Fibers I Use

• Silk: The silk I use is hand-dyed in Canada or I hand-pant it in my Montana studio.  The sizes I typically weave are 20/2 or 60/2, a very fine thread that I normally blend with other threads of the same size to make fascinating color combinations.  The 20/2 is often uneven spun which moves from thin to thicker and back again throughout the length of the thread.  The result is that  light catches the thread differently at different parts of the thread, creating "movement" with light.

• Tencel:  Hand-dyed in Canada or hand-painted by me in my Montana studio, this Tencel has a wonderful, flowing hand.  I like Tencel for how it takes dyes and creates vibrant colors or soft colors, depending on the saturation desired.  In shawls and garments especially, Tencel has no equal for stability and luminescence, particularly when blended with silk or bamboo.

• Bamboo: While we tend to think of bamboo as stiff, this bamboo is anything but that.  It is soft enough for a baby blanket and strong enough for adult garments.  I like to blend bamboo with silk, tencel or more bamboo for shawls and garments that have excellent drape, are warm and durable.  The bamboo I use is mill-dyed into a range of saturated colors from yellows to dark purples.