2. loop
3. I blend specialty fiber for spinners and make art yarn for knitters, crocheters, and weavers.
4. I've always been a "creative" type, but it manifested itself previously through dance and creative writing as a kid and young adult. I'd always envied artists who made something tangible, but never seemed to find my medium. Years later, my mother-in-law tried to teach me how to knit and instead of being a good student of knitting I became obsessed with yarn. I googled "spinning lessons" in my area and found my spinning teacher and mentor. About a month into my classes with her, she introduced me to my first drum carder and I was hooked.
5. My goal is to make hand-carded batts and handspun yarns that are as beautiful as the finished objects produced by those who use them. By focusing on supplies, and not on the end product, I feel like I'm able to share my affinity for fiber with many other crafters. This artistic collaboration is what drives my work. Nothing motivates me more than seeing my customers' finished projects.
5. Favorite thing about the local fiber community.
I love meeting other fiber enthusiasts and have enjoyed meeting them at spin-ins in my studio. The online fiber community is awesome, but there's nothing better than getting to spend time with fiber friends. I've met some of my best friends through Loop and I treasure that more than anything.
6. How does what you do influence the rest of your life?
I started Loop while I was working in international development and pursuing a PhD in international education policy. Since then, Loop has grown from a part-time hobby into a full-time fiber business. I basically fell under a spell. I became fascinated with fiber as a creative medium and realized I wanted more than anything to work with it every day. And that's exactly what I do now!
In 2009, I moved Loop from my fiber-packed living room in Maryland to a 2500 square foot studio in a pre-Civil War textile mill turned arts center in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. The new studio is like a fiber candy store. Visitors can hand pick their favorite color and fiber combinations from the rows of bins and jars lining the shelves. They can blend these ingredients on a drum carder themselves, or have me feed them into my new mini mill carding machine to make custom clouds or roving. The studio is a perfect setting for fiber gatherings and classes- from carding and spinning to felting and weaving.
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