Portrait of a Hand Spinner

This is a portrait of Cecile Renaud, a fairly new hand spinner, who is already very accomplished and has some exciting things to share about hand spinning and making her own spindles. Have a look at her ideas on "How to make a CD Spindle".

Cecile spinning on her Turkish Spindle from Ist Crafts

How long have you been spinning for?
I had a taste of spinning of a friend's spinning wheel in February and then in May 2010 I bought my first spindle. Within a couple of days I was completely hooked. So the answer would be - not for long!

So what kind of fibres have you been spinning?
Mainly Merino. At the moment I am spinning some Silk hankies that I have dyed my favourite teal colour (although they turned out more turquoise). I have also bought some Blue Faced Leicester and Alpaca to try out.

Have you used many different types of spindles?
Well the first one I bought was very cheap and not very good either. Not wanting to spend a lot of money on it before I knew if I liked spinning I decided to try and make my own out of a CD (see How to make a CD Spindle). This has become a quest to make the perfect spindle out of all sorts. After the CD spindle I tried making one with a donut bead. I made one with Fimo, which broke. I then tried casting a Resin whorl. This is where I am at the moment trying to perfect the Resin whorl. I have also bought some ceramic coasters in Istanbul which I want to drill a hole in and use as whorls. My favourite spindle I must admit is a very petite Turkish spindle I bought from Ist Crafts on the Isle of Wight.

Which spinning techniques have you tried so far?
I have been doing Worsted drafting mainly for my singles. With plying I have been a bit more adventurous. I have done plain 2-ply and 2-ply with an Andean bracelet. At the moment I am trying out 3-ply with a home-made Lazy Kate (really just a glorified shoebox), but I have also done 3-ply with the Navajo technique. I have even tried the Navajo plying on-the-fly so to speak. This is where you spin a certain length, wrap it around your hand, ply it with Navajo chains and wrap the finished yarn around the spindle after which you continue to spin another piece.

Why do you even want to make your own yarn?
I really like the idea of going from sheep to garment being able to have full control of each process along the way. I also love to learn new techniques and learning to spin gives you a great opportunity to influence the final product in a new and exciting way. The process of plying can give so many different properties to the yarn. Do you want it springy or tight? Also spinning allows you to work more luxurious fibres without it costing a fortune.

You have only been spinning for two months but do you think it's something you will continue with and what are you going to come up with next?

I can't see myself stopping anytime soon. I would really like to be able to master the ability to control the thickness of my singles. I have already learnt to make really consistently thin singles. But I would like to be able to make other thicknesses too. I would also like to experiment some more with dyeing my yarn to get more of the colours I love (teal and purple). I want to begin knitting swatches of the different plied yarns to see how they turn out because it is my aim to be able to spin enough for a sweater one day. I would like to try making 4-ply and spinning on a supported spindle. I want to experiment with making more spindles like a rim-weighted spindle. There are so many things I would still like to try so I don't think I will tire or spinning just yet.

Cecile's donut spindle

Do you do other crafts apart from spinning?
Yes, I have been doing a lot of knitting the last couple of years. I also sew and make jewellery. I know how to crochet but am not so keen on it and I would really like to try embroidery. But at the moment I mainly spin - probably because I am a tiny bit addicted to it!

Let's talk more generally about crafts - why do you think they are important?

Well to me crafts are important because they give me an opportunity to be creative without having to be abstract and dabble in the arts. Crafts give me a more usable and practical outcome from my creativity. I also just love to figure out how things work and crafts let me do this.

So how do you think we can best keep crafts alive?

Exposure, exposure and exposure. We need to introduce more people to various crafts. People who may never have come into contacts with crafts before. We need to be better at celebrating the hobby-crafter.

Do crafts make you feel connected to your heritage?

Yes, my grandmother was a seamstress and both my grandmother and mother always knitted a lot. So I guess I feel a connection with them when I do these crafts.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Is there in your view a divide between traditional and modern crafts?

No, most definitely not. I think that it is more of a continuum and I believe that this gives crafts more potential and makes it all the more interesting. I don't think that dividing traditional and modern crafts will help crafts in general to survive.

