Warp, Weft, What??

Needle-craft was my worst subject in school. I don't sew, I don't knit, and I certainly don't weave. A seasoned homeschool mom who makes her own clothes and rugs and curtains has kindly spent an afternoon to enlighten us. She taught the kids to use the spinning wheel; she demonstrated how to work the loom; she quizzed us on the different possible materials for yarn: wool from animals, cotton, flax, and hemp from plants. And then there're all these foreign terms like warp, weft, flying shuttle, reed, spindles, bobbins...

Thankfully Serena & I were not completely ignorant on the subject. "The Story Book of Science" by Jean-Henri Fabre sits at our breakfast table and we enjoy reading a chapter here & there. Coincidentally the last few chapters we read were "The Fleece", "Flax and Hemp", and "Cotton" - I couldn't have timed it better. It's always exciting to be able to see the words we read in books come alive!