In my second year of participating in Oxfordshire Artweeks, I’ve been exploring a new technique of rug making, Norwegian Krokbragd, in the tradition of Edith Road Studios. It has been an interesting journey from relatively free style Finnish rag rugs and luxurious rya rugs to a very disciplined, patterned rug making.

My Bradford course didn’t only give me basic tools for weaving but opened my eyes to look around me and get inspiration from a whole host of places and objects. Currently I share a studio with two other weavers where we exchange knowledge and experience.

While I’m still interested in Art Deco, my current project is inspired by a painting by an American artist who lives in Oxford. The large rug will be in dark tones with flashes of brightness and it will be woven in Norwegian Krokbragd.

The current project has involved a lot of pattern testing and experimentation with dyes. The fact that Finnish rag rugs utilise recycled fabrics is ecologically satisfying. The wool for the current project is recycled in the sense that it uses yarn that was no longer needed. The dyes, too, have been recycled. Unfortunately the acid dyes and the dyeing process requiring a heat source is not climate-friendly and I am thinking of ways to improv on this in future.