Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx (FATEFW). We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx is a multi-disciplinary fiber art business run by two women specializing in hand-dyed and hand-spun art yarn as well as finished knit and crochet pieces with our handmade yarn. Carrie Kathryn learned the art of hand-making yarn at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center in Fairbanks, Alaska while participating in the Farmer Training Program in 2017. Being able to learn the skills of hand-dyeing and hand-spinning fiber accelerated CK’s learning process. After leaving Calypso, the most difficult obstacle was finding used tools and saving money for new tools. Luckily, CK found a used version of the same spinning wheel she learned on in Alaska, which allowed her to continue creating art yarn for her Etsy store. Eager to share the lost art of hand-making yarn, Carrie Kathryn began teaching Sarah about the process of creation. One afternoon, CK left Sarah home alone with the drum carder, a tool used for blending fibers together, and came home to find a pile of art batts. After that, Sarah was inspired to learn how to spin those batts into yarn. From there, their love of fiber art grew, and they continue learning and creating for themselves and their business. Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx was born in 2020, and the rest is FATE.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx is a beloved hobby turned business venture between two best friends, Carrie Kathryn and Sarah. We joined forces in upstate New York so that we could share our passion for creating one of a kind hand-dyed and hand-spun art yarn. Not only do we hand-spin yarn, we also use our yarn to make finished hand-knit and crochet garments. FATEFW also makes specialized fiber products like hand-dyed roving and art batts for creatives. We make more accessible products too, like hand-woven potholders and sustainable machine-knit hats for all people in our community. Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx is proud to be an active member in the community and a regular vendor at our local markets and events. We love sharing our craft with people of all ages and set ourselves apart with our colorful display and live spinning demos for all to interact with. We believe in individuality of art and humans. Just as every skein of yarn is unique, every person is one of a kind with creative potential. We strive to bring about curiosity and promote the education of fiber art. Through the exploration of texture, color, and movement, we embrace the everchanging process of our fiber art. Through this mission, we hope to ignite inspiration, brighten the community, and expand involvement in the world of art.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best way to support creatives is to shop locally. Find and support your local farmers markets. Talk to the artisans, ask questions and learn about the process. Ask yourself critical questions: where do your resources come from, where do your clothes come from and who makes them, where is your food grown, how do you buy art, do you know your local community members? Engage with the vendors, support isn’t always monetary, being able to meet other community members allows for enriching connections and opportunities for learning and growth. If you can support monetarily, use cash. Credit card fees are a huge expense that take away from the creators. Buy original one of a kind art directly from the artist when possible. Nurture your own creativity, use the resources around you and look into classes taught by local artists. Support arts in schools, the best way to support a thriving creative ecosystem is to support it from the start.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having continual flow of creative ideas. The process of hand-making fiber is a delicate balance of skill, imagination, and challenge. We find joy in the playful exploration of color, fiber, and texture which allows us to expand on our skills, try new techniques, and manifest our original ideas. We challenge ourselves to use the same materials to create new works of vibrant fiber art. Rather than throwing away our scraps of yarn, we use them to make canvas art or to craft new yarn and art batts. We both have, in our matriarchal bloodlines, women who knit, crochet, and sew. These incredible women used fiber arts and home crafts for survival, as a way to clothe themselves and their families. We have a passion for this ancient textile art and take pride in being able to create for ourselves and others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fleeceandthankewe.com
• Instagram: @fleeceandthankewefiberworx

Image Credits
The personal photo is from @liveinIthaca, otherwise they are our personal cellphone photos.