Remembering Peter Collingwood

When I first became interested in tablet weaving, someone handed me a copy of a book that had somehow come into her possession. It wasn’t even a copy of an original but a copy of a copy of a copy of the first edition of “The Techniques of Tablet Weaving.” The black-and-white photographs and many of the diagrams were almost illegible, but at that moment, the text alone was more than enough. I started reading, and very quickly, I had to put the book aside, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. I read it, delved into it, and then found myself overwhelmed again and unable to touch the book for a while.

When the opportunity arose to order a more recent edition of the book, I didn’t hesitate for a second. By that time, I had long given away the old copy, so I reread the book almost like something entirely new. However, my perspective was entirely new too, as my weaving experience had significantly grown, allowing me to absorb the book’s content more deeply.

At some point, I became part of the TWIST community, and much to my surprise, it turned out that Peter was an active member of this forum, readily answering questions about his publications as well as weaving and braiding techniques in general. Moreover, he always made an effort to support those starting their own research in the field, and passionately sought out new information.

Unfortunately, my humble desire to contact Peter directly never resulted in a concrete plan. But I feel a certain pride in the fact that he repeatedly mentioned ещ people from Estonia who ordered books from him that he had read my “very educating” article about local woven belts.

Peter’s biography can be found on his website (as of spring 2022, this page no longer exists). Let’s hope that his son will continue the legacy.

A page dedicated to memories of Peter can be found here: Remembering Peter Collingwood (1922-2008).

The master left us exactly two months ago, on October 9th.