A long time ago in a place far away or about thirty-five years ago in Frankfurt, Germany, Caroline Engelhardt made a Christmas ornament from yogurt containers – this is it. Or rather, was, as she felt it was time to part with this relic and forget whatever future nostalgia might be offered in maintaining possession of her handy craft, it went unceremoniously into the trash. This will stand as the only reminder that the tiny hands of a seven-year-old girl who became my wife made this little Nikolaus which we know as Santa Claus.

Some months ago a very kind woman near Prescott, Arizona delivered and gave Caroline this quite old counterbalance loom for free. When it arrived no one was sure if it was complete or still worked as the woman delivering it was getting rid of it for someone else who had inherited it. The complexity or I should say, the unknowns regarding this type of loom was initially daunting for my wife. But she persisted and through some trial and error and the help via websites, YouTube videos, and the email correspondence from Bernie Goodrich, Caroline was getting closer and closer to seeing this loom make fabric once again. Seen here, Caroline has warped the loom, also known as dressing the loom, and is nearer to throwing the shuttle through the shed to make her first weave.