Good Weekend
This Memorial Day, my friend and shopmate Brek Jacobson showed in our nothern hills from far and flat Ohio. He and his wife Kelly were taking a belated honeymoon. I spent a year in close quarters with Brek, but had never met his love. Kelly is a hot ticket — a translator and educator, a wise, calm, soul, and a good conversationalist.
Brek and I hadn’t been face-to-face since we worked wood together in 2004. With the water, craft, and wood under the bridge, it’s no surprise we were up almost to sunrise around the fire in the front of the sauna catching up.
It was unusually cold for May, so the late hours took energy. I slept late today.
It was a wonderful experience. Brek (who is an undoubted master in wood) looked with wonder at my Cranbrook and touched the warp with sensitive hands. Although I never found the time to give a weaving demonstration, it was wonderful to feel the reverence a true craftsman feels for (I hope) another.
My long loom is becoming desperately pretty. All her battered parts from my initial discoveries have been replaced with clean new wood, chosen for strength and sweet lines.
It’s working up to be a pretty fair summer. I traded my last hot ‘n’ horny whitewater kayak for a much more sedate canoe today. As much as I’d like to be hanging it out in the “big”, I don’t think my eight-year-old buddy would take the same view. We’re going to do some canoe camping on lakes and ponds first. I’m sure as the the boy approaches his teens, he’ll surpass his Poppa in skill and daring.
Tim
May 27th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Having revamped a couple of looms (really just clean up and replacing a few parts), I am very impressed with the loom you are building. I’ve showed the pictures of what you are doing to my husband, and, as an artist, he loves the way it looks - he said it looks balanced and “real.” I can’t wait to see it done, warped up and weaving it’s inaugural cloth.