Weaving, Blogs and Wool Fairs

About four years ago, a group people were having an online conversaton about knitting blogs, how we enjoyed seeing people's work, and the conversations between blogs as people worked on their projects. Several of us were (still are) weavers, and we decried the lack of weaving blogs.

Charleen had a fiber blog already, and sometimes posted about her weaving. Marie and I did not yet have blogs, yet, but we each agreed to start one, and begin to share information about weaving.

Charleen then formed the Weave Ring so that there would be a central place for people who might be interested in weaving to find our weaving blogs. We hoped others would start weaving blogs, and they did. The ring gradually grew to include over 100 weavers, and now virtually anytime, anywhere, you can find weavers talking about their looms, their projects, which yarns they used, how they sett them, finishing their fabrics, hems, and sewing up, anything, really, about weaving.

Lots of good things have happened to me because of this blog: I have met people, learned things, and found new resources. It has opened new doors for me, connected me with old friends and new ones, even some people halfway around the world. I hope some people have been inspired to start weaving, or return to weaving, and that some of the mystique about weaving has been overcome by those who felt too intimidated to try.

We will probably never reach the general population in the same way that knitting has in recent years, but if each one teaches one we can reach a much greater audience than before. Magazines, books and weaving stores are great resources, and the internet now lets anyone who might be interested know that we are out there, weaving away, somtimes traveling far from home to see old friends, visit a wool festival, and be reinspired to go home and pick up the shuttle.