The images in this post are copyright of Eddie. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Portrait of a Historic Hand Knitter

Joyce Meader is a historic hand knitter. She knits items (mostly for men) from 19^th and 20^th Century patterns and tried to be as authentic as possible. She also has a big collection of knitting patterns herself. Joyce is a member of Hampshire Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, where I met her for a chat about historic pattern knitting. You can read more about Joyce and the things she makes on her website 'The Historic Knit'.

Eddie: How did your interest in knitting historic items begin?

Joyce: I’ve been knitting since I was 12 and I have always been interested in history. But it really all began when I was selling military webbing on eBay. I sold some to one guy and when I asked what he needed it for he mentioned that he did military re-enactment in the Yorks and Lancs WW1 Re-enactment Society. He then asked what I did and once I mentioned that I was a knitter he asked me to knit some authentic socks for him.
I had to find a patterns for this and was directed to the National Army Museum in London. Their education department kindly supplied me with a Boar War pattern and I was hooked.

Eddie: Can you explain why you are only interested in knitting from 1800 up till today?

Joyce: The real attraction for me is the commercial knitting patterns of which I have quite a collection myself. The first commercial pattern, as far as we know, is “The Knitting Teacher’s Assistant “, published in 1817 and was a pattern for socks written in a Q&A style (owned by Robin Stokes). But it wasn’t till the 1840s that knitting patterns really were produced in big numbers and they were really expensive up till mass production in the 1890s. Before patterns knitting stitches were remembered through strips of knitting samples, often passed down through families. This is why I focus on knitting from 1800 up.

Eddie: So what do you usually knit using these historic patterns?

Joyce: I mostly knit for men. I knit quite a bit for military re-enactors and museums. I also knit for films. In terms of military patterns I knit items from the Crimean war (1852) up till now.

Eddie: I have to ask – is there still knitting for the military today?

Joyce: Oh yes! Especially in the US where the Ships project does hand knitting of hats, slippers, socks and afgans (blankets in the UK), for service personnel.

Eddie: What yarn do you usually knit with?

Joyce: When knitting historic patterns I always use 100% Shetland 2-ply jumper weight (knits as 4-ply) from Jamieson and Smith, Lerwick, Shetland. It’s difficult to fit the yarn and the needle size together so I always knit an item once exactly as the pattern says and then I try and adjust it. But patterns can be quite tricky too. Victorian patterns are usually written in longhand as a little narrative. I have this big notebook in which I write down what I do as I go along. But these notes are just for myself and I don’t try to change the patterns to make them more modern. I want the finished items to be as authentic as possible.

Eddie: Why are you so interested in knitting historic patterns?

Joyce: I find it utterly fascinating and I think there is a need to keep and to spread this knowledge or it will disappear.

Eddie: Tell us about some of the projects you have worked on?

Joyce: I have knitted the clothes from the George Mallory Expedition up Everest a couple of times. The first time was for the Mountain Heritage Trust and Lancaster University as a reproduction to see how the clothing would work in the extreme weather. At the moment I am knitting it again for a young man who wishes to climb Everest in period costume.
But at the moment I am really into string vests and underwear.

Eddie: I can see. I am really fascinated by this Bikini top you are sitting and knitting on now. Can I ask, how do you feel about crafts in general in today’s society?

Joyce: I think there is too much focus on academics and not enough focus on practical skills in the lives of our youngsters. Its like crafts are not valued in Britain and making handmade items are thus not valued either. Also there is no encouragement for amateurs to be better at the craft they do. It’s too divided into professionals (those who have a design education behind them) and hobbyists. The hobbyists love their subject and have come to it in a roundabout way. They are not constrained by a degree and want to know everything about their subject. I think it's a shame they are not valued because there are plenty of amateurs who make extremely wonderful objects.

The first photo and the pattern are copyright of Joyce Meader, please ask her permission if you wish to use them. The last photo of Joyce working is copyright of me (Eddie) - please email me (eddie at roued dot com) if you wish to use it.

