weaving
Happy Easter!
Fear of the loom!
I know people who have abandoned a new loom into a corner, a spare room or (dare I speak it?) a dusty garage. The fear is too great to make a start and they feel they have failed before even beginning.
I say that I am surprised, but I really shouldn’t be. All it takes is a few moments of thinking back to when I was a new weaver. I was so excited by this beautiful piece of equipment, but silently terrified! What a privilege, but what a responsibility!
So, how to rid yourself of the fear? It’s actually very simple. You arm yourself with the knowledge you need and you practice! Read books, find resources, take courses, find weavers, join groups and network. And practice! Start simple and work your way up. Think of how an athlete trains. That is you, at your loom. Training, practicing, learning from mistakes and building knowledge.
If you do this, the magic will start to happen. That magic is CONFIDENCE! And with confidence, the sky is the limit.
If you are at that frozen with fear stage with your loom, perhaps you need some extra resources to help you out.
My Youtube channel has a plethora of videos to help you get started in weaving.
My Online Weaving School is a great place for learning and gaining confidence.
My Facebook Group is a friendly and welcoming place for weavers of all levels.
I hope this post will inspire you to go out there and weave beautiful things!
DIY natural hand softener
Do you ever have problems with dry hands that become rough?
Gardeners are very familiar with this issue, but it can also happen if you frequently use soap for hand washing or are often in a heated environment.
Shop update
New things happening!
Fear of Failure
A brief pause, a very slight sigh. My husband is used to this. He is strong, trusting and practical. Me? I’m prone to nervousness, flightiness and a sense that things won’t turn out.
It’s one of those late at night conversations, the children are in bed and we have some precious moments to ourselves before we have to sleep.
“Are you scared that you are running out of ideas for classes?” he asks. Oh no, that is not the trouble at all.
It’s failure that I’m afraid of. So often there is a voice in the back of my head saying “what is the point of all this work, you know you’re going to fail anyway”. Sometimes this fear has been strong enough that I don’t try something new or pursue a different idea, fear can be crippling. Many times I have made the decision to give up on trying to make a business, only to change my mind the next day.
I have put so much work into new classes. I have taken the risk of launching on a new platform, it’s a wonderful step to have taken, but it’s expensive and risky.
My sensible and pragmatic husband listens quietly to my concerns as he has done time and again. He points out that you never know unless you try. He reminds me that it’s all in God’s hands and if the business does not succeed, it is because He wills it not to – for His own reasons and because He loves and knows me best.
My husband reminds me what I already know, but find very difficult to live. It is not all about me. Everything is a gift, including my life, and that I must be willing to give back to He who gives so generously.
Launching on a new platform
*You have the option of subscribing for a full year or monthly.
*You have the option of just purchasing individual classes rather than a full subscription. Each individual class also comes with a printable PDF pattern with full instructions and photos to compliment the video class. You can’t go wrong with all that information!
*You can subscribe or purchase a class from anywhere in the world.
*You can view your classes on a computer or device, it is available across all platforms.
The Youtube platform will continue to run for those who prefer to use it. Youtube has been the perfect viewing platform for many people, so that will not change. I will continue to upload videos to the Youtube platform as well. I just needed to give other options for those who need it.
How about you hop over and check out the new platform? Yes, it’s different to Youtube but I hope you find it easy to navigate and use.
I still have plenty of work to do there and will continue to update and improve over the coming weeks, so keep watching. It’s easy to keep an eye on my Teachable “school” by joining and logging in – you don’t need to purchase a class or subscription to join and be updated when new content is available.
I hope to see you there!
Overshot uh-oh!
Weaving suppliers list
Australia:
Petlins Spinning and Weaving Supplies, NSW, Ashford dealer, huge range of supplies.
BB Yarns Supply, QLD, Weaving threads and online correspondence courses.
The Thread Collective – (Affiliate link) Online supplier of threads and looms. Louet and Ashford dealer.
Crafty Frog, Canberra, ACT, Ashford dealer, looms, yarns, accessories, instore classes.
Glenora Weaving and Wool, NSW, yarns, accessories, magazines and books.
Knit, Spin, Weave, S.A, fibre arts supplies, looms, dyes, yarns, books.
Woolganics, NSW, Australian organic wool.
Aunt Jenny, Fibre arts supplies, weaving supplies, looms, Ashford dealer
New Zealand:
Ashford Handicrafts, New Zealand, large range of looms, weaving accessories, yarns and supplies.
Fibreholics, wide range of interesting yarns, classes
Wheels and whorls, Ashford dealer, huge range of looms, yarns and supplies
D.E.A. Yarns, Luxury yarns
Canada:
Jane Stafford, Louet looms, spinning wheels, yarns, workshops
Penelope Fibre Arts, large range of looms, weaving supplies, yarns
Maurice Brassard, Quebec, huge range of weaving yarns
Camilla Valley Farm, Ontario, Leclerc looms, weaving yarns and supplies
USA:
The Woolery, Kentucky, huge range of everything weaving related! (Affiliate link)
WEBS, Massachusetts, Huge range also.
Revolution Fibers Looms, weaving yarns, craft kits, wheels, fibre supplies
Yarn Barn, Kansas, lots of yarn options Looms, weaving yarns, craft kits, wheels, fibre supplies
Paradise Fibres, Washington, huge range of yarns, looms and fibre art supplies
Weaving South West, New Mexico, Gallery that also stocks some small looms and varieties of yarn
Weaving Works, Seattle, looms, yarns, classes
Bountiful Weaving, large and little looms, yarns
Studio Thre3, AZ, Leclerc looms, yarns
Fibre Creek, AZ, range of looms and yarns
Heartland Fibre, Iowa, yarn (beautiful looking retail shop!)
Halcyon Yarn, looms, yarns, everything!
Lofty Fiber, weaving, knitting, spinning, yarn and classes
UK:
George Weil, looms, yarns, tapestry looms
The Handweavers Studio and Gallery, London, huge range of looms, equipment and yarns
Fibre Hut, Ashford dealer
The Threshing Barn, beautiful location in a converted spinning mill, looms, supplies and yarns
Wingham Woolwork, Wentworth, Ashford and Kromski stockist, looms, supplies, yarns
Colourmart, Online weaving yarn supplies
Hilltop Spinning and Weaving, Kent, Ashford looms, accessories, yarns
Frank Herring and Sons, Dorset, Ashford and Leclerc looms, yarns, supplies
Weft Blown, Ashford dealer, large selection of looms, weaving supplies, yarns and fibre art supplies.
Wonky Weaver , Located in Wales. Wide range of looms including Glimakra, Schacht and Louet. Spinning, dyeing and fibre arts supplies.
Spain:
https://tejoloquehilo.es/es/ – Weaving supplies, Ashford dealer, fibres for dyeing and spinning. This site is only available in Spanish or Catalan but can easily be translated with Google Chrome.
https://www.textilesnaturales.com/ – Ashford supplier but also sell Louet table and floor looms. Their website is in English and Spanish.
France:
https://www.artifilum.com/ – Ashford supplier, they also sell Glimakra, Toika and Leclerc looms. Their website is in French and English.
The Netherlands:
Stephen and Penelope – Beautiful range of knitting yarns from lace weight to bulky, big range of fibre to choose from.
Wools of Nations – Excellent range of natural knitting yarns