Fiber Artists United For Peace

The Interview

1. How did you come to be a fiber artist?

It happened in a roundabout way. I’ve always loved art and as a child I aspired to be an artist and a writer. I kept notebooks filled with my poetry, short stories, and drawings. I loved fabrics and sewing. The creative side was always busy. In my high school art class we did some small weavings which I enjoyed and then we visited an exhibit of weavings which made a big impression on me. There was a black and white one in particular that was very striking and it stood out in my mind.

As I began to think about college I really leaned towards another fascination of mine and I began my freshman year at Indiana University by diving into anthropology with the intention of becoming an archaeologist. At the time I was also taking every art history class I could fit into my schedule. I then ran into a major snag – my university would not take me into the archeology program because I had no field experience. I remember feeling disappointed but also relieved – the curriculum of math and science that I faced had been daunting and I am a very right-brained person! So I turned to the art history classes and thought I’d try my hand in the studio art program. It was a great fit!

Early on in my studio art career I got a lot of feedback on my design work. It was suggested multiple times that I should try my hand at textile design so I signed up for a printed and dyed textile design class. Well, as fate would have it, the class was full, so I was forced to sign up for the woven and constructed textile design class. I never looked back! The loom intimidated, fascinated, and compelled me. My weaving professor was the renowned weaver Budd Stalnaker. Every day in our 4 hour class we spent some time looking at slides of fiber art. At the end of my studies with Budd he finally shared slides of his own work. There on the screen popped up the black and white weaving that had caught my attention in high school! I found that to be one of those synchronicities that occur often in my life.

Anyway, after college I bought a loom, met my future husband, and headed to the San Francisco area. One of the first gifts Kevin ever bought me was my first spinning wheel. I became a full-time weaver and spinner for the next stretch of my life until my first child was born. After that, weaving and spinning became hobbies instead of a means of making an income and was fit into the very brief bits of time I had left for me. I was a full-time stay-at-home mom until my firstborn was a senior in high school. That’s when my husband got downsized from a job he’d held for 15 years. For the first time since early marriage I found myself needing to bring in an income and I felt pretty poorly equipped to do that. I turned to the one thing I knew well – fiber. In January of 2006 my family (dubbed Team Yarnwench by the lovely Linda Scharf) helped me launch my website, The Yarn Wench. My days are now filled with bubbling dye-pots and quality time at the spinning wheel where my obsession with art yarns has taken over. It has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.


"Shimmyshake" handspun yarn based on the art of bellydance by Lynn.

2. What inspired your name "Yarnwench?"

My husband, Kevin, came up with that name! Leave it to a guy! It actually took me a few days to warm up to it but I love it now!

3. Would you say fiber is an addiction for you?

Indeed, it’s my crack. I would say "textiles" in general are my addiction. One of my earliest memories is examining the fabric in an antique Wedding Ring quilt my great-grandmother made out of her old dresses for my parents as a wedding present. Ethnic textiles, in particular, make my heart sing. Fiber goes along with it – the smell, the feel. Yes, what’s not to love? But I don’t limit my artistic expression to fiber. I am also into mixed media collage, printmaking (collagraphy), complex cloth quilts, handmade paper, jewelry and button making, and mail art, to name a few other addictions!


"Mythological Waterbeast" a felted sculptural piece by Lynn

4. Favorite fiber to work with? And do you like one more for spinning, one more for dyeing?

For spinning, I prefer Falkland – it just drafts so beautifully and has a kind of light fuzziness to it that appeals to me. Merino and merino/silk are my favorites to dye. I also love to dye fleece – the whole process is appealing to me.

5. If you had a sheep, what would his/her name be?

Hmmmm, never thought about it. Baaaab Dylan? No? How about Bleating Heart? Oh yeah, that’s right. That’s me…


"Mmmbellishment" Lynn also does these great bags of goodies for spinning art yarns

6. Where do you find inspiration for your fabulous colors?

First off, thank you! Color is something I get pretty excited about. My color sense has really grown over the years and I’m never afraid to try any combinations though I sometimes get stuck in a rut. When I do, I often turn to nature and art for help. Kandinsky was an amazing colorist and I have looked at his work for inspiration. I love the Impressionists. I am amazed by Jan Vermeer and Gustav Klimt. In my textile design classes we took objects from nature and mounted them on mat board. We then translated the color and texture of that object by wrapping various threads and fine yarns around another piece of mat board until we had captured the essence of the object. I remember doing this with some beautiful seashells. It opened my eyes to the complexity of color. What looked like a plain brown shell was actually a complex compilation of browns, creams, lavenders, golds, mauves. This exercise really taught me to look. My painting classes in college also taught me how to see.


Hand dyed rovings

7. Do you keep a notepad by your bed?

I’d never find it as my nightstand is piled high with books! Besides, I’m fairly sleep-deprived these days and don’t need the temptation. I do keep a journal near my computer at all times and jot down inspiration, bits of poetry, movies I want to see, and all kinds of intriguing odds and ends. I have been known to get up in the night to jot something down in my journal but I try not to make that a habit.

