Who I am
The roots of Twisting Fibers Yarn Co. run deep in my genetics. My Mom, Grandmas and Great-Grandmothers all had an influence. Each is an amazing fiber artist in their own rights. Mom taught me to do counted cross-stitch, crochet and sew by the time I was 9. My Grandma taught me finer details of embroidery. I have linens that were made by Great-Grandmothers. I learned knitting one summer in Girl Scouts at the age of 12. I have always been fascinated by the ‘old-fashioned’ arts. When in my 30’s, I was reintroduced to crochet and knitting. Spinning my own yarn came into my life on my 40th birthday and weaving followed a few years later. The dream of having my own line of yarn became an idea at some point in that time and, when the time was right, it became a reality. Thank you for joining me on this journey and supporting my small business!
Why Peru
As a teen, I applied to be an exchange student. I was able to indicate on the application where in the world I would like to go but I didn’t get to choose. Since I was studying French at the time, France was at the top of the list. Imagine the shock when I opened the letter and it said I would be going to Peru!! I had to look at a map to be sure I knew where it was other than the general ‘in South America’ answer.
My stay in Peru changed my life! It opened the world to me and I experienced things that had been previously unimaginable. The people there were kind, generous, happy and full of life. When I returned home, I knew that someday I wanted to give back to the people of Peru in some way. I didn’t know what that would look like for many years.
Peru, more specifically my city of Arequipa, has become one of the top fiber and textile producers in the world. The quality llama, alpaca, vicuña, wool and cotton are second to none. Many yarn companies and famous fashion houses source their fibers and textiles from the mills in and around Arequipa. By sourcing my yarns exclusively from a mill in Arequipa, I’m helping local growers provide an income for their families. We also donate 5% of net income to provide school supplies and necessities to children and families. In the future we hope to be able to sponsor teens to be exchange students with the hope that it will change their lives for the better as it did mine so many years ago.