That cyclical trend, when interest in weaving takes
hold for some time and then slows down, is par for the
course, Barry says. For his part, Schacht has always
focused on creativity in product design and improve-
ment, marketing the company’s products, and estab-
lishing solid relationships with dealers.
One major shift has been the rise of the rigid-heddle
loom, which began in the 1980s but popped up
everywhere after 2010. “The rigid heddle was really
Jane’s push,” Barry says. When Jane was editor, Hand-
woven frequently offered rigid-heddle projects that
positioned it as a legitimate weaving tool. Because the
rigid-heddle loom was less expensive and easier to
learn, it offered weavers another entry point and gave
knitting shops a new way to market their yarn. And so
began the transition from “starter loom” to a loom that
lasts a lifetime.
And that’s another example of Jane’s weaving savvy and
Barry’s mechanical curiosity working together. “You had
to get into plastic
injection molded
parts,” Barry says
explaining, “Wood
was abrasive to yarn.”
A number of Schacht
components, includ-
ing rigid-heddle
pieces, storage
bobbins, and even
drive wheels for some
of their spinning
wheels, rely on
custom-molded
plastic parts produced
in the United States.
“Th ere really is
something in how things evolve. We’ve always done that
little extra to make them user-friendly, feature-ful,”
Barry says. Th e company’s emphasis has been on change
and improvement that refl ects the needs of the weaver.
“It’s not hyper-intentional,” he adds. “[It’s] very intuitive.
Trends have just appeared.” Th e company has added new
products thoughtfully. Today’s Baby Wolf includes
innovations that weren’t available when the loom was
introduced in 1982, but the original loom is still sup-
ported. (You can’t say that about your Commodore 64
computer, which was fi rst sold the same year.)
“As always, Schacht is evolving,” refl ects Barry. “Retail
is changing, there are many more ways to learn to weave
or spin, and trends, like the current wall hanging craze,
EVOLUTION IN PRINT
In the late 1970s, Barry Schacht, Linda Ligon, and
Halcyon Blake of Halcyon Yarn (then located in
Colorado) were discussing the state of the weaving
community. Linda’s Interweave magazine had recently
spun off Spin Off, and the three were discussing what
direction Interweave would take. There was
controversy around the idea of offering projects in a
weaving magazine. Weavers are independent
thinkers, and many pride themselves in designing a
project from start to finish.Still, Barry thought, offering patterns and projects
would help weavers build their skills, inspiring them to
further creativity. At a time when many weavers were
also joining the workforce, offering some basic info
such as sett and yarn choice could help a weaver get
started more quickly and offer inspiration. Within a
year, Handwoven experienced tremendous growth.Left to right: Michael Yaeger, Schacht’s CEO; Barry; and Matt Webber,
industrial designer, discuss a new product design.always infl uence the direction of product development.
It keeps things interesting,”
For the moment, Jane is focused on planning Schacht’s
Fab 50 Celebration, which will be held September 20,
2019, at the Schacht Spindle factory in Boulder, Colo-
rado. “It’s going to be a grand celebration of the commu-
nity of weavers and spinners we are so proud to be a part
of,” she says. “We will honor some important people
who have made signifi cant contributions to the fi eld
over the past 50 years. It’s going to be a blast.”For more information on Schacht’s 50th anniversary
celebration, visit http://www.schachtspindle.com.Barry’s first loom (can you believe it?).
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 HANDWOVEN | 11