Peter Collingwood (1922–2008)

This book once accompanied the BBC Television series (of the same name), produced by Anna Jackson towards the end of the last century (gosh! it sounds odd saying that out loud!)
The book itself however, operates as a stand alone item and covers just about every aspect of weaving from a brief history dating back to the ancient Egyptians to the more sophisticated hand weaving machines used *today (c.1980)
The chapters range from: Fibres and Yarns, Spinning, Dyeing, Frame Looms, Tapestry weaving, show more Looms and equipment, Making a warp and dressing the loom, Weaving on a loom, weave variations, weaving on multiple shafts, Design, Rug weaving, etc. With clear diagrams and colour and black and white photographs throughout.
It is extremely thorough and very comprehensive; and I would have no hesitation in recommending this book as a good staring point for any novice or persons interested in the crafts. show less

Even if you don't imagine yourself weaving rugs, Peter's work is well worth any weaver's time in reading, just for his insights and voice. It's also one of the five weaving books to be stranded on a desert island with.

This is the definitive book on rug weaving, but even if you aren't a rug weaver, you will find an amazing variety of techniques and information in this rather large text. Warp and weft faced fabrics are covered in detail, along with weaving pile and finishing warp ends. The book contains black and white photos to illustrate the various rug weaving techniques and throughout the text, there are numerous drafts and illustrative process drawings. I believe that this book is available for free show more download due to the generosity of its author, but I think owning the book itself makes sense for anyone interested in rug weaving. show less

Not for the beginner. A deeply complex book that covers every possible tablet weaving technique you can think of (with historical examples for many of them).