Louise Cook is currently the Authorised Registered Saori distributor for New Zealand. Her aim is to introduce people to the art of Saori free-style weaving and encourage this ancient skill of weaving threads to continue to grow for generations to come.
After 40 years, Louise is now a retired English Language teacher, living in Hamilton quite close to the town centre and the Waikato River which has some great walking paths, very handy for her. She feels very blessed that her family is close by, so she can visit three children, their partners and the seven grandchildren ranging in age from 14 years to 6 months. Louise gets to baby sit, take kids to sport, art classes, do school pick ups and take nana camps quite regularly.
Quite a few years ago Louise started to consider her future years including retirement. Teaching was an activity she really enjoyed, travel was a must and then she discovered weaving, Saori weaving to be exact. So now in her retirement she can easily combine the three loves of her life.
Louise first attended a Saori freestyle hand weaving workshop in 2011 and was so impressed with the freedom it gave her, she decided to go to Saori HQ in Osaka, Japan. In 2012, she spent 10 days learning as much as possible and achieving certificates in the three weaving examinations they offered. At the end of herstay, the Saori family-run global business offered Louise the dealership for New Zealand, listing her on their global website. http://saoriglobal.com/registered-saori-weaving-studio-directory/
Louise has found the Japanese Saori freestyle weaving method to be very calming and beneficial to a weavers emotional, mental and physical state. Saori freestyle weaving is a style of fibre art whereby each weaver makes cloth from their heart.
No counting, no matching, no rules, no mistakes! If a “mistake” is made it becomes “beauty with lack of intension”.
When Louise weaves, she is not consciously following another person’s pattern rather, she is making decisions about colour and texture as I she crosses the weft through the warp.
Louise rarely weaves with an end purpose in mind but to enjoy the journey of freely making beautiful cloth working totally “in the moment”.
Saori freestyle hand weaving is therapeutic, calming, easy to learn and the weaver is in control of creating their own piece of cloth at their own speed when and where they want. The design of Saori looms and weaving accessories are top class and have developed over the years with the comfort of the weaver as a priority.
Every length of Saori cloth you weave is unique and is the result of your own creativity. It’s fun!
Louise Cook
fb: Weaveyourself Saori weaving
Instagram: weaveyourself
[…] Louise Cook – Saori Weaver. […]