Handing on Tradition

At the Scandinavian Weavers recent holiday gathering, our host Nancy Ebner shared a wonderful children’s book called Woven of the World, written by Katey Howes and illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova. The author and artist spent years researching the technical, cultural, and relational aspects of weaving in order to portray them with accuracy and sensitivity. In the book, a young weaver learns from her elder as the loom sings of fabric, friendship, and families.

One page in particular made some of us stoic Midwesterners a little misty-eyed…

All of us are drawn to the artistry of Scandinavian weaving, both in its home countries and wherever it has traveled around the globe. Some fell in love with weaving on first sight while others inherited weaving as a family legacy.

Veronna Capone is one such lucky weaver. Her Swedish maternal grandmother brought her weaving skills to South Dakota, where her brother built her a rug loom with hand-cut mortise and tenon joints and metal rockers for the beater. She wove rag rugs to help support her family and was such a prolific weaver that she wore those metal rockers down to slivers. (The loom is now in the permanent collection of a university museum but is rarely put on display because it is so large and heavy it requires four strong people to carry it.) Veronna’s family on her Norwegian father’s side also wove rag rugs but twined them on a frame loom instead of using a floor loom. Veronna says that these rugs, woven from literal rags, were “hard-use back-door rugs!”

For her part, Veronna loves the challenge of learning weaving techniques: “I have gone to many classes, workshops near and distant, textile tours, [conferences], and was amazed at the technical skills, and problem solving shown by weavers. I’ve been lucky to have classes with great instructors back east and out here [in South Dakota]. Learning different structures that can be used for other designs has been helpful. Scandinavian weaves are fascinating. As with all simple things it can become very complicated. This has been going on for 40+ years and I still have lots to learn.”

“Early last spring I started to feel it was time to part with my Glimakra loom,” Veronna writes. “And within a week or two I saw the note from Nancy Ebner that she was looking for one to buy.” Several Scan Weavers gathered to install the loom in its new home.

Like a giant Tinker Toy set, Veronna’s Glimakra arrives in its new home, carefully wrapped in an old quilt.

Nancy and Judy consult the diagram.

Veronna approves of the sunny space!

A handy frameworks holds the lamms in place for tie-up.

Tying up the lamms.

Handing on the hammer!

The loom in its new home!

By sharing our love and knowledge of weaving, Scandinaivan Weavers are part of a global community that spans generations, In the coming weeks, look for updates on our latest group projects, exhibits, collaborations, and resources. Happy New Year and Happy Weaving!

When we’re not weaving, we’re talking about weaving.