Grandmother Tree ~ Handspun & Handwoven Shawl

First I farm. Then I clean and dye. Then I spin. Last, I weave.Shawl/Scarf Name: Grandmother Tree Fibers: 60% Mohair, 20% Fine Shetland, 15% Merino Wool, 5% Tussah Silk, and Firestar Loom: Continuous Strand on a 7ft Rectangle Loom Each shawl and scarf begins in the pastures with my own beloved flock—a “flerd” of sheep and goats who are as much family as fiber producers. We shear the sheep once a year and the goats twice, gathering the soft, lustrous mohair and wool that form the foundation of these pieces. From there, I do nearly everything by hand: washing and dyeing the fiber in rich, nuanced colors; carding batts to blend hues and textures; matching it with more fiber from my fellow fiber artist friends, and spinning each skein of yarn at my wheel until it’s ready to become something beautiful. Once the yarn is spun and fulled, I weave it—often on my seven-foot triangle or rectangle loom—into one-of-a-kind shawls and scarves. The finished pieces are washed once more to set the weave