Do People Misunderstand Your Weaving?

Are you a weaver who gets no respect? Are you tired of people misunderstanding your weaving? You aren’t alone. Here are my top 10 reasons for believing the non-weaving world doesn’t get it. I bet there are many more. Send some to me!

1. While I was demonstrating weaving at a county fair, a mother came by with two little kids. I was startled when I heard her tell the kids that I was knitting. I don’t like to correct parents in front of their children, so I bit my lip and tried to gently lead her in the right direction.
   
2. An acquaintance of mine frequently asks me if I was still doing that “knitting thing.” I’ve run out of replies, besides “Yes, I knit, but I self-identify as a weaver.”
   
3. People who use of the word “looming” to refer to weaving. Looming is a word—just not the word the user means.
   
4. Likewise, the use of the word “weaving machine.” It’s a loom! You just don’t “loom” on it. You can loom over it, but that’s a completely different activity.
   
5. People who say weaving looks too complex, too repetitious, too tedious, too whatever, for them to enjoy. (Really? What does that say about me?)
   

6. Organizations that ask me to demonstrate weaving (for free!) and then expect me to wear a colonial costume. I don’t work at Colonial Williamsburg, with a closet full of period clothing. I did have a girl-crush on Laura Ingalls Wilder when I was eleven, but I have a cellphone, drive a car, use a computer, and have never lived without running water.

7. Non-weavers who think using a computer as part of my design process is cheating. Do they think it’s cheating to use a word processor for writing?

8. Friends and family who think the handwoven towel I gave them is too good for them to use. Why would I weave a towel that is too good to use? My response: “Use it or give it back. If it wears out, I’ll weave another.”

9. Non-weavers who believe guilds are part of an antiquated system. Perhaps the system is old, but today’s guilds are one of the best things going. For a minimal fee, guild members get a year’s worth of interesting programs and workshops, community, and fun.

10. People who tell me that they can buy what I make by hand on my loom, from a big box store. I’ve got news for them: they can’t.

Share your experiences of dealing with the non-weaving world. I’d love to hear them! Send them to Handwoven@longthreadmedia.com.

Weave well,
Susan