I love spinning yarn. It's a wonderful experience: playing with textures and colors to create something tangible. A skein of handspun yarn is a beautiful thing in itself. (Not to mention how lovely it is to knit!) But even more than that, I love spinning because it helps me feel a connection to the past. It makes me see just how easy we have things in our modern world...a place where we spin for enjoyment rather than out of necessity.

I'm excited about what's happening in the fiber community right now. Knitters (and crocheters and weavers) are starting to wonder: Where does my yarn come from? Where were the sheep raised and how was the fiber processed and treated before it ended up in my local yarn shop?

At Wool and Wheel, my ultimate goal is for all of my handspun yarns and hand knits to come from US wool. I want to focus on fibers that were raised, sheared, and minimally processed in America. It would be even better if I could get more local than that: Virginia and North Carolina wools! As I open my shop, I'm not there yet, but I'm working towards that goal of sourcing local wool.

When I started knitting in 2011, it was just another hobby. I had no idea that within a few years, fiber would be such a huge part of my life. A little over a year later, I bought a drop spindle and decided to learn how to make yarn. I had no intention of getting a spinning wheel, but in the spring of 2013, a Country Craftsman wheel fell into my lap. A family friend offered to trade it to me for a couple of goat kids and some chickens, and I've been spinning on it ever since. I also enjoy experimenting with natural dyeing and working with raw fleeces.

I previously sold on Etsy as SewTechnicolor.