Patti Beaumont
Spindles in the Wild & Story Spun Yarns
The basics:
I read. A lot. Esp. sci-fi/fantasy books and non-fiction about discoveries and exploration. I love music, esp celtic, folk, and bluegrass. I sing- usually old songs. I play a variety of string instruments with more enthusiasm than skill.
I drink tea, hike, walk on beaches, paddle, and camp. I have too many plants, drink too much tea, and have more fleeces and yarn in my stash than any sane person would. I love to cook, sail, and swim. But, at my core, I am a maker of things. Of trebuchets, hats, tools, and books. Of paper, sails, ropes, and blankets. Of baskets, brooms, sweaters, and napkins.

I’ve spent thirty years experimenting with all sorts of techniques and materials, taking things back to the basics and going from source to finish. For linen, that means growing flax, building the processing tools, processing the plants, spinning the flax into linen, and finally weaving something. For knitting, I may start with a raw fleece and go through finished object. Or- I’ll jump in somewhere along the way. The fun is in learning and exploring ideas and techniques. I love growing dye plants, wild collecting, and making natural dyes. But who could ignore the fabulous colors and flexibility of commercial dyes?

I’m definitely of the mind that opening yourself up to more tools and processes give you more options to make different things. Spindles, spinning wheels, espinners, charkhas- yes to all the twisting things! Handcards, blending boards, drum carders, combs – yes to all the spikey things! Dyepots, vats, solar ovens, steamers, mud baths, reactives- yes to all the dyeing things!

Most of all, I love spending time with the people in the making community. The diversity of life experiences, skill sets, histories, and cultural knowledge makes for a warm, and welcoming place to share