unable to locate a copy. Would appreciate some help with this – along with any other suggestions. Thanks in advance.

May 23, 2010

If nominations were submitted for the dubious honor of “The Original Curmudgeon,” it is entirely possible that, in his time, William Henry Harrison Rose (1839 – 1913), would have been in the running.

Weaver Rose, sometimes called Quaker Rose, along with a sister named Elsie, carried on the family weaving tradition. Although he was born well into the machine age, he and his sister chose not to be a part of that era; and it has been said that, for this, all handweavers must be grateful.

The Roses lived a life that some would call simple. Their neighbors thought them eccentric. Weaver Rose worked as a lone craftsman, taking orders from samples, ordered the yarns, and wove the finished products. Brother and sister tended their farm, fields and animals, and grew crops which sustained them year around. However, he was far from a simple man in that he chose to pursue and preserve a former way of life, personifying the tradition of the solitary American weaver by honoring and using that which had gone before: the vocabulary, tools and collection of weaving drafts, some of which date back to the 1700′s.

We have a book in our library entitled The Weaving Roses of Rhode Island, which tells the story, in words, photographs, and drafts of this remarkable man. I will bring it along with me to the meeting this week.

April 18, 2010

If you read the March/April 2010 edition of Handwoven, you may have noticed the wonderful tribute to Russell Groff (1924-2010) on Page 8. The first paragraph reads as follows:

“For decades, Russell Groff has been a quiet force in the weaving world. From the time he was taught weaving by Army occupational therapists after suffering rheumatic fever during service in WW II, Russ was a tireless proponent of the craft. Fresh out of college, he “scrounged up” fifteen looms and started a weaving program in Santa Barbara, California, that has more than doubled in the ensuing years, and he established a commercial weaving business selling handwoven garments to retailers such as I. Magnin.”

The article goes on to discuss his business, Robin and Russ Handweavers, indicating that, in addition to providing weaving materials and tools from around the world, he published newsletters and books written either by himself or others. The article ends by saying that Mr. Groff admired people who had knowledge and were willing to share, and that many a weaver today has reason to thank him for those same gifts.

The NOBO library contains two books published by Robin and Russ Handweavers: “Card Weaving or Tablet Weaving” by Russell E. Groff and “1000+ Patterns in 4, 6, and 8 Harness Shadow Weaves” by Marian Powell. I’ll bring them with me to the meeting this week.

March 16, 2010

Books written by or about Mary Meigs Atwater and Anni Albers were discussed in this column in January and February. Coincidentally, I recently ran across a book entitled String Felt Thread by Elissa Auther, which contained the following:

“In the history of American hand-weaving, no two practitioners were further apart in vision than Anni Albers and Mary Atwater. In 1940, Albers entered into a debate over the function and value of hand-weaving with Atwater in the pages of The Weaver. Their exchange provides an over-view of the competing visions and definitions of art and craft that formed the status of hand-weaving before the conclusion of WW II.

“Atwater undertook an extensive study of weaving of the American revolutionary period as well as folk weaving traditions of the 19th Century, the findings of which she published. Her research was instrumental in the survival of these historical and regional practices, but her practical how-to approach ran counter to Albers’ idea of weaving as an original art form.

“Albers regarded herself as an artist and was outspoken regarding the potential of hand-weaving to move beyond that of a leisure pursuit for utilitarian purposes. This approach is summed up by a statement she made in 1959: “Let threads be articulate, and find a form for themselves to no other end than their own orchestration, not to be sat on, walked on, only to be looked at……”

So, just what does this mean to us? I’d like to think it means the possibilities are endless; and we are free to choose our own path, whether traditional or contemporary, as we continue to learn about this time-honored craft.