I’m a self taught weaver and spinner. I can remember feeling so daunted when starting out, and even frustrated when I’d not learnt what I really needed. The spinning wheel and drop spindle experiences are designed to simply provide you with the information I wish somebody had told me right at the beginning – no fairytale needed.
For spinning, after having a few wheels, I’ve finally settled on ‘the one’ – a custom painted Kromski Minstrel (a castle style wheel). My Minstrel had to be painted in the Distaff and Loom green as I just love the all of the different verdant greens on Mull from the mosses and ferns to the beautiful trees and hills. I have also added a distaff to my wheel, naturally! It goes without saying that there are always plenty of drop spindles to hand. I do have a preference for spinning plant based fibres – especially flax. I try to be mindful and purchase protein fibres with animal welfare in mind – but this can be a challenge.
At home I have a 12 shaft modern floor loom, and an antique George Wood 16 shaft dobby loom that I am gradually converting to weave linen on. Over time, I will be growing the weaving side of Distaff and Loom to include handwoven linen items. Historically Scotland boasted a sizeable Linen industry which is forgotten today in favour of tartans and tweeds. In some small way, I would love to raise awareness of the beauty and heritage of our regional fibre – flax.
The Distaff and Loom Ethos
I wanted to create a space where historic creative textile crafts are brought into the contemporary sphere, and valued for their fantastic benefits in the busy modern world. I believe that by preserving and promoting historic craft we can contribute to a sustainable future. With this in mind Distaff and Loom is built around some simple principles:
