ozma of odds: beautiful handspun art yarn by artist drucilla petitbone

...oh dear!!

i'm a goner!

for you see,

as of late ~

i've been collecting a few skeins of some ethereally "spun gold"!

i feel like rumpelstiltskin

more

spin me
m
o
r
e
!!!

i simply CAN'T get enough of them...

and little...

...little

i have a delightful, small collection of

the.

most.

BEAUTEOUS art yarns i have laid my eyes upon ~

EVER!!

each fiber has been carefully chosen,

cleaned,

and then spun into lovely yarns

with bits of silk

or lace

and other bits and bobs

the gifted spinner of these art yarns

describes these bits and bobs as dashes of colour

and beads are concentrated in certain areas

of this yarn to embellish your finished object here and there,

like jewelry, rather than distributed throughout the yarn.

and whom,
you may be wondering,

just is this enchanted spinner of these beauteous yarns???

hhhmmmmm...

well my dear, supportive blog friends,

her name is Drucilla Pettibone.

she lives on a farm in North Carolina.

weeks ago,
when i discovered her etsy shop,
i knew then
that i just had to share with you
these little works of art,
and
that i wanted to learn more about them!

now,

right about now,
you may be saying to yourself

"self,
you don't even crochet or knit so this really doesn't interest you..."

and to that i would say dear readers ~
i don't knit or crochet either!!

BUT

there is something soooo special about these yarns that i simply can NOT explain to you.

you have to see them with your own eyes,
and feel them upon your fingertips
and then,
THEN you will see what i mean!!

i was delighted when i inquired with Dru
to see if she would mind answering
just a few questions about her yarns
and she said absolutely :)

q: i wonder if you could tell us a little about just who Dru, the fiber artist is?

Dru: let's see... i'm a cancer girl, a married spinster, and a very process-oriented artisan. i'm in my early 40s and still have one foot in graduate school, but have been able to move with my husband to a little 1920s farmhouse in north carolina. my hub has two wonderful grownup daughters who live in the midwest, and i'm mom to our dogs, fiber rabbits and sheep, along with guard donkeys, an ancient mule and lots of roaming fowl.... i would love to truly homestead, but i still have so much to learn.

q: do you spin your own yarns?

Dru: yes! i learned to spin in the late 90s, and felt like i had done it before, many times.

q: where do you seek/find your beautiful fibers to spin?

Dru: i love to make yarn from the fiber of animals who i know and love! there's nothing more rewarding. i have a small spinner's flock, so i also seek fiber from small local farmers and their animal friends. i also have a group of close fiber artist friends, and we do swaps and collaborations.

q:   i'm curious, do you have a spinning wheel or two?

Dru: oh yes, you know i've become a wheel-hoarder!

q: is is true that you have names for all of them?
and if so, what are their names and what does each one do??

Dru: it's kind of normal among spinners to name their wheels! i named a couple of them, but the rest all came with their names! i find that (especially with the antique wheels) they each have their own quirks and personalities. i've had a number of wheels over the years, but these are my keepers. from left to right:

* Sunny is an antique wheel from the North of Sweden. She has the year 1846 carved into her table. She arrived in many pieces, but I've been restoring her and she spins lace yarn beautifully.

* Behind her is Clara, an antique Swiss production wheel. She is really interesting with her beautiful wood, huge flyer, and lateral treadle (so that you sit sideways to the wheel!) She is a very good, fast spinner and great for plying.

* Big Bertha is a vintage Cowichan bulky spinning wheel. Her name says it all: she is all about spinning the bulkiest of bulkies. She is made of gorgeous black maple and has a big box shape. She's incredibly beautiful and easy to use.

* Ilja is an antique Lithuanian wheel, marked 1888! She is very tiny, almost a child-sized wheel, and a little slow, but i love her painted details. She seems perfectly happy spinning angora all the day long.

* Aunt Leonie, is a 1970s Louet S10. She is a very sturdy workhorse and easy-peasy spinner. She can handle most bulky yarns very well but is also great for finer yarns. A great all-around wheel.

* In front is little Hattie, a vintage Louet hatbox wheel. She is an easy to use, fab spinner, and I love her styling. She is my travel wheel.

* Bedelia is an antique Canadian production wheel with tilt-tension. She is the fastest wheel I've ever used, and is best for long-draw, woolen spinning

wow! i had no idea Dru!!
no wonder each skein is like a beautiful art piece
as each, is truly "one of a kind"

q: i have NEVER seen or felt such ethereal yarns in my life!

Where oh where! do you get your inspiration??

you are so kind, rosemary! it has been said that fiber will tell you what it wants to become, and i try to listen to it. i am drawn to the many natural, subtle colours of wool and angora fibre. i tend to only add colour to decorate or embellish the natural colours rather than as a base. and to add colour, i much prefer natural dyes to synthetic. i also try to retain the natural texture of the fiber rather than change it in processing, so that contributes to the flyaway look of my yarns.