Portrait of a Woodworker

Robin Wood is a wood worker who specialises in the use of local timbers and traditional techniques. He combines the practicalities of turning wood bowls and carving spoons with an interest in the history of the items, culminating in the book “The Wooden Bowl”. Robin won ‘Artisan of the Year’ in 2009 and will be judging the ‘Balvenie Masters of Craft awards’ this year. On top of all this Robin is the chairman of the Heritage Crafts Association formed in 2009. The HCA are having their first annual spring conference on the 19th March 2011 at the V&A in London and because of this I decided it would be great to ask Robin a couple of questions about the nature of the HCA and his own craft, woodworking.

Eddie: How did you get into woodworking?

Robin: I was working for the National Trust in conservation forestry. We were reintroducing traditional forestry practices to a 1000 acre medieval forest but the products of those practices no longer had a good market. Originally the woods were cut regularly producing small diameter wood and timber which was used locally by craftspeople and for fuel. Today the market is for large diameter trees, which are transported long distances to be cut up in big sawmills. I started researching the traditional wood crafts which used the small diameter raw material, I experimented with various crafts as a hobby and as a way of learning more about the properties of the trees I was cutting.


Robin working with the lathe, courtesy and copyright of Robin Wood

Eddie: What techniques would you usually use in your woodwork?

Robin: Primarily I use hand tools. The bulk of my work is turning functional wooden bowls on a foot-powered lathe. I also carve spoons with axes and knives and teach the skills of carving bowls and spoons with hand tools.

Eddie: How do you source the timber you use?

Robin: I source all my timber locally. Most comes from local tree surgeons and is wood that otherwise would not have a commercial market. Recently, I have been using a lot of willow cut by the environment agency from the banks of the river Don in Sheffield as part of floor protection work. I also use a lot of beech, sycamore and alder. Folk often ask which of these woods I prefer as if all sycamore trees and all beech trees are identical. When you work with hand tools and start with the whole tree you realise how variable timber is. Many woodworkers miss out on this because the whole timber processing industry is trying to produce a homogeneous product.

Eddie: What kind of woodwork do you prefer to do at the moment?

I love all sorts of traditional hand woodwork, I tend to stay with my turning and carving because it is only through thousands of hours of repetition that we truly master skills. I enjoy trying different techniques for fun too though and am continually experimenting.

Eddie: Where do you get your inspiration from?

I am inspired by the generations of woodworkers long gone. I read books like Edlin's "Woodland crafts of Britain" and see photos of traditional craftspeople with huge piles of produce. Most people today only play at crafts and make money from teaching or demonstrating. I always wanted to make my living primarily from producing. I felt that if I could make things as fast as the old traditional woodworkers clearly did then it could be sustainable and viable today. It was, and it is only more recently that I have been happy to also teach. I guess the prime inspiration for my bowl turning was seeing the work of George Lailey. He was the last pole lathe bowl turner in the UK and when he died in 1958 his lathe and tools went to the Museum of English Rural Life. I saw it and it felt like a great shame that there was no one practising the craft, I set about learning the technique, first by learning to forge my own turning tools. After 15 years of full time working and demonstrating the craft I am pleased to say there are now a number of folk around the country and the world that are now practising this once lost craft. I study a lot of crafts in museums, I spent 10 years visiting museums across the UK and Europe looking at medieval wooden bowls from excavations, they are a continual source of inspiration.


George Lailey commemorative bowls, courtesy and copyright of Robin Wood

Eddie: Can you tell me a bit about Japanese woodwork?

Robin: I have many friends around the world who share my love of traditional woodwork techniques. One of these Hannes Schnelle is a talented German carpenter who after his rigorous traditional apprenticeship became a journeyman and was apprenticed a second time to a master temple carpenter in Japan. That master Sugimura-San set up the Kesurokai organisation dedicated to sharing and passing traditional skills on to the next generation. In 2005 and 2007 Hannes organised meetings in Germany where the Japanese master carpenters came and worked alongside invited traditional woodworkers from across Europe. In 2010 we made the return journey and visited Japan and worked for 2 weeks alongside the Japanese carpenters building two buildings, a traditional European timber frame and a Japanese tea house. The tools and techniques are remarkably different. Take an apparently simple process like shaping a round tree into a square timber with an axe. I am familiar with a variety of European and North American tools and techniques but they are all basically variations on a theme. The Japanese tools and techniques are totally different and work astonishingly well. I came away with a particular love of their axes (ono) and adzes (chouna)


Japanese Axe courtesy and copyright of Robin Wood

Eddie: How did you get involved with Heritage Crafts Association?

