4 minute read
“One of a Kind Fibre Crafts”
By McKenze Martin
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Early in the morning you can hear the hum of the spinning wheel... Spinning and spinning. Weaving together a piece of art like no other.
An ancient craft dating back to over a thousand years ago. The spinner turns the large wheel with one hand and drafts the fiber as it’s spun into yarn with the other.
PrairieHawk Fibres creator and artist, Coleen Hawkins, has brought the ancient craft back into the spotlight. She does everything from spinning, hand dyeing and painting to weaving the wool.
Coleen’s father purchased the spinning wheel from New Zealand in the early 1970’s. Her mother never used it for its craft, just as a piece of furniture. She says and I quote “When I took it home I was bound and determined that I was going to make it work” and that she did.
Coleen has always been an avid knitter and sewer. Her latest endeavor has been six years in the making... Perfecting her work of art in the fibre world. The sound of pride in her voice heightens when she tells me “no two pieces are identical”
Weaving like crazy, Coleen quickly built up a big inventory. She thought “Why not share?” them. All the grandkids used to spin the wheel in the basement to get it going as fast as they could!
The last 2 summers every 2 weeks, Colleen was at the Jasper farmers market. It is definitely her niche... she can not spin or weave fast enough to keep up with the demand!
I live on a large 80 acre acreage. My neighbor and I in December bought 6 little cordial sheep. So soon I’ll have my own fibres too! I travel to Australia once a year to visit family, bringing fine merino wool back with me to spin and weave. Lots of wool scarves, shawls and tea towels. So many different types of natural wools... superwash wool that can be thrown into the washer and dryer.
They are warmer and natural and BONUS they will compost! Keep your footprint small. I offer alpaca as well which is even warmer! I love the color and not knowing what I’m going to wind up with. You never quite know what you're going to get when you dye. When I’m weaving, the colors interact like a game for me. To see what really pops and what sort of pattern works with all the colors. I love the surprise of not knowing what I’m going to get and it's usually something beautiful. I’ll run up to my husband full of excitement to show him as he is always so encouraging!
A favorite is merino wool because it's very fine and soft next to your skin, not scratchy at all and it absorbs the moisture of your sweat to keep you warm! Second favorite is alpaca, it’s 7x warmer than any sheep wool and it’s very soft as well. The third favorite is cordial, it’s a medium wool. Also weaving with cotton is amazing!
The history of spinning has been around for thousands of years but people don't think of it in everyday life, what they're wearing, how they used to be made by hand and how they aren't anymore. I remember being a little girl walking into a fiber shop and seeing all the wool, colors, patterns and the smell of the shop. I always knew that it would be awesome to create with all this one day.
I also make beeswax food wraps! I use 100 percent cotton with local beeswax, pine resin and jojoba oil from Ontario to blend in... I have finally perfected my little recipe over the years! This combination gives the best cling and lifespan. Simply form around bowls, cheeses, fruits and sandwiches to keep food fresher longer. Then easily rinse in cool water and air dry. Remember, for best results and food safety "no heat & no meat". Each item is uniquely crafted to make a one of a kind original for you. These are sold in packs of 4! They reduce your plastic use in the kitchen! These cotton wraps come in a variety of fun patterns. They all come with a bee motif! So cute!
I worked in recycling for years and was an active environmentalist. I went into environmental studies and got my certificate, so now I’m promoting environmentally friendly procedures like decomposable products, the food wraps and compostable products. It’s all natural fibres and will compost naturally back into the earth. Retired from work life into this!
The fibre world is an ancient craft! Baby blankets, tea towels, shawls, hand spun wool, and wool from Ontario that I paint! Find the perfect gift Today! Remember Ins’s Gallery from last month? You can find PrairieHawk Fibre products there. You can also buy online!
You can find PraireHawk Fibres on their website on Facebook or call them at: 780-712-1245
Coleen Hawkins
