I am an artist

Some people draw. Some paint. Some sculpt. Others sing or dance. I don't do these things. My pictures are flat and uninspiring; I can only paint smiley faces. I've never tried sculpting. I like to sing, but don't do it well, and I'm much too large and awkward to dance.

I work with fiber.

Here are some of the tools of my trade:

I have two spinning wheels, my Ashford Joy and my Schacht upright. (There is blue cotton being spun on the joy)

Left is my ball winder, and right is the swift, which holds skeins so that I can make my balls. These two wonderful inventions eliminate the need for hijacking family members to hold skeins.

These are my double point knitting needles. They are great for knitting tubes, as when doing hats or socks. I have them in plastic (which frankly is just wrong on so many levels, but a friend found them at a second hand store in bulk, gave them to me, and you can never tell when I'll finally be organized enough to carry yarn and needles to convert an unsuspecting populace), metal (which I like best), and wood, which are best in group situations in which the slight click would be irritating (if you can imagine such a thing. I can't, but I can respect that others aren't as infatuated with knitting as I am).

This is the most important part of my art: yarn. Yarn that I have spun myself (which often ends up staying as skeins), yarn that I have bought for myself because I haven't had time to spin, yarn to have solely to have.

These skeins are all handspun. The top skein is a blend of cashmere and silk; the second skein is silk only; the bottom two are wool. I dyed the yellow yarn and bought fiber to spin the dark green wool.

These are all purchased. The cotton candy yarn on the left turned out to be a disappointment (if I can find the socks, I'll explain why), and other yarns will be featured in future articles (I know, you just can't wait).

Another time (tomorrow probably) I'll show what I can do with the tools of my art.