Robin: I had for many years been frustrated at the lack of support for traditional crafts in the UK. It felt like we were somehow not valued as much as my friends who worked with contemporary innovative crafts. I spent many years lobbying either for the Crafts Council to promote traditional crafts alongside modern artistic crafts or for a new "vernacular crafts council" to be formed. Eventually in 2009 with a group of friends we formed the Heritage Crafts Association to promote and preserve traditional crafts as part of our heritage.

Eddie: Is there or should there be in your view a divide between traditional and modern crafts?

Robin: In an ideal world there would be no split between traditional and modern crafts or the applied and fine arts, or craft and industrial production. All these things are part of a continuum of making things, and each practice can and should inform the other. In practice in the UK and much of the western world there is a split, the fine arts were elevated above the applied arts in the 18th century and contemporary innovative craft has over the last 30 years striven to attain fine art status. Traditional craft has been left disenfranchised not recognised or supported by either arts or heritage organisations. Internationally that position is now changing with traditional craft recognised as living heritage, though the UK is still lagging behind.


Eddie: So what is the next step for the HCA?

Robin: Well we have a great conference coming up at the V&A on March 19th with some inspirational speakers. Anyone who supports our aims can support us by joining our friends scheme, following us on Facebook or twitter and helping promote our work by telling friends about what we are doing. Lots more information on the HCA website www.heritagecrafts.org.uk

Thank you to Robin Wood for allowing us to use images from his blog in this interview. If you wish to re-use these images please contact Robin for permission.

Portrait of a Craft Historian

Ruth Goodman is currently known as an Edwardian woman living and working on a farm at Morwellham Quay, in Devon together with fellow Edwardians Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn (shown on BBC 2 recently). Together they worked the farm from autumn 2009 till autumn 2010. They also previously worked together on a Victorian farm at Acton Scott in Shropshire. Together with 5 historians and archaeologists, Ruth also participated in BBC2’s ‘Tales from the Green Valley’ where they explored living on a Tudor farm in the year 1620.
Ruth furthermore does historic consultancy for museums and the media and she does lectures and courses in British social history (learn more about this on her website). Next to all this she also finds time to sew and design replica clothing and she is a member of the Tudor Group.

Eddie: At Historic Crafts we have a rather wide definition of crafts from brewing beer to machine knitting. How would you define a craft?

Ruth: I would describe a lot of my activities as 'craft'. Cookery for example seems to me an almost text book example of traditional craft work. Housework too is a living craft tradition combining skills and knowledge that are handed down from practitioner to practitioner, involving the understanding and manipulation of a range of materials in a practical and hands-on fashion. Such skills do not appear spontaneously fully formed but develop over a lifetime. That these skills have not been lost but are the stock in trade of a large number of people is something to be celebrated.

Eddie: What would you say was your main craft? Is it sewing?

Ruth: If by 'main craft' you mean that which I have most often been paid for, then 'sewing' comes high on the list. I research and make replicas of historic clothing. At times in my life this has formed my main income, although at present it has no more prominence than several other activities.
Rather than producing for a mass market my craft is a bespoke one and aimed at museums, theatre and individuals who are looking for something beyond 'dressing up'.
For me it is not enough to produce clothing that 'looks sort of right' I am interested in following the techniques and thinking of the historical period. Craft skills develop and change over time, they are not static. Just because a thing was done in the 1920s does not mean that it was done that way in the 1820s or that the method of the 1820s was unchanged from that of the 1720s. If I were to employ the craft techniques of the 1920s to make a garment of the 1720s the finished piece would hang on the body completely differently, it would be tight in the wrong places and loose and floppy where it should be snug and structured. Likewise if I were to employ Tudor tailoring methods to an Edwardian garment the result would be both inaccurate and awkward.
Much of the skill in re-creating historical clothing therefore is working out the relevant methods and techniques, having a range of skills at your fingertips and knowing when and where to employ them. As with any craft this is an ongoing journey of exploration and refinement.
I find the research and the practise equally absorbing. Making garments raises whole hosts of questions that sends me back to the research and the research makes me itch to try things out. It really is only by physically doing something that you can get any depth of understanding of the process, whilst just banging out the same old thing without any sense of moving deeper into understanding it and striving for perfection would bore me.




