WOOL

Whatever possessed a seventeen year old from Southern California to go to England to seek out sheep, natural dyes, spinning and weaving? Looking back on it, I now see I needed to know process through working with my hands. I needed to learn about a complete cycle from raising the sheep, to shearing, to working with the wool. I was so fortunate to live in the Cotswolds and experience this firsthand as well as travel to many places including the outer Hebrides, Harris and Lewes, to collect lichens and then see the Harris tweeds woven. All of these adventures taught me great lessons about how color and palette are connected to landscape.

This time was about understanding the world through materials and connecting to the natural world. Some of the gifts from following that dream have been revealed to me over time. These early experiences have informed my work and continue to be a source of inspiration.

Some examples of garments and hats made or mended with hand spun, natural dyed wool.

Skeins of yarn created by blending colors together during the carding process or by plying.

The process of collecting dye plants, creating dye baths, carding together raw wool with dyed wool, spinning either on the wheel or hand spindle. Keeping records of the dyes are all part of the process.