As a little girl I watched my Finnish Grandma weaving rugs on a big wooden loom on a summer day in the verandah. My Dad had walked many times around a granary winding strings to put on the loom.
On the loom, some strings were going up, some down, and they crossed when Grandma stepped on the pedals. She took a crafted piece of wood, all wound in strips of cloth, pressed a pedal with her foot, passed the wood between the strings and bang, bang, bang- one row of rug was made. I sat on the bench when Grandma went to make morning coffee. I reached for the bar and quietly banged the same row of rug. Then we enjoyed coffee with Finnish cardamom bread, called “pulla”.
Years later, my father-in-law spent his winter cutting up old sheets, drapery, clothing, and weaving it into rugs on a handcrafted loom. What could I do? I got my own hand made loom. I reduced old clothes to strips of cloth and wove discarded garments into rugs. Recycling Magic!
Recently I discovered my Grandma’s spinning wheel, made in Manitoba! Friends from the Prairie Wool Weavers guild showed me how to use it. What a thrill to spin wool into yarn, on the wheel my Grandma once used to clothe her family. Now that we are retired, my husband, Lloyd, helps me cut up fabric for weaving rugs. We save the pockets for crafts.
Enter the gate into the back yard where the “Loom Room” is. We will be doing live demonstrations on how to use the larger loom that is used to make rugs, the smaller loom that is used to make mug rugs, table runners and scarves, and the spinning wheel that is used to spin yarn. We will also demonstrate how to hand weave friendship bracelets.
Come try to weave or spin, and taste braided pulla!