Eddie: Making historic clothing seems to take up quite a bit of your time, where do you get the materials? I find it very difficult to find things like wool and linen.

Ruth: Finding good materials is of course rather tricky no matter which historic period you are trying to work within. However this scarcity means that you have to get to know and work with a whole range of other crafts people which is always a real joy. Weaver, dyers, spinners, printers and fullers, button makers, braid makers, leather workers, bronze casters, tin smiths, gilders and even wood turners fill my contacts page in the address book. I need to call upon all their skills to produce one outfit or another. I learn so much collaborating with people on these projects, knowledge which feeds back into my own craft work.
I also have to say that I truly enjoy the company of crafts people - I find that people who make things with care and commitment, whether that be a strawberry roulade or the knife to cut it, are so much more interesting and enjoyable company than those who simply consume. There is something about the process of making that makes us more fully human.

Eddie: How authentic are the methods you use when making clothes? Do you sit and sew everything by hand or does it go through the sewing machine?

Ruth: Having said all that earlier it should come as no surprise that I use the most authentic methods possible when I am making historical garments. If the garment is pre 1860 I will of course entirely hand sew it, later on in History certain parts were hand sewn and certain parts machined – I try to follow the original method in all cases.

Eddie: You try many different crafts through your work but are there any you do at home for yourself - just for the pure enjoyment of it?

Ruth: Knitting and straw plaiting and rag rugs. Oh and net braiding.
The knitting arose from a need to produce authentic hand knitted stockings for the Tudor period. There are a number of makers of coarsely knitted stockings to a broadly mid 17^th century pattern, but the surviving earlier ones are finely, densely knitted with none of the later refinements. Having seen the real thing in several museums I just had to learn to knit so that I could make some.
The straw plaiting came from a fifteen minute lesson that I was lucky enough to receive whilst filming the Victorian Farm series. It is addictive, and I have made myself several hats since then.
Rag rugs popped up during the Edwardian Farm series. It’s extremely easy.
Net braiding is something which a friend taught me a few years ago in a Tudor context and was a skill that I was able to press into service for a spot of salmon fishing on the Edwardian farm. I usually braid very fine silk hair nets for Tudor hairdressing.
Naturally you can’t become an expert in everything and I have to say that all four of these are simply something that I dabble a bit in rather than class myself as a craftsperson in these areas.



Eddie: Do you think that crafts should play an important role in today's culture and why?

Ruth: I find it hard to imagine life without craft work, both personally and as a society.
The urge to make things and make them well seems to be built in; every child I have ever met enjoys the process. Given the chance to make a real thing kids settle down, become focused and relaxed. The same goes for adults. I wonder if the problem with modern life is that people don’t feel confident that they can make stuff. Modern life can be short on the opportunity to spend time with someone learning a skill and short of support for those who try. The constant drive for ‘cheap’ and ‘convenient’ can be disheartening.
Yet learning a set of skills, practising and perfecting them is deeply useful in modern life. Whilst some of us may wish to remain in an historical tradition producing items that are no longer in mainstream use, it seems to me that the skills, knowledge, understanding and approach form a springboard for a vast array of new projects and developments. Being a craftsperson gives you a mastery of materials and tools and a confidence in working with them. To use an example from the craft area that I am personally most familiar with, ancient hand techniques of stitchery and approaches to cloth cutting allow designers such as Vivienne Westwood not only to run successful modern clothing companies but to move textile technology onwards.
The traditional crafts, making traditional products in traditional ways, provide a ‘genetic seed bank’ for the future.

Eddie: How do you think we can keep traditional crafts alive?

Ruth: Actually I think traditional crafts are quite resilient. I have been reading books about the ‘last practitioner’ for thirty years. New craftspeople continue to emerge. New – if small – markets seem to pop up. Thirty years ago who would have believed that there was a future in charcoal burning? Not that any of us should be complacent, if we all keep banging on about what a joy these crafts are to do and how lovely the produce is, how useful and pleasurable they can be to own, perhaps we can give more people the confidence to try and to buy.

