Jim Hokett’s business was called Hokett Would Work. He was a woodworker and his little pun was quite a joke actually because I have met few people who worked harder than he did. For many years after finding his beautiful looms at a conference booth, I purchased his looms and tools. He did eventually retire several years ago and the tapestry weaving world has missed him ever since.
Jim passed away suddenly on March 6th. I wanted to post some of his work here as a remembrance. I hope you’ll tell me your memories of using his tools or maybe interacting with him in the comments.
I first found Jim when teaching at a conference somewhere probably over a decade ago. He used to haul his stock in a big trailer and set up a booth and if you ever saw one of his booths, you’ll remember how impressive it was. He had stacks and bins of all his tools. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. Everything wood, everything handmade and so beautiful.
A tiny Hokett loom that I take backpacking with me.
He stopped traveling to conferences not long after but he still sold his looms and tools to shops and to me for my retreats and students. I once had the opportunity to see his workshop in New Mexico as well as his wife Cat Brysch’s weaving studio. He was a skilled woodworker and he loved to use a wide variety of woods he sourced from all over the world. His tools are special because he cared about making something both useful and beautiful. His wife Cat was a production weaver with a studio full of floor looms and he made many tools for her from shuttles to benches.
Jim sold me hundreds of looms over the last decade which I sold to students and used in my teaching. Some have inlaid turquoise, some are sizes or setts I asked him to make for me, some are his standard 6 or 8 dent looms in generally 3 sizes. I love his shed sticks still and have only found one other shed stick I like as much as Jim’s.
Jim made lots of other things besides tapestry weaving tools. He made all sorts of shuttles and weaving benches as well as beautiful boxes to hold any number of things. He once made me a huge metal spider (which I hope was intended for my garden) after I commented on the spider-heavy decorations in his and Cat’s yard. He made a metal gate for their house that looked like spider webs because Cat was a weaver.
The last time I heard from Jim was last fall and he sounded very happy. His dear wife Cat died after a very long and difficult illness and Jim had reconnected with an old friend and fallen in love again. They were married 6 months before he died and I am happy to know he enjoyed those last months. His wife Paulette has shared that he passed March 6th after a bad fall which resulted in a severe head injury.
I will miss Jim. I will miss his blog posts and his love of fixing his old truck and taking joy rides around New Mexico. I will miss his creativity and his masterful wood creations. I’m sorry you’re gone Jim but I’m glad you were happy again.
Backpacking with a tiny Hokett loom in Colorado.
Below are some photos I found of Jim’s looms and tools. Additionally I have some of his beautiful boxes and a hilarious metal spider he made for my garden. Click the photos to enlarge, hover for captions, arrows to scroll (on a computer).
Jim Hokett and I at his workshop in New Mexico in 2016.