A Fiber Journey into Rosemaling
In November 2018, I was a student at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN, taking a multi-day course on millenary (find that full story here). We were stationed in Blue House, in the smaller of the two rooms. Next to us was a large rosemaling class, with the tables formed in a wide […]
Joyful Lifelong Learning
I’m not much for watching TV, as you might have surmised. The few winter evenings we do watch a program, it’s almost always a documentary, preempted by someone calling out, “Let’s learn something!” Learning, in our house, was not something you did only during school hours—it was a part of everyday life that was encouraged […]
Nisse: Yuletide Homestead Helpers
I love learning new things. This last week’s Zoom needle felting classes were hosted with Vesterheim Folk Art School (based in Decorah, Iowa), with a class that proved to be so popular we added a second date to accommodate the waiting list, which also filled up in just a matter of days from opening registration. […]
The Yurt is Back!
I would not fit well into a tiny house. For one thing, I own 15 different weaving looms—in all shapes and sizes. Floor looms, upright tapestry looms, table looms, a triangular shawl loom, round looms, Navajo looms…they all serve to create different types of textiles and are part of my growing assembly of looms available […]
Introducing Erindale Palates
“You have such a sense of color,” I’ve hard again and again. “When I see your work, or the dyes you choose for your yarns, I know it’s yours by the colors you choose.” Or, most recently when helping an online shopper with shipping her roving order, she offered, “I loved the color choices–more natural […]
Always Experimenting
Artists don’t sit still well. Repeating what’s been created before soon becomes painfully boring, and I find myself yearning to push the boundaries and try something new. Because of the squirrel attack on my studio yurt (and the fact that I’m still dealing with mice in there), all of my copious yarn stash had to […]
The Yurt is Attacked!
From my weekly column “Down on the Farm” Living with nature can be a beautiful, peaceful experience, but not always. Some weeks, it can feel like the farm is under attack, and this was one of them. It started on Friday, when I left Farmstead right after closing time and all the delicious to-go dinners […]
Students Share Their Projects
In the face of COVID-19, my teaching schedule tanked. Facing March and April classes that had already been scheduled and booked, I turned the loss into an opportunity, transforming the materials into kits and the instruction time into recorded tutorials. This allowed me to launch seven new needle felting kits with accompanying video instruction, which […]
Developing a New Model for Teaching Fiber Arts
Developing a New Model for Teaching Fiber Arts Until Spring of 2020 I had spend years immersed in an “in person” fiber arts teaching schedule, with needle felting classes on Saturdays, Painting with Wool felting classes on Sundays, two-day weaving intensives, and many Fridays travel teaching to folk schools for felting and punch needle rug […]
Studio Tour: Step Inside My Yurt
Studio Tour: Step Inside My Yurt For 16 years, my yurt has been and still is my treasured tapestry studio space. I filmed this tour for you, so you can step inside and look around. Join me! https://player.vimeo.com/video/412158636 As a creative person, do you ever struggle to create that “room of your own” for your […]