Eddie: Where does your interest in history come from?

Ruth: Not the foggiest – just sort of grew out of childhood excursions with my family and a shelf of really good books at home. My mother is also quite a skilled craftswoman – that helped.

Eddie: When did you begin to get interested in the crafty / experimental side of history?

Ruth: I married a man who had been re-enacting battles since he was 12. Now battles don’t interest me one jot, but once you get started looking into past lives how can you resist finding out what people ate for dinner, and by the way what does it really taste like?

Eddie: Do you use the things you learn in the TV series you have worked on in your daily home life?

Ruth: Of course. I stopped using detergent in my washing machine 6 or 7 years ago – the water and the agitation are all you need in 99% of washes. That was something I learnt doing Tudor laundry. We also eat much better after all that practise at historical cookery. My housework is much more eco-friendly than it used to be and our garden fence is the result of learning to work with hazel.

Eddie: What do you gain as a historian from living as a Tudor or Victorian person that you don't get from reading primary sources?

Ruth: Reading and studying, whilst vitally important can only give you so much. As soon as you try it out you realise how much you don’t know and that is a valuable lesson in its own right.
I gain an insight into what questions I should be asking, knowledge of where the gaps are in the historical record and of course an empathy with the trials and tribulations of a practical life.

The images in this post are copyright of Ruth Goodman who has kindly allowed us use of them for this interview. If you wish to use the images please request permission from Ruth.

Portrait of a Knitter

I would like to give a very warm welcome to Donna Druchunas, teacher, writer and most importantly, knitter. Donna gives workshops in ethnic knitting, lace and rug knitting. She blogs on SheeptoShawl and you can follow her as druchunas on twitter - we do! Donna has written several great books about ethnic knitting and lace. We have interviewed her about knitting and her view on traditional crafts.

Eddie: Why knitting?

Donna: I particularly like the portability, and the ability to explore so much creativity in such small projects. The fact that I learned to knit as a little girl also makes me slightly sentimental about knitting. I am primarily interested in historical and traditional knitting techniques and motifs from around the world. I am also interested in how these things from the past can be updated and used in contemporary situations. Even though knitting is my main craft I also love to spin and dye my own yarns, and I also crochet. I've done just about every craft there is over the years, but the fiber arts are what attract me most these days.

Eddie: When did your interest in knitting begin?

Donna: All my life I have been involved in some sort of craft. I learned to knit from my Grandmother when I was a girl, then moved on to other things. I didn't come back to knitting until I was in my mid-30s, but then I became completely obsessed.

Eddie: How about techniques, do you have any preferences and where do you go to learn new stuff?

Donna: I love lace and cables, but I also find that I end up working on colorwork projects because color knitting is so popular in ethnic knitting. Lately I have begun knitting with beads. I pick up new techniques anywhere and everywhere! There is always a lot to learn at home in the US from knitters and teachers, but I also go around the world. This summer I have been in England, Scotland, France, Holland, and Lithuania, and before I return to the states in October, I will be visiting Switzerland, Italy, and Belarus! I am especially excited to see what I can learn about Belarusian textiles, although I think knitting was less common there than in many other places.

Eddie: Do you have any favorite tools or materials?

Donna: I am currently enamoured with all kinds of straight wooden knitting needles. But because I'm on the road for so long, I've only brought a few things with me: An assortment of double pointed needles for the socks and mittens I'm knitting, a small set of interchangeable size circular needles, and a compact tool kit with a measuring tape and other small knitting necessities. My iPhone has also become a very useful knitting tool. My favorite yarn is wool but I love all natural fibers. I tend to stick with animal fibers mostly, because I find them easier and more pleasant to work with because of the springiness and give in the yarn.

Eddie: Why do you think crafts are important?

Donna: Crafts, as opposed to "art", give us all the ability to make things and explore our creativity without having to feel like we need a university degree or some permission to play. We are creating something useful AND beautiful. I feel very inspired about the future of knitting as a craft. I am visiting 8 yarn shops in Vilnius this week! There are old and young people knitting, and the variety of projects ranges from slipper socks to lace shawls. It's amazing! I also love the way using yarn and knitting needles and crochet hooks makes me feel connected to my grandmothers, too.

