My Books, My Books, My Books…..I have been researching my options for a new home for my books between settling into my new home, finding new community, rehabbing my frozen shoulder and wrist, which is all stuck up with scar tissue again and, and, and…..!!!. So….I haven’t settled on anything yet…. but am getting close!
If you have no idea of what I am talking about, you may have somehow missed the announcement emails that the folks at Taproot Video, who sell my books, have been sending to their entire customer base these last months telling everyone that the website will be closing on March 31, 2026.
No need to panic if you’re hearing this for the first time.
If you’ve purchased one of my books in PDF form and downloaded it to your device, there’s nothing you need to do. If you haven’t yet downloaded it/them, you need to do so before the website closes. You have until March 31.
If you’ve purchased the PDFs that come with supplemental video clips, you don’t need to do anything either. You will continue to have access to the videos by clicking on the link to the folder of clps that you’ll find in the chapter titled Videos. Access to the clips will continue after the Taproot Video website closes.
There are four titles that come with clips:
- Andean Pebble Weave on Inkle Looms
- Warp-faced Double Weave on Inkle Looms
- The Eye-pattern Tubular Band and Other Decorative Finishing Techniques
- The Eye-pattern Tubular Band of the Peruvian and Boliviain Highlands
ACTION NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING:
If you purchased a printed copy of one of my books that comes with supplementary video clips (‘those listed above), you will need to download the clips to your device before March 31 if you haven’t already done so.
Access to these clips is provided via a link on the Taproot Video website. Naturally, that link will no longer be available to you after the site closes. So, if you haven’t downloaded the clips yet, please go to taprootvideo.com and…..
- Log in.
- Click on the Purchased Items tab.
- Click on the title of book you purchased. That will take you to a page with the link to the folder of videos.
- Clck on the link.
- Download the videos to your device.
These instructions are also outlined in the books themselves in the chapter titled VIDEOS.
There are only two or three titles now at Taproot Video that have remaining copies of the printed books. I won’t be selling printed books again after Taproot Video closes. My books in PDF form will soon be available elsewhere and I’ll let you know as soon as that’s up and running.
In the meantime, yes, I have been weaving! And so, I ‘ll finish this quick post by showing you what I’ve been up to using the handspun wool I purchased from my Bolivian weaving friends in the highlands in January last year. You may remember that we dyed some of it with indigo while I was there. I dyed the rest in Australia last year with local plants. I love that my new community of friends in my transition home up on the mid north coast contributed so much to that project with their contributions of mango leaves, silver dollar eucalyptus leaves, local info on where to find a peppercorn tree, onion skins and rusty nails for my iron water.
This a celebration of connections made in what I’ve left behind and where I now find myself. The images depict the four seasons considering that now that I live in a place that truly experiences all four. We had two at best in my tropical home in Bolivia! I’m going to make this into a bag so I can carry those connected memories with me.
Bye-bye Taproot Video and thank you.. Thank you to all those who have purchased my publications over the years and supported me through following my blog as well as leaving me kind comments and reviews here and on my other social media pages.The blog will continue. I have a lot saved up to post! You’ll be hearing again from me soon.
Laverne, so glad you made this post, as I have been wondering how to download your “Operating A Backstrap Loom” video which stands alone, and not is a part of a book– are there steps to download the video?
The videos that were hosted on the actual Taproot Video website were never downloadable. They were only available for streaming for a limited period selected by the customer or as “lifetime” which refers to the lifetime of the entity. So, sadly, you won’t be able to download that video class.
I chose to host the clips that go with my books elsewhere because I wanted them to be downloadable.
I’m looking at ways to make the Operating a Backstrap Loom video available to those who can provide proof of having purchased the lifetime streaming option but there is only a very slight possibility of making that happen. Another website is interested in taking it on and selling it as a download but I won’t accept their offer unless I can find a smooth way to provide access to past lifetime purchasers. So it’s possible that that video will be gone forever.
Oh, Laverne, it is so good to hear you have been weaving even though you are still going through more therapy! I look forward to more updates.
Even though I have no Andean style weavings in progress, through Andean Textile Arts I now have some exquisite weavings from the Andeas and am making new contacts. Thank you for publishing you your weaving journey, which I started following in 2010. May we meet again!
Best regards in your continuing recovery and journey in the weaving world in Oz!!!
Jim
Hi Jim,
I read your message some time ago and somehow neglected to approve it for publication which then led to my forgetting to reply. Thank you so much for your kind words. I so enjoyed having you in my class in Australia and love how we continue to connect in this way. I love that you have acquired some Andean textiles to coax you back to using your own wonderfully creative skills at the loom.
Sad to see Taproot gone at month end, a sign of the times I guess.
In spite of owning PDF copies of your books I decided I had to have actual hard copies of the ones remaining and gladely made my purchase.
If you ever decide to sell on another platform, I’ll be first in line to purchase the remaining ones for sure.
I’m so grateful for all you’ve given us Laverne, all your postings are invaluable and I really appreciate what you’ve shared over the years.
Best of luck! Hope to get well soon; you impress me that you still weave – you are such a resilient person. Will continue following you. Take care!
Thank you so much. Yes, I can weave but I fear that another surgery might be needed to get my hand sorted out. I don’t like the thought of yet another period of rehab. Will be checking in with the surgeon when a year has passed since he last one.
Dear Laverne,
That sounds ‘a bit’ busy for you too, moving book-home!
Great that you have been weaving despite hand and shoulder.
