n. 1. an island in a river

2. low land near a stream

I was amazed.

Beryl was not.

Of course she wasn’t.

Ki was the perfect (non-canine) sidekick for my next bout of experimental settling.¹

After all, we’ve been working together since the days when things had price tags—

—since the years I traveled to teach workshops—²

—since we wove pictorial tapestries featuring—ourselves—³

—and since Sirius was the dog who licked lotion from my neck in an 8’ x 10’ foot shed in the back yard.

And really—just because we now weave in the 9’ x 9’ bedroom of my new house—⁴

—are covered with tape and wrinkles—

—and Beryl is the dog who sets the tone—

—there is no reason we shouldn’t still know how to dress ourselves up —

—and build an island of focused serenity—⁵

—wherever we are.⁶

Thanks my friends—

—for leading the way.

1. experimental settling — you know—that process of trying out every technique you’ve ever explored to see how (or if), each will feel in this new place and time.

2. One of the main reasons I developed (unvented) this strap-tension PVC version of Archie Brennan’s copper pipe loom was because for a while I thought I needed to make a loom for every workshop participant in every workshop and needed to be able to lift (or at least drag) the enormous duffle bag of loom parts to and from various airports.

Later I got a little smarter and had people make/bring their own—or at least arrive with a length of pipe we could cut into sections on the spot.

I also used a variation on this loom that includes a shedding device in my long-out-of-print book Kids Weaving (I used a library link because I LOVE libraries and would urge you to check yours for the book—if you’re interested. Of course there are also copies floating around the used book world and if you’d prefer to own one, google will be happy to point you in the most popular directions.

3. Note that though the PVC loom is in the original drawing on the left, the final cartoon (and the tapestry itself: Sunlight On The floor), feature a version of Archie Brennan’s galvanized pipe loom. This is in part because though I initially drew what I was using then I wove the finished tapestry on a galvanized loom, and in part perhaps because, despite my passion for the PVC I’m always a little embarrassed by it because…you know…plastic. Happily this apparently wasn’t a problem for me in the second tapestry show : Who is in Charge? and for that I’m grateful. I love this loom and don’t want to hurt ki’s feelings.

4. And of course I often wove on the PVC loom in the the spacious purpose-built studio I had for the 20 + years in between, a studio that is now (or so I like to imagine), inspiring the new owners of my old house to all kinds of creative heights.

5. In case you’re curious, this glowing white weft is hand spun banana fiber

Which reminds me that though banana fiber is definitely not in my local fibershed (though maybe it is in yours), I just downloaded a copy of a fabulous looking free zine that Fibershed the organization has put together, and wanted to share the link in case you’re interested too:

— This free resource features insights from industry leaders who are actively reshaping the future of textiles, including:

• Rebecca Burgess (Fibershed) – Cultivating sustainability and cultural reverence in the textile industry

• George Harding-Rolls (Action Speaks Louder) – Addressing greenwashing and driving systemic change

• Charity May (Sacred Futures) – Investing in regenerative fiber systems

• Laura Sansone (New York Textile Lab) – Designing for connection and bioregional systems

• Tameka Peoples (Seed2Shirt) – Transforming apparel through sustainability and equity

• Natalie Chanin (Alabama Chanin) – Celebrating cultural heritage through sustainable textiles

6. holm —the definition in the title is from my dictionary, though apparently the “island in a river” part is archaic and these days the word more often refers to a marsh, mire, bog, quag etc (a couple of which I’ve woven for the 99 noun project).