Hand Weaving and Other Crafts

This section, needless to say, is worthy of multiple books in its own right. Many of these activities are viewed as 'hobbies', entertainment, or a source of small income at fairs. But the entire genre is worthy of learning and practice to keep the arts alive, enriching the spirit and enabling the hands of the crafter to bring lasting beauty, goodness and warmth to home and hearth. 
Weaving
      I first saw hand weaving in 1979; a friend of mine was a weaver. We went together to her mother's hand weaving studio, where I was captivated by the flow of pattern and performance. My hands itched for the shuttle as if it was part of me. I was very fortunate; that winter, my friend was willing to teach me to weave. I was off and running.
   I started with no weaving supplies, so my first piece was fashioned from jute (for plant hangers)- was not a thing of beauty- and became a bed liner for my current dog. I then invested in 'knit-cro-sheen' (an inexpensive pearl cotton), made a warp, and threaded a loom to 'Gothic Cross'. My next pieces were placemats, napkins, and scarves.
   To me, they were like little jewels- like nothing I'd ever handled before (in this life)- having a simple honesty and warmth in their drape and feel to the hand.
   Three years after that, my son was born and I bought my first loom from Harrisville Designs- an 8 harness kit loom. The construction process itself wove through the days of my son's infancy, moving from breastfeeding to reading the instructions (really!), wiping down each piece of wood with a soft oil finish and setting up the loom in the sunlight of the south-facing windows. Those were good days.
   Meeting other hand weavers in West Virginia- seeing for the first time a blanket with a large scale Colonial era overshot pattern, and knowing that someday I would weave one like it- was like coming home, feeding a thirst in me that I hadn't previously realized was there.
   It's now 33 years later- December of 2012- I have 8 looms (just about 'a loom in every room') , grandchildren, a website, and (of course) the desire to pass on the art. I remember my friend's then-husband laughing at me when I first learned to weave. His words were 'weaving is a sickness'. We should all be so fortunate to be bitten by this bug..

Other articles of clothing
http://birchmoonherbals.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/learning-to-make-handmade-shoes/