Weaving Around Town: Strengthening Community Bonds with Gist Yarn Co.

I discovered weaving back in 2005 as a college student. We wove fabric samples with fancy, expensive equipment that I had to leave behind after graduation. I’d come a long way for someone who had never seen handwoven fabric or even a loom in person. Wanting to continue weaving, I began to re-learn the craft…

New Year, New Connections. Joining the Webs of Black Weavers

I can't believe how fast 2022 is moving. It's as if all the random visions I had last year have found a vehicle of their own. Things are just happening! Good things too. That's how visions work right? You know what you want to happen but have no clue how you'll get there, then POOF.…

A Happy Little Detour: From Bobbins to Yarn Balls

I was just going to try something. That's how it starts. You have an idea and decide to see if it'll work then BOOM you're on and unexpected journey. I saw someone spinning yarn with a spindle made from a spool and thought hmm, that might be a great way to spin cotton. Yes, of…

Exalting the Humble Homespun Cloth

Weavers and fabric lovers spend countless hours admiring fabrics. We have our favorites. Sometimes we can pinpoint why a certain fabric attracts us but most of the time we have no idea why. We just feel something. Our eyes, our skin, our soul gets that strange tickle and we connect. I used to think it…

Claiming My Identity as a Black Weaver in 21st Century America

It is only recently that I have come to identify myself as a weaver. It has been much more culturally relevant to call myself a retail manager, a human resources coordinator, or a primary school teacher. I met my first loom weaver, a professor and active artist, back in 2005 at college in the Apparel,…

Moving Towards New Horizons: Yes I Can!

This past summer was a particularly productive spinning season for me. I processed a couple of fleeces, did some spin-alongs with the Ravelry family, and even read through a few books as I blissfully spun hundreds of yards of yarn on my spindles and wheels. Spinning yarn in all the various fibers is a true…

Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do

I've been making. Yes! my crafty fire still burns as bright as ever. I feel like I am in such a whirlwind of ideas at the moment. Inspiration to create new things is flooding me from all directions. I want to do more and more. This year has been filled with unexpected changes both at…

Working with Camelids and Other Fiber Shenanigans

The latest cold snap has got me suddenly working with the camelids . Back when I first started spinning I would search out as many different types of fibers as I could find. In my search I found myself driving to a local farm to purchase my first Huacaya alpaca combed top. It was so lofty and soft. I ended up…

Breaking in and Breaking out: My New Loom and West Coast Adventure.

With school out I have had more time to craft and boy have I been busy. Firstly, my Emelie cardigan is finished. This was my first time knitting a garment with size 3 needles. It was pretty time consuming but made a fine fabric. The yarn I used  came in 739 yards skeins. The entire…

A Handspun Spring

I've been spinning a lot of mostly wool and manufactured fibers these days. Despite the season change I'm still in the mood to spin. I also made garments from the woven cotton fabrics I wove a few months ago. Finished objects include a shirt from the colored cotton fabric and a skirt from the sari silk w/ dishcloth cotton yarn.…