Profile: Dot Fowke

This winter seems to be the season for looms to be brought out of storage and resurrected. Dot Fowke was valiantly trying to tie up a countermarch loom for a friend of a friend. As she hadn't met either the F of F or a countermarch loom before, Joan and I called for a visit to lend a hand. I let them do the crawling around the floor bit while I took photos. That's Dot's back view in the top photo, and Joan looking as though she really knows what she's doing. Between us we had some success and were rewarded with a cuppa, drinking in Dot's view at the same time (bottom photo), and admiring her working space and marvelling over her loom (centre right photo). It is a unique model, surely one of a kind, made by someone with serious engineering design skills. It can be easily "unlocked" and folded up to be moved. Having been bought at auction it has come without stories - what a shame - I'm sure it could tell a few.

Dot lives at Rarangi in a two-storey house with windows looking out over most of Marlborough. She has a sea view out over Cloudy Bay, the Vernon Bluffs and the Wairau Bar, and also looks south to where Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku can be seen peeking over the Wither Hills (centre
photo). A very quiet member of the group, Dot's weaving is restricted to the days she is unable to get out into her extensive garden. She has recently completed an Agribusiness course in commercial horticulture and has a certificate to show for it - and another on in plant propagation.
She has propagated about 90% of the plants in her garden - and it's Large! and it's Full! She weaves for family who appreciate her blankets and throws.

by Rose Pelvin

Profile: Peg Moorhouse

Peg Moorhouse is as sprightly as ever, still weaving and still having bright ideas of what to weave next. She loves colours and textures - and she loves life! No wonder with the stunning view she has to inspire her.

Peg is a week away from her 92nd birthday but undaunted by new technology has just bought herself a digital camera, so look for photos from her soon.

Peg's work on this blog can been seen here; her website is here.

by Rose Pelvin

Profile: Win Currie

Win is one of the founder members of the Marlborough Guild and Marlborough Tapestry Weavers.

Though active in the Tapestry group, Win is best known for her apparently open-weave scarves in fine merino, alpaca and silk. Featherlight, soft and tearfully elegant, her pieces appear loosely woven, but they are designed intelligently and finished heartily. She also weaves smaller casual, unisex scarves.

Some of Win's work can be seen here and here.

by Meg Nakagawa

Profile: Rose Pelvin

Rose Pelvin is one of the founding members of Marlborough Weavers; she is an enthusiastic and tireless mentor to many and a prolific weaver herself. Rose is a Kiwi, but she didn't grow up on a sheep farm, and having tried lots of other crafts, she thought she would try weaving in the late 1960's; Rose completed the then-Nelson Polytechnic Weaving School program in 1976 and has never looked back.

Rose likes to let yarns speak for themselves; she says often they tell her what they want to become and she is the agent to make it possible. Rose loves linen, and if she could, she would weave only table linens and fine fabrics.

Rose's work can be seen here, here, here, here, and here.

by Meg Nakagawa

Profile: June McKenzie

June has been weaving for more than thirty years. She lives in Blenheim but spends as many weekends as possible in the Marlborough Sounds where she and Dougal have a beach house and June has a second loom. She enjoys the bird and plant life which she finds inspirational. June is not competitive, just weaves for the love of weaving – usually fine fabrics and household items.

June's work can been seen here.

by Rose Pelvin