8. When you spin, do you have a plan or just go for it?

I do a little of each. Some yarns are really free form, spun from a little of this and a little of that. Sometimes I have a jumping off point, be it a button or an idea, that I design around. I like the finished yarn to be able to stand alone as a piece of sculpture. Recently I did a series of yarns I called Chrysalis Dreams that came about from some conversations I had with a young friend of mine who is ready to spread his wings and fly away into the world but isn’t quite old enough to do so. The concept also represented a creative awakening for me. I hit 50 this past year and suddenly found my creative well to be overflowing. I felt like I’d come out of a dormant or chrysalis stage. I find it pretty amazing that a skein of yarn can be so expressive. I’ve even managed to be political with yarn – who’d a thunk?


"Chrysalis Dreams" The Awakening handspun yarn


"Chrysalis Dreams" part of a series of handspun by Lynn

9. Do you think much while spinning or is it a meditative time for you?

   Time at the wheel is a very zen thing for me. I get lost in my thoughts. When I first started The Yarn Wench I thought I’d listen to books on tape while I spun but that didn’t work out because my mind travels so many places while I’m spinning. I find it very relaxing though I can no longer spin for 5 hours straight like in my younger days without experiencing back pain. When I’m stressed, the wheel is a good and comforting place to go.

10. Music on or off? If on, what is your favorite thing to spin to?

    Usually I spin in silence though occasionally I’ll listen to music. One of my art muses over the years has been Loreena McKennitt. I have created many things while listening to her music. I feel such a connection to it – it feels ancient and really stirs me. I also listen to Pandora on the internet. I have my Pandora station set up to play my favorites – Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, and many more. I love the music I grew up with. Sometimes that will make its way into my yarn, too. Yes, I’m guilty of Pink Floyd inspired yarn!

11. What kind of wheel do you spin on?

    I spin entirely on my Schacht Matchless single treadle. I graduated from my first wheel, an Ashford Traditional, to the Schacht with the first $400 I made from my spinning back in the mid 1980’s. I think I got one of the first Schacht Matchless to come off the production line! I love that wheel! My only complaint is the size of the bobbins. I’m spinning much bulkier yarns than I used to back then. I think my Schacht and I have treadled around the world a few times over – if only there were an odometer to track how far we’ve gone!
    
    
    "Mariposa Dreams" handspun yarn and handmade buttons all by Lynn! Breathtaking!!!

12. Does it have a name?

Sad to say, I’ve never named my wheel. I do think she’s entirely feminine, though.


"Jokerman" handspun yarn by Lynn

13. How long have you been spinning?

My husband gave me my first spinning wheel for my 26^th birthday, which happened exactly one week before we got married. This summer is our 25^th anniversary, so I’ve been spinning almost half of my life! And, by the way, I taught myself to spin with a book on my lap.


"Skyrockets" handspun yarn by Lynn

14. Any advise for someone that is new to dyeing fiber?

Experiment and play. Have fun with it! Understand that the same dye used on two different types of wool can look entirely different. Also, enjoy the magic of the dye pots! They always have the final say. You may think that you’re in control but you’re not! I love that about dyeing – there are always surprises. Also, some of the ugliest roving makes some of the prettiest yarn. Don’t be too harsh on a colorway until you give it a go.




more of Lynn's beautiful dyeing

15. Tell us something non-fiber related that you love to do.

I love to read, write, watch movies, listen to music, eat ethnic food, work in my garden, go on walks and hikes, and spend time with my husband and two daughters. I am only recently getting into yoga and meditation.

16. What is a perfect day for you?

    Hmmm – a perfect day is one in which I’m able to go to bed at night with a feeling of satisfaction from a day well spent – whether it is a day spent working and feeling accomplished or a day goofing off with my family. Each day is all we’ve got. I like to feel like I’ve used my time wisely.

17. Many people define Peace in many different ways. What does Fiber Artists United for Peace stand for for you?

    I’ve found the fiber community is made up, for the most part, of very generous, kind, and supportive people. We have a lot of creative energy and we share so freely. There’s also a lot of compassion out there that amazes me. We tend to be environmentally aware and protective of the earth around us. If the world could be more like our little community it would be a better place. We are a peaceful, gentle tribe.

18. Anything else you would like to add?

When I started The Yarn Wench I never thought it would bring me an income or end up surviving more than a few months or a year at best. It has been such a thrilling adventure and opened me up to so much more than I ever expected. My favorite part is the community we have created. I have lovely friends and customers and am thankful every day to live this life doing what I love. Thanks for all the support! And thanks, Bennie, for the friendship and for starting this group. I’m looking forward to being a part of it.


Well, there you have it! Our first interview! I would say that we have started with a "BANG".  Everyone in the group thanks you so very much for sharing with us Lynn.

Lynn Wigell's website is

www.yarnwench.com

there you can see her yarns for sale, her rovings, dyed locks and many more wonderful fiber things.  You can also go directly to her blog, which is always fun to read.

Peace and Love to Everyone, Bernadette