I'm no stranger to 'reply guys' trying to 'teach' me things. Mostly I ignore them. Mostly.
Recently one replied to a short answer I wrote in an online group to 'teach' me because my answer 'wasn't entirely correct'. Of course it wasn't. It was a very brief response to a specific question - a question that would require a chapter in a book (perhaps - ahem - above) to fully address, with all the 'it depends' factors. He implied that I was ignorant - or purposefully obfuscating.
It was obvious he had little to no idea of my background in educating new weavers, or the leeway I allow for personalized solutions based on the weaver running the experiments, weaving the samples, figuring out what the hard and fast facts are, and which rules can be mangled to create something specific. So, no, I didn't cover all that in a short paragraph. No, my answer wasn't 'complete'. But my goal was not to be complete, because I tried to come close(r) to complete in The Intentional Weaver. If he had read it, he may have been able to see more of my very targeted message to a new weaver, struggling with a very specific issue.
Because until the weaver has laid down a solid foundation of knowledge, it is hard to begin to understand the underpinning mechanics and physics of the craft, and then tweak what you do, and how you do it. Until that understanding is solid, the new weaver stands on a shaky foundation.
But I took some time to reflect on my career. I thought about my approach, how I talk to very new weavers, trying to work out what their current issue is, give them enough information to move forward, to grow their knowledge base, learn for themselves the dynamics at play. This cannot (imho) be whiffed away because I am not 'completely correct' about the craft as a universe, I am merely trying to bring each individual forward by one more step on their quest to learn.
As for 'breaking' or 'bending' the rules, I am constantly pushing, tweaking, tugging here, there, finding out where those actual boundaries are. Of *course* my answer was incomplete. New weavers cannot be confused by all the variables or they (most of them) collapse in confusion. It is too frustrating. Too difficult. You don't talk to a 5 year old (usually) about calculus! Or if you do, you use appropriate language.
So, I stand by my brief answers on chat groups. That doesn't make me 'wrong'. It makes me a thoughtful, considerate teacher, trying to answer the explicit question.
I told the reply guy that I prefer to teach 'best practices', but he took exception to that, too.
It was just another reply guy in my 50 year journey of exploring the pathways and boundaries of this craft.
I will never forget the day when I answered a question on a chat group, from someone who wanted to set up his AVL in a very specific way. Since I used my AVL* in specifically that way, I decided to answer, because all the replies had - to that point - told him he would 'ruin' his loom abusing it that way. I probably should have answered privately, but I was on a quick break from the loom and needed to get back to it because I had a deadline - and weaving was how I earned my income.
So I quickly explained what I did, and went back to the loom.
A while later I came back to see if the OP had any further questions, and was met with a dog pile of several 'reply guys' all calling me ignorant, that I was abusing my loom, I was going to destroy it, and I needed, post haste, to hie myself to Chico and take classes so I was using the loom 'properly'.
Since I had been using the loom in precisely that way for literally 20 years, and no sign of damaging it, I closed the desktop and went back - to abuse my AVL some more.
When I went back later, Allen Fannin had responded to the reply guys saying (I paraphrase) that we (Allen and me) had agreed to disagree on a number of things, but when I said something people need to pay attention because I knew what I was talking about.
I was stunned at the public support from someone as knowledgeable as Allen Fannin (who had very firm opinions) and I have never forgotten the vote of confidence from him. (Yes, we agreed to disagree about a number of things - but I respected where he was coming from and the knowledge his opinions were based upon - but change one thing and everything can change...)
So, while I have never articulated this before, here is where I stand - I have learned a great deal about this craft. I have learned (generally speaking) how most people learn. I have learned that you don't do an info dump about all the levels of complexity onto a brand new weaver. I try to build their foundation of knowledge by adding the complexity in stages and letting them fit that information into their foundation of knowledge when it begins to make sense.
And I am not afraid to bend and mangle the 'rules' when I need to do so to create something specific. But I will continue to try to teach 'best practices' and *then* remind them that when one thing changes, everything can change, and try. Weave the samples. Examine them. Learn from them. Do what you need to do. FAFO, as they say. But don't just throw out the 'rule book' without considering *why* there is a 'rule book'.
Learn as much as you can about your materials, and your equipment. I have made many modifications to my equipment over the years. When people recoil in horror, I reassure them that I understand the basic principles of the mechanics involved, the physics, and have an in-house woodworker who *also* understands mechanics and physics and has the workshop to do quite extensive modifications if we both agree that is the best thing to do.
So no, my 100 word (at best) answer to a question on a chat group was not meant to cover the entirety of the possibilities that were available, but to give a new weaver having problems an answer. An answer that they could grow their foundation of knowledge further and more usefully with. Set down some 'boundaries' - for the now moment.
My knowledge is far greater than I generally share with new weavers. It is too overwhelming. Too confusing. But I'm delighted when I find someone who wants to go forth to discover those complexities and we can talk subtleties.
It depends on which 'hat' I am wearing in the moment.
For anyone at all who wants to know more, you are welcome to this blog, or my social media. You are welcome to email me with specific questions. laura at laurafry dot com
My books are still available at blurb.
My classes are still available at:
Long Thread Media (classes and articles in back issues of Handwoven)
And if you *want* more subtlety, more in-depth knowledge: WEFT Magazine
Now that I'm 'retired' (and dealing with health issues making life...challenging) I am finding solace and, indeed, therapy, by continuing to weave. Continuing to ask why. Continuing my personal journey of learning and exploration. WEFT seems interested in what I look at, and my journey of learning while I do. And they don't insist I have definitive answers but accept that it is huge, this craft. And it may take more than just one person poking at it to bring more information forward for all of us to benefit from.
(now descending from the current soapbox...there's a loom that wants setting up...)
*Jon Violette told me just before he left AVL for other pursuits that Doug and I had essentially beta-tested the AVL Production Loom - me by using it *as* a production loom, and Doug by making changes TO the loom to make it work better.
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