It was the noise that first impressed me about hand weaving. The moment I stepped into a weaving workshop, my ears were instantly filled with the clatter and clanking of the old dobby looms and the whirl and buzz of the winding machines. I was in England and in my first year of a BA in Constructed Textiles. After graduating and working as a freelance fabric designer and commission hand weaver, I moved back to my home turf – Santa Monica in 2002. 

Color and quality of fabric are the key features that distinguish my textile designs. I specialize in creating fine, lightweight fabrics made primarily of silk, filament rayon, bamboo, baby alpaca, cashmere, and fine wools. Woven scarves and shawls are constructed for maximum fluidity of movement, using the finest quality yarns from around the world. At the same time they are highly textured with intricate surface patterning. Rich colors have always appealed, and contrasts of light/dark, bright/pale, shinny/matte, are important features in my collections. During the last few years I have expanded my techniques to include knitwear using small scale knitting machines and have made use of new fibers such as bamboo to produce ultra-soft neck scarves, baby items and lacy summer-weight apparel.

All designs are original and are created by myself on my handloom or knitting machine. Occasionally a domestic power loom is used to weave some of the particularly fine fabrics. I then do all the “finishing” - washing, cutting, hemming, sewing, making it into a finished item. Some yarns are hand-dyed prior to weaving or knitting and over-dying of woven pieces is also a favored technique. In addition to apparel and accessories my collections include blankets, tableware, large shawls/throws and cushions.

Kara Taub received her training at the Middlesex University in England. After receiving her degree in Constructed Textiles in 1996 she established her own studio based weaving practice in London, which was then her home. Having moved back her native Los Angeles in November 2002, she continues to develop new ideas in fabric. In addition to producing her own ranges of wearable accessories and fabrics for the home, she undertakes commissions of woven art, ceremonial pieces, and industrial fabrics for private and commercial clients.

She has exhibited internationally including at Indigo in Paris, The Jewish Museum, New Designers, and Decorex in London, and The Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, UK. Her work has received recognition from Country Living magazine and she was a winner of the Liberty "One Off" craft competition sponsored by the UK retailer.