Rio Grande Walking Loom
Quite a few years back, Peggy and I were in Taos, New Mexico and stopped by the wonderful Weaving Southwest ( https://www.weavingsouthwest.com ). It is an amazing yarn store and they teach a huge range of classes in knitting, spinning, weaving and using natural dyes. In addition, they sold Rio Grande spinning wheels and Rio Grande walking looms. I was immediately smitten.
Sometime later, I bought a Rio Grande spinning wheel from a lovely lady in the Dallas area. I used the wheel off and on for a few years and sold it to someone else who loved the style and grace of the wheel. I had discovered that spinning off the point wasn't my favorite and the wheel is large. Not as large as a walking wheel, also called a wool wheel, that requires you to walk back and forth as you spin and wind on, but large nonetheless.
I had wanted to try out a Rio Grande walking loom but didn't have the chance when we were in Taos. It is designed to be used while you are standing. You walk back and forth between long treadles as you weave. I have recently found one of these unique looms for sale near here. I went up last week to take a look. Our friend, Bobbie Nash, has this loom for sale in LaGrange, TX. It's a large loom with a footprint of 5' by 7' and it stands tall.
This is the perfect loom for rugs but you could weave pretty much anything on it. This one is 48" in weaving width and has four harnesses so plain weave and twill patterns would be perfect. If I could shoehorn this baby into my studio, it would be mine. Unfortunately, I would have to rid myself of several things I'm not willing to part with in order to make it fit.
If you have the room and are interested in this style of weaving, you should give Bobbie a call. Her number is 979-208-8344. She would like this loom to go to a good home. If you are in Taos, take the short drive 9 miles north to Arroyo Seco, NM which is the new location of Weaving Southwest. They would love to see you and you will be impressed with what they have for sale.