Someone asked me recently how long one should give credit for learning something. I very flippantly said “forever”.
Judith MacKenzie talks about present day weavers standing on the shoulders of giants. The creation of textiles has been happening for 30,000 plus years. Can anyone nowadays truly say they have dreamt up something that no one else has dreamt of in all that time? Perhaps. Certainly technology has changed, but the knowledge of how threads act and interact? Weave structures? Colour combinations?
Giving credit where credit is due is a sort of geneology of how the skein of knowledge has passed through your hands. It is also a way to honour those who have come before, a tip of the hat to those people who shared their knowledge with you. A way to remember those people who gave you illumination on your path through this varied and complex craft – and life.
Some of my mentors taught me about weaving. Some of them taught me about life. Some taught me about both. Remembering them reminds me of the gift I received from them and acknowledges their role in getting me to where I am today.
The list of people who have taught and/or mentored me is too long to list here and now. But I do remember. And I am very, very grateful to you all.