Book: The World of Vibeke Klint

By the loom with Vibeke Klint

A first-hand account by weaver and author of the book, The World of Vibeke Klint, Gitte-Annette Knudsen

For the last five years of Vibeke Klint's active career, my colleague Lis and I wove for her on several major assignments. We stood on the four-metre-wide loom at the Gammel Dok Workshops in Copenhagen and wove one large rug after another, both for churches and for private customers. 

My fingers still remember how every single shoot was laid in the loom. They also clearly remember the different yarns she consistently used – Norwegian  wool, English wool, mohair, horse and goat hair, and how they felt and acted when we wove the beautiful, simple rugs. Vibber, as we called her, understood the art of mastering her instruments, and it was our responsibility to transfer the instruments to the finished rug;

While Lis and I wove, Vibber made colour samples for herself and weaving samples for us on the loom, or she hung casually over the loom and chatted with us, while she watched with her keen gaze our work to reshape her sketch and outline to the woven rug. If we tried to encourage her to weave, she would not. It had been many years since she had wove herself, and had no routine in weaving anymore, she said.

Vibber gave us quite a free hand, she had complete confidence that we could handle various major tasks technically. We consumed quantities of black tea and Marabou chocolate with coconut during that period. 

Every so often she sat down and discussed with us whether the colors she had decided on and painted in her water colours, were also right when they were translated into yarns on a loom. Every time we finished a rug, she helped cut it off the loom, roll it out onto the floor, then climb a high ladder so she could evaluate the great work from above. Fortunately, she was often satisfied, but she was also always well prepared before we started. 

Vibbers' physical form was still impressive. Once we met at the parking lot outside the National Art Workshops and had to climb the stairs to the third floor, Lis and I - several years younger - were necking afterwards. Her physique was also intact when she helped carry around the huge woven rugs.

When we finished a large altar rug for Hornslet Church, we rolled out the finished textile on the floor. And when Vibber could see that all the different orange colors in the rug had come out succesfully, she was relieved and happy. The finished altar rug was sent to Hornslet Church by a freight truck, and equipped with tea, packed lunches and Marabou chocolate, Vibber, Lis and I followed an early morning after on the train. In Hornslet Church we worked most of the day to roll out the freshly woven rug. We spent time going through the details - and enjoyed it all the three of us. The day ended with coffee and cake in the church, and together we took the evening train back to Copenhagen. It was a lovely end to our last work for Vibeke Klint, and it was her last big rug before her workshop closed shortly after.

For me, it was inspiring and instructive to be part of Vibeke Klint's major tasks, and it was great to get to know her, both as a person and as a colleague in an intense collaboration over several years, where many subjects were discussed and, not least ,

we laughed a lot.

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