What IS a Terra Loom?

That's easy. Terra is the Latin word, terra, earth. Today people are talking alot about "terroir", or the taste of place, usually associated with wine. What it boils down to is that what grows in the soil in a particular place has characteristic qualities. To get back to terra looms, these looms are made from wood generally gathered in Brownington, Vermont or the nearby area. The soils here do vary, of course. Our idea is that our looms come from wood left behind by beavers, storms, and rivers. The wood is often collected just as it was found on the earth or taken from the earth in a responsible way, and peeled, sanded or left natural. Then this wood becomes a loom. The orginal intent was for people to use the looms while sitting or standing on the ground, looking out over a garden view and or any other landscape. We have found that people also want to feel closer to nature by using the loom indoors. This, too, is a wonderful idea. One loom, the poplar beaver-chewed one, recently sold still giving off the fragrance of the wood. The buyer's little dorm room will have an interesting aroma for awhile. At the Champlain Valley Expo this past weekend, kids were weaving for two days on the looms we made. The public really enjoyed seeing such a loom for the first time, and I do believe that as a result, there will soon be a few first time weavers  as well.