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…

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,…

A Maker’s Journal: Knitting a Handspun Cotton Tee

Once I get inspired to work with a particular material or technique I have to keep going at it until something else grabs my attention. This past summer I was given the opportunity to share my point of view on spinning and knitting cotton. Oh my! In three weeks I ended up designing and knitting…

God Provides: from His hands to mines

Living in an industrial age our surroundings can cause us to forget where things actually come from. Most of everything we need is purchased from a retail marketplace. Rarely do we pause to consider where it all actually comes from. Yesterday I finished spinning up my 2018 cotton crop. The entire experience of watching the…

2014 Cotton Finale

It's been a long growing season (February to November). My 2014 northern Indiana cotton crop is finally in.  This year I tried a few different things in hopes of increasing my yield, like well, planting twice as many plants and fertilizing. It didn't work. I did not get as much as last year . This probably should…

Update:2014 Indiana Cotton Crop

I am still obsessed with the idea of growing my own fiber for spinning and weaving. Living on a small city lot leaves me few options. Sheep  won't work  here and flax needs special tools to process. Last year I was given a single cotton boll with seeds intact. I planted them in my kitchen that February. They grew!! Read…