Day 128: The photo is entirely irrelevant to the subject matter of this post, but it is already late in the day and I am delightedly worn out. I have had a tendency to forget that my friend Ed, although an accomplished band-weaver, has never woven on a shafted loom. After refinishing Max, he came into possession of an eight-shaft Bergman, and Max came to live at my house without Ed having even threaded a heddle. Meanwhile, Ed set to work refurbishing the eight-shaft and finally reached the point where he was ready to weave. He read books. He watched videos. He asked questions, both of me and of members in an assortment of weaving groups, but Friday evening, I suggested that he come up for the weekend for a "weaving intensive" designed to acquaint him with the process of dressing a loom with warp, telling him that there was no better way of learning than "hands on." He arrived yesterday afternoon, and we immediately set to work loading a warp I had pre-measured in a heavy cotton suitable for placemats. With only a short break for dinner, the warping process was complete by 10 PM, well past either of our normal bedtimes. Today, even before breakfast, he began the actual weaving. I was pleased to see that his experience band-weaving gave him good control over the selvedges, one of the more difficult weaving skills to truly master. By the time he left, he had roughly nine inches of a nice twill completed. He's taken my table loom home with him so he can do his "homework," i.e., completing at least two placemats. For me, it was absolutely wonderful to have a student who was quick to grasp concepts, and to take to weaving like a fish to water even if I am ready for a good, solid nap.
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