Roberta McKinney talks about her studio.

Roberta McKinney talks about her studio.

June 22, 2021

© Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners

Shaelagh Cull

Roberta McKinney

Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning

Weaving has been one of the later things, but I've been sewing and knitting and doing all kinds of other things for most of my life. Weaving is something that's always fascinated me and that's the thing I'm really concentrating on now, so that's been a really important part of my life for 30, 40 years. We lived on a farm in an earlier life, and we raised sheep. And sheep to me meant spinning and wool, so I went to a lady who taught me how to spin. She also taught weaving. And while I was sitting there spinning this woolen thread, I was watching the people weaving and that's what I want to be doing. So at the end of my week of spinning, I bought a weaving loom. And that was kind of the beginning. But it was spinning, and sheep that got me into weaving. Yep. And I've just stayed there. I live just outside Chaffey's Lock, which is about an hour north of here and when we moved there, we had a piece of property and my husband decided he needed to make sure I would stay there so he built me a studio. He didn't need to but it's been wonderful because I have all my equipment in one place now. And there are several ladies that meet together there every week and they have their own projects and it's just been a wonderful social opportunity, especially during COVID. Some of them backed out, but some of them continue to come. And that's really been my bubble. Shortly after I moved here, we moved to your right at the end of 1992, early 93 and that's when a couple of the neighbors said 'Oh, you've got a spare loom. Can you teach me how to weave?' I said, 'Sure. Come on in.' And then Alec built the studio for me and then I had I had space, I could bring people in. I had a supply of yarns and they learned to weave. Well, they kept coming. And then they got looms of their own. So they had a loom in their own home and they were working in my studio with me. Well, part of that is a social thing. Part of it is being inspired by other people that are up there working as well. So that kept going and as more people learned, I would teach them they came. I have 10 looms in my studio and if everybody is coming that should be coming, COVID sort of put a halt to some of that, I have 10 weavers up there including myself. So I am at full capacity. I like to think of it as a hobby that just exploded.