I love the little snowflakes and autumn leaves. It’s definitely feeling autummy here.
x
Anna
Hello Anna. Yes, I bet Tassie is getting quite chilly now. We’re expecting 2 and 3-degree overnight temps up here this weekend and I am racing to get my flat ready. I’m enjoying the autumn colours here and who knows, there might be some snowflakes this winter.
It is so fun to see you weaving again. I love what you have on the loom, and your bags are always so wonderful, so that is a perfect use for the fabric. It is good to hold friends and good experiences close at hand!
Thank you so much, Theresa. Yes, another bag to add to the collection but you know, I never used them all that much when I lived in Bolivia. Now they are in use almost every day and I change hem around all the time. I love having them with me.
I have been trying to purchase one of your warp faced double weave on Inkle looms book this week but unfortunately the taproot website will not process my payment. I hope you find a new way to get these books soon.
In the meantime I hope your shoulder etc gets better I have recently had a similar problem
Best wishes
I’m sorry you’ve been having this problem. Have you used to Contact Us tab at the bottom of every page on the website and reported the problem to the Taproot Video tech folk? Or…tried a different device….a different form of payment? I’m not at all involved in that side of things and that’s all the help I can offer, sorry.
I hope your shoulder is slowly improving! I’m a bit out of the weaving world after cataracts with a few complications left me blind for a while and with a very slow recovery.
Bookfunnel is the Indie publisher I have had the most dealings with. I think they do Print on Demand as well as various formats to suit Kindle, Kobo, or straight out e-pub and pdf. I have no idea how they operate, I have just purchased novels from them and it was very easy. I think they have lots of different categories. StoryOrigin is another one with different categories, though they do seem to concentrate on novels. Smashwords is another online bookseller. Like the others there is a “self-improvement” section. I have not come across anything that specialises in crafts, Taproot was unique in that respect, which rather leaves Lulu, and the last I looked there it was not very inspiring. I think there is another publisher like Lulu, but perhaps someone else knows something about them.
Covid has decimated the arts and crafts world as well as the publishing world and nearly everyone I come across is desperately looking for a reliable publisher, so take things with a good teaspoon or two of salt.
Caroline! So nice to hear from you! Funny to be now corresponding on the same continent after all these years. Thanks so much for your advice. So sorry to hear about your own health complications. I hope you continue to improve.
Bonjour, j’ai moi aussi essayé d’acheter un de vos livre sans y parvenir. J’ai envoyé un message aux technicien.
Je suis désolée d’apprendre vos problèmes de mobilité à cause des tissus soudés. Ces tissus s’appellent les fascia et vous pouvez faire des séances de fascia thérapie ainsi que des séances de Munzfloor : c’est aussi de la fascia thérapie mais vous pouvez faire les exercices en autonomie (après quelques cours). Ces 2 méthodes m’ont énormément aidé ! Vous trouverez des informations sur Internet à leur sujet.
Merci pour vos livres et vos partages, et bon courage à vous !
Milène
Thank you so much, Milene. I will search online for more information on your recommendations. I really appreciate your concern and your taking the time to help.
Can we still purchase a printed book from you – specifically on Andean Pebble Weave? I love your spiral bound book on pick up patterns and I could relieve your book inventory by 1 or even 2 (with adding in the 2nd book on Pebbleweave.)
No, I’m sorry. Those sold out some time ago and I don’t have a personal inventory. I don’t even have my own hard copies of my last three books which were published just before and during the pandemic. I’ve never even seen them in hard copy as they were all printed in the States while I was in Bolivia.
But thank you so much for your support. You should be able to have your PDF printed and spiral-bound over there for your own personal use.
Hi Laverne, I’ve been following your posts here and on facebook for some months and have plunged into the utterly absorbing world of warp faced weaves, thank you!
I rushed to purchase as many of your books as I could justify before the cut off date but I realise now that I didn’t manage to down load one of them…now of course I find I can’t.
Is there anything that can be done about this?
I’m sorry that I can’t help you but you could try contacting the folks at Taproot Video. If they’re support address is still active, you could try that. From memory it’s support@taprootvideo.com
If that fails, you could try messaging Marilyn Romatka on Facebook.
Get back to me if neither of these options work.
Dear Laverne,
You work is beautiful.
Is it possible to purchase your book Andean pebble weave as a PDF?
I would be delighted to hear from you.
Best regards from Germany,
Tanja
Hi Tanja,
The answer is yes, I’ve recently decided to sell directly to the public using PayPal and Dropbox. I’ve replied to your email address with details.
Hi Laverne,
I would very much like to purchase some of your books as PDFs. Please could you send details of how I may do this.
Regards
Ian
Hi Ian,
A few weeks ago, I decided to start selling my pdfs directly to customers having them pay me via a Paypal invoice. I then use Dropbox to deliver the pdf. I advertised this fact in Facebook groups to see if it was manageable. So far it has been.
Let me know via another comment which titles you’d like to buy (I will hold that comment in moderation and not post it) so that I can contact you via your email address and proceed from there.
Many thanks,
Laverne
Hi Laverne, I’ve been following you for over a decade at this point, wow! Your videos taught me to weave for a school project and I’ve fallen in love with all fiber arts ever since 🙂 I’ve recently gotten back into weaving and would love to purchase some of your books as pdfs. Thank you so much for sharing so much of your talent, love, and life with us!!
Hi. Thanks for your message. I’m going to write a blog post soon on how to go about buying my pdfs and you can also read about that on this page (see link below) before I make the official announcement. If you want to order any in the meantime just go ahead and follow the instructions on the page I’m linking to…
https://backstrapweaving.com/books-and-articles/