Spinning An Interest Into A Career
(Continued from Tea* B 18)
seemed the natural next step. A
Lancaster class taught Debbie
weaving basics, and continuing
seminars help her fine-tune
techniques.
“Most people who spin and
weave have several different sizes
and types of wheels and looms,”
she adds, explaining the differ
ences in these “tools” of
craftsmanship.
Largest of her three looms is of
Swedish pine, and weaves a
44-inch width, for such items as
blankets, throws, shawls and yard
ages. The 27-inch is useful for
scarves and smaller items, while a
tabletop loom helps in designing
samples. And, her five different
spinning wheels help her fashion
the specialty yams that give hand
spun woolens their heirloom
quality.
Dyeing The Yarns
For a distinctive personal touch,
.Debbie dyes many pf her yams.
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She favors a “rainbow” dyeing
technique, in which compliment
ing colors of dye are randomly
applied to yam or raw, washed
fleece. Solid color lots are also
dyed, though they pose more of
challenge in obtaining a uniform
color.
The dye pot she uses allows
Debbie to color about two pounds
of wool per lot, enough for a
medium-sized sweater. Heat from
steaming or simmering in a water
bath, along with the use of “level
ing agents,” sets the color in the
fleece or yams.
“But even using setting mater
ials, colors will eventually fade a
bit with washing over the years,”
this wool fibre expert says.
Debbie sometimes uses natural
materials from her herb garden
and the Meadow Vale pastures
and hills for the dye process. Wal
nut, for instance, makes a long
lasting, lovely brown shade.
Pokebeny, goldenrod, yew bushes
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and strawberries all color wool in
soft, attractive shades. Cochineal,
a Mexican beetle, is a natural dye
available through suppliers that
yields red and pink shades.
“Lichens make a purple dye,
and indigo, which is grown in the
South, gives a beautiful blue,”
Debbie explains. “I’ve been told
that any plant will yield a of
some sort - but not every shdde is
desirable. You just have to experi
ment a lot”
Fibers other than those from the
family’s flock sometimes find
their way into Debbie’s work, as
she experiments with textures and
techniques. Hair from her pet
Angora rabbit can be spun in with
roving, and she has used fibers
from llama, alpacas (similar to but
smaller than a llama), mohair,
camel, and silk.
Some of Debbie’s most cher
ished items have been designed
for her 18-month-old daughter,
Hayley. The soft fibers of angora
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and alpaca blended with wools
lend themselves to delicate, warm,
baby garments.
Design, and creative use of
lovely colors, now challenges
Debbie. One day she hopes to be
“juried,” an official recognition of
a craftsperson specializing in a
particular area. To become juried,
a craftsperson must pass stringent
requirements, including submit
ting sample pieces for judging by
a recognized committee of peers.
Weaving Tartans
She leans toward specializing in
weaving Scottish tartan, the some
times bold and dramatic plaids,
unique to the many clans, or fami
lies, of Scotland. Perhaps it is her
part-Scottish ancestry her great
grandmother who spun was a
Ramsay or maybe just her
sheer love of bright, warn color,
that intrigues Debbie about these
historic weaving patterns.
“I just love the colors,” she
says, stroking a tartan blanket of
warm red accented with contrasts
of blue and yellow. “And a tartan
is really a history, a family tree.”
One of Debbie’s goals is to visit
Scotland to research the official
registry of Scottish tartans. Few
weavers today work in authentic
tartans, which must be reproduced
to exact colors and threads per
inch. The royal British family,
explains Debbie, has a registered
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tartan, which may not be repro
duced for other than its official
use.
“Supposedly, to be considered
authentic, the yams, must even be
hand spun and hand dyed,” she
relates, voicing concern over what
could become a lost art. “One vil
lage in Scotland reportedly has the
few older weavers still weaving
tartan. And most of them are of
retirement age.”
A more immediate goal,
though, is firming up details for
the small shop and mail-order bus
iness that has evolved from grow
ing customer demand for the
fleeces and yarns, and for
Debbie’s handwoven and knit cre
ations. Periodic shows, including
a large one in May, and magazine
advertising during the fall aimed
at fleecd buyers, are part of their
creative marketing.
Meadow Vale Farm and Fibre’s
merchandise includes fleeces, rov
ing. and yarns from the Glass’
flock, sweater kits with Debbie’s
own-dyed yams, woven blankets,
throws and scarves, and knitted
items. Imported Shetland wool,
and Australian Merino-crossed
roving, in a variety of colors also
are stocked.
For additional information,
Debbie Glass may be contacted at
R 2, Airville, PA, 17302, or by
calling 717/862-3101.
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