Engineer trades in career to follow her weaving passion
WESTFORD -- Penny Lacroix is weaving her way to happiness. The long-time engineer traded in her career for a loom; now she is using her time to be creative and share her craft.
"I am very much like a right-brain and left-brain person. I have to use both sides of my brain and this gets both of it. This gets the engineer in me and it gets the creative part of me," Lacroix said.
She had spent most of her life as an engineer but wanted a change and that's when the fiber arts grabbed her.
Of the many looms in her weaving room, some are so old that they date back to the early 1990s.
"We found [one loom] at an antique shop up in Maine and it was before I knew how to weave. It was kind of a leap of faith in hoping all the parts were there and they were."
She weaves scarves, blankets, and pillows. Right now, she's working on a book bag.
"There are little things about it that you can get used to. Sometimes I will listen to a book or listen to a podcast. But if it's something simple like this, it's almost meditative," Lacroix said.
Penny also shares her love for the loom by teaching weaving to those who want to learn.
"Some go on to do more with it, they buy a loom, they make the investment and they love it. Some of them just become weaving appreciators," she explained.
She can't contain her excitement when a student finishes a piece.
"The first time one of my students posted a picture on Facebook of something amazing that they wove. I put love on it," said Lacroix.
