I have been involved in Hand Spinning, Dying, and Felt Making for many years. Knitting is self-taught. My work prior to 1996, when I made my piece titled 'Tree 1', was very different. I was intent, then, on improving my skills to try and produce hand spun yarns of different qualities and to the highest standard. My friend provided me with dog hair, a precious material which I used in my previous pieces. I learnt felt making at various short courses and this became an important element in my work. I was particularly fascinated by techniques demonstrated by Poly Starling where she produced very finely felted fabric, almost like lace.
'Tree1' was a turning point in my attitude towards making and represented a complete change of direction. Through it, I learned how important it was to follow a particular theme or means of expression. Nevertheless, in trying to do this I have found that the various skills I learned along the way have all come in very useful.
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