Life is good and we are never too old for a new venture! Here is my new simple career path, formed from the cumulative knowledge of the past and  the present. I have lived as many of you, a busy single mom, juggling parenthood, education and fiduciary security for my family. In the middle of the activity, I found time to explore herbs and their simplest uses. There are endless combinations available now from both old traditions and modern Western research. At the time, I was able to make infusions, soaps, salves, ointments, and poultices, most often need driven. The development continues today, especially in light of modern analysis. 

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In addition to the herbs, I was always fascinated and in awe of people demonstrating spinning on spinning wheels and sharing the use of fibers. Driven by curiosity, I developed the ability to process fibers from unlimited breeds of sheep, lamb, alpaca, llama, domestic fur and plants. The choices are endless, contingent on the artistic crafter, creating a special project for desired cloth projects in today’s busy world that can be treasured. 

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Weaving is one of the oldest crafts humans have created, out of a necessity for clothing, as well as other uses. Endless patterns have been created, limited only by the artisan's imagination, with cultural influences from around the world. Artifacts have been discovered and analyzed that reveal amazing fibers, dyes, intricate patterns and age.

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Icelandic sheep still have the same genetics as in the day of Vikings, without mixed breeding. They have two coats. The Vikings used the top coat for rope on their sails or raincoats and hats on the ship. The undercoat was used for sweaters, or close to the skin garments.

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There are many ways to process fleece, but my favorite form of cleaning wool, freshly sheared from the sheep and other animals, is an old style called "fermenting suint". Once processed, the next step of dyeing can be from plants or manufactured dyes. The following step prepares the fiber to be spun as a yarn. The finished project brings joyful satisfaction of past and present, no matter how quintessential the piece may be. 

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In the pioneer era, men would bring their wagons and warp (thread) the looms for women. The woman of the household would give the man bread, eggs, or butter or other items for barter payment, or sometimes currency. In the revolutionary industrial era, cloth was produced much faster on machines following the concept of the Jacquard, Quality and creativity took a backseat to production.

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Our goal is to recreate the quality and creativity of old techniques with a craftsmanship designed to pass down to future generations. There is an old saying of quality vs quantity. My quest is to provide creature comforts for today's technically driven society, utilizing once tried and true, now lost out-of-date techniques, that in prior generations were passed down as common knowledge. The goal is to create fiber pieces as heirlooms, while harnessing today's natural products. I enjoy revitalizing a lost art, now a craft, for today's modern society.

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     -Maria