From the Dust Jacket

April 18, 2010

If you read the March/April 2010 edition of Handwoven, you may have noticed the wonderful tribute to Russell Groff (1924-2010) on Page 8. The first paragraph reads as follows:

“For decades, Russell Groff has been a quiet force in the weaving world. From the time he was taught weaving by Army occupational therapists after suffering rheumatic fever during service in WW II, Russ was a tireless proponent of the craft. Fresh out of college, he “scrounged up” fifteen looms and started a weaving program in Santa Barbara, California, that has more than doubled in the ensuing years, and he established a commercial weaving business selling handwoven garments to retailers such as I. Magnin.”

The article goes on to discuss his business, Robin and Russ Handweavers, indicating that, in addition to providing weaving materials and tools from around the world, he published newsletters and books written either by himself or others. The article ends by saying that Mr. Groff admired people who had knowledge and were willing to share, and that many a weaver today has reason to thank him for those same gifts.

The NOBO library contains two books published by Robin and Russ Handweavers: “Card Weaving or Tablet Weaving” by Russell E. Groff and “1000+ Patterns in 4, 6, and 8 Harness Shadow Weaves” by Marian Powell. I’ll bring them with me to the meeting this week.