About the Author

Peter Collingwood (1922-2008) began his career as a doctor, eventually working for the Red Cross in Jordan before returning to Britain to pursue his passion for weaving. After studying in the workshops of Ethel Mairet, Barbara Sawyer, and Alastair Morton he set up a workshop in London in 1952, eventually moving to Nayland, Suffolk, where he spent the majority of his working life. Collingwood was known for being highly inventive in developing new techniques which broadened the design possibilities and increased efficiencies-a key factor in allowing weavers to make a living at their craft. He wrote five highly influential books of which the first, Techniques of Rug Weaving (1968), is probably the best known. In 1974 he was awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire.