Someone looking at my fiber stash and the yarns I’ve made might think it was my goal/desire to spin every fiber that’s ever existed. And I think that would be an accurate observation.

Silk, wool, nettle, flax, cotton and more have presented themselves to me and said, “Discover what I’m about. Really get to know me.” This conversation keeps deepening, stretching me and bringing me into direct and indirect contact with the tools, cultures and people that have produced these fascinating, essential and sensuous materials.

I’m very lucky to be in New England – we have fiber farmers and fiber festivals where a great variety of animal fleeces, especially sheep, can be touched and purchased, and one can talk to the person who raised the animals. Often, there are specific reasons (such as animal size, temperament, and fleece characteristics) that influence a person to choose which breed or animal they raise, and it’s enlightening to listen to these passionate folks talk about their flocks.

We’re also able, if we have access to the internet, to know and be in contact with many more sources of fibers than in the past, although countries vary in their restrictions about allowing unwashed fleece into their borders.

I’ve learned so much by studying and obtaining unwashed fleeces. At festivals, I can reach my hand into a bag of fleece and get a feel for its character – soft, rough, crimpy, wavy, lustrous, more or less lanolin, length of lock. I can see all the variety of color in sheep, pure black, shades of grey, brown, all the tones of white, moorit. One can learn to feel the differences in the qualities of fleece from different parts of the animal’s body – back, sides and neck. Alpacas, llamas, goats and rabbits present their own fluffy qualities.

With sheep, to feel the differences in the fleeces of lambs, wethers and adults is another whole study. It seems to me that, although generalizations can be made, when one is able to be in direct contact with the animals, the generalizations fade – I have handled some Navajo Churro fleece, which is often characterized as best for rugs, and found it to be as soft as fleece that’s often said to be “next to skin soft”. Of the fleeces I’ve purchased based on pictures posted online, I’ve been able to get to know wool from sheep that might not thrive in New England, varieties that are only available in their native lands. Washing fleeces myself allows me to be very careful in preserving the essential character of the fleece and to keep the lock formation if I want to.

My attraction to these fibers further developed a curiosity to know more about these animals and plants – how their history and the history of humans evolved and grew together. Reading cultural and anthropological studies exposed a lot of information not generally taught or discussed, and it also has shown me that a lot of what is written and taken to be gospel is often erroneous and biased. So one has to keep digging deeper to find information that is closer to the original sources, and be more aware of the various arguments and issues in these fields, even if only from a sophisticated lay – person’s vantage point.

Older spindles, tools and textiles have made their way to my doorstep, and using them, spinning with them, studying them, brings other kinds of awarenesses to me. Getting to know these spindles and wheels by spinning fibers similar to what was likely spun on them, I am connected to those past spinners over space and time. So what does feeling connected to spinners of the past do for me? It fires my imagination, reminds me that humans do and think great things, often cooperate with each other to create enormous projects that one human alone cannot easily do…that we often make each other smile with our words, actions and creations.

Editor’s Note: Linda is a very sharing resource to many spinners through her various projects and effort in many online communities. You can find her work at http://www.stoneleafmoon.com