A wall of colorful yarn to choose from – what more does your textile heart desire.

The wall is in the studio of London Loom in Hackney. Brooke, one of the founders of this lovely workspace – the one from New Zealand -, showed me how to use the floor loom. Colours chosen, hands and feet co-ordinated, I spent two hours weaving and produced an astonishing amount of fabric – see photo below, with Brooke just about to cut it off the loom.

Brooke and Francesca met while teaching hen parties (!) how to weave and embroider and decided that their skills and enthusiasm for craft was wasted on ladies whose main interest on the day was the booze.

They procured four Japanese floor looms, loads of yarn and set up the studio. I would highly recommend a trip to Hackney for a few hours’ weaving. Take a friend, drop into the salad bar opposite and chill in the communal court yard. Nice.

My next workshop with London Loom is an embroidery one – not the vagina mandala one (not ready for that), but a sort of embroidered graffiti event that they are doing together with the Royal Society of Sculptors on 24 May. Freestyle embroidery and drinks – bring it on!