Introducing... #2

It's the time of year when we invite a few American artists to join us in our upload. This year we've added an element of surprise. Can you guess who our second guest vendor is?

My involvement in the fiber arts has evolved over many decades. My mom taught me how to knit in my teens, and I designed and knit colorful bulky sweaters all through my school years. After a 15 year break during which I was very busy with career and children, I resumed knitting with crazy passion, until one day I picked up a skein of handspun yarn in my local yarn shop. My universe shifted. I had never felt such texture, nor seen such delightful color play. I was hooked. A few months later while shyly watching a spinner at our state fiber festival I decided to take spinning lessons. As my spinning techniques evolved I started washing and dyeing raw fiber in order to better control the quality and color of my finished work. Now I love to start with raw wool and create a piece, whether woven or knitted, made completely from my own hands.

I started spinning so much yarn and I could not use it all! I was in a spinning group which met at our (now closed) local yarn shop. The owner generously offered to sell my yarns there with no commission- she told me they brought people into the store and could be combined with yarns she sold for projects. She was instrumental giving me the confidence boost I needed to open a shop on Etsy. I had never run a business so it was all new, but Etsy made it easy. My shop name was an inspiration combining my love of color and yarn.

I love being able to help people reach their crafting dreams while using my creations! Working with a dollmaker on custom yarn or wool for a doll, seeing my yarn become someone's beautiful sweater gives me such satisfaction! A completely unexpected reward from having my online business is all the wonderful friends I’ve made through working with talented artists and crafters. I have learned so much from how these artists use fiber and yarn. It has really opened up my world. My only dislike is not having enough time for it!

I am a paediatrician working in a wonderful practice, and I feel I derive a lot of energy from being around children all day! My husband and I live in New Jersey and we have 2 children- one a high school senior and the other in college. We also have 5 sweet cats adopted from shelters.

I decided early on that I would practice my fiber art from the heart and use only the best materials I could find. Since fiber art is my passion I never want it to become routine and stale. So I make what I am inspired to make, with love and pleasure, using high quality ingredients, one at a time.

I am motivated by an artist's desire to create beauty, and inspired by many routine events in daily life. The colors on a child's sneakers or a delivery truck. Beautiful wool on the sheep. Once I opened my eyes to color inspiration I found it really is everywhere!

My favorite thing about the US is the National Park System and all the beautiful places preserved. Our family did a lot of camping all across the country in these parks!

My favorite thing about being American... especially with our 239th birthday coming up... is our potential to be a caring and generous people to those who need help all over the world.