It all started with my very first fiber festival in 2005 when I went in search of natural yarns with a small environmental footprint. The Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival drew me into its intro to spinning course, I was hooked after two hours, and I purchased my first wheel at an estate sale shortly thereafter.

I grew up heavily immersed in color theory (my mother is a retired art teacher) and started dyeing soon after I got the hang of spinning. Then came the carding, and I just recently acquired a floor loom and learned the basics of weaving.

Two bunnies donate their fluff to the cause. Ruby Vroom is a grey English/French Angora and Oxtoby is a black Jersey Wooley. They run amok in the house and eat every last bit of carrot and cilantro they can find.

Nowadays, all my yarn is spun on a Lendrum ST, dyed in-house using eco-friendly dyes, and I plan to have a small flock of sheep one of these days. The smaller the footprint I can make by creating from start to finish, using environmentally friendly and ethical materials and processes, the happier I am. I highly recommend knitting/crocheting with handspun--the uniqueness of each yarn and the quality of each strand make creating a finished item even more of an adventure.