Eddie: How do you think we can keep traditional crafts alive?

Donna: I think we can keep traditional crafts alive by just continuing making things. But I don't think there necessarily is a need to keep traditional crafts alive in their traditional form. That said, I think it is great if some people want to reproduce traditional garments and accessories exactly as they were made in the past. That has its place. But for the modern knitter, I feel that using traditional crafts combined with contemporary tools, materials, and fashion sense is the way to keep things going into the future. Most of us don't have a need for an exact reproduction of an antique pair of liturgical gloves, for example. But we can reinterpret the patterns and techniques to create something we can actually use in our everyday lives. I also think it is especially important to teach children how to do as many different crafts as possible! Then when they get older, they have an assortment of talents to choose from.

The images in this post are copyright of Donna Druchenas from. If you wish to use the images please request permission from Donna.

Portrait of a Textile Artist

Deborah Robson has agreed to let us do a portrait of her as a crafts person. We decided to call her a textile artist as her answer to the first question about what she sees as her main craft was: 'spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, braiding, sewing, basketry ...'. Apart from textiles Deborah also loves books. She is an essayist and short-story writer and is the editor of Nomad Press. She blogs on The Independent Stitch about her passion for textile crafts and independent publishing. She is currently working on a book about animal-grown natural fibers that will be released by Storey Publishing next spring. You can also follow her on twitter (effortlesszone) - we are!

Have fiber crafts always been a part of your life?

Well, the women in my mother's family always sewed, and I began to sew before I could read. When I was about 9 years old, my grandmother taught me to knit. I already knew the basics of crochet, although I don't remember when I learned them. I also had my first taste of weaving when I was given a child's loom. Unfortunately, when the warp ran out no one knew how to replace it and I didn't have another opportunity to weave until I was in my early 20s and worked as a camp counselor. Not long after that, I took four lessons in weaving, using a rented loom that I carried back and forth to the classes on the bus, and then I bought a table loom and began teaching myself using books from the public library. I took up spinning at around age 25 when a friend brought over a spindle and some wool, gave me an introduction to the ideas, and left the stuff behind. Working with textiles is a permanent part of my life.

How do you feel about learning new craft techniques?

I'm eternally curious about the things one can do with yarn and thread. Basically, if I haven't tried a technique . . . I have just not gotten to it yet. I am learning new techniques all the time. While I learn primarily from books, I have also attended a few classes and am always learning new things from friends.

What materials do you prefer to work with?

I am very passionate about fibers. For years I have been studying natural fibers, especially those produced by animals and with an emphasis on the vast diversity of breeds of sheep. I am worried about the survival of these traditional breeds, some of which are already extinct. There are aspects of traditional crafts that we will not be able to maintain if we lose access to these materials.

Do you have any preferences when it comes to tools?

None whatsoever--except that they must be comfortable to use. I use my hand spindles and my spinning wheel. I have both floor and table looms (Glimakra and Schacht), along with knitting needles, crochet hooks, inkle looms, cards for card weaving, frame looms, combs, carders, flickers, nostepinnes, ballwinders, and swifts. My philosophy is that if it looks like it will do the job, then I'll use it. I do prefer aesthetically pleasing and functional tools.

Why do you think crafts are important?

I think it is important that we as a society remember how to MAKE things that are useful to us. In addition to remembering how to make things, we must also remember how to make them well. It is culturally essential that these skills are not lost and I think doing crafts has a strong positive effect on the individual crafters. The only way to keep traditional crafts alive is to enjoy and share what we do - both the skills and the crafted items themselves. I also think it is important to keep traditional crafts alive in their traditional forms. Otherwise we lose knowledge of what they were, and are. Creativity grows from skill, and there's a lot of skill to be found in traditional crafts.

Do you think much has changed in textile crafts since you began?

I am really heartened by the number of people who are currently engaged with textile crafts. There are so many more than there were in the 1970s when I really got going with these activities! Now we have access to materials and tools that those of us who were doing these things back then couldn't even imagine. Having said that, I have been quite dismayed recently that I can't obtain linen for handspinning of the quality that was available 40 years ago. The more people who engage in traditional crafts, the more ability we will have to support the suppliers of the finest materials!

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