new semester, new structure

so, this being my last semester, classes are looking a little different. my studio class consists of an exploration of materials and methods. the first week, we explored paper cubes, last week we made wooden boxes, and this week we're tackling cement. it's a lot of fun and unlike any other class i've taken in my years here. here are the results of that so far:

it's safe to say, i'm no expert at either material yet! it's still great to be able to experiment and work with these materials. 

i'm also interning with an extraordinary woman this semester. her name is louise wheatley and she is a weaver, print maker, textile conservator, and much more! she's taught me how to hand spin my own yarn from all sorts of fibers using a drop spindle. she's also taught me how to make twine from locally-grown dogbane, or indian hemp. very soon i'll learn to grow natural dyes and carve wood blocks as well as how to weave! 

my hopes are to one day take my knowledge of craft and the primitive methods i've been learning and go overseas. i think that it would be incredible to teach children and to work with women to set up their own businesses and support their families. there are a lot of fair trade organizations that partner with women and families in their crafts and through them the families have much gain. 

here are some photos from what i've been able to work on so far:

dogbane

the fibers pulled from the broken-up dogbane

the before & after

hand-spun twine

wool straight from the sheep

me carding wool

rolling it off with a pencil...it makes life so much easier!

pencil rovings, ready to go

the drop spindle and some spun yarn!

my first-ever completed skein of wool yarn. proud moment!

learning to spin cotton...yes, that's a honey dipper

first completed skein of cotton yarn!

i can't wait to see where this internship takes me!