Fiber arts are basically the act of taking fibers and making a cloth. Some of these arts are only a way of making lace (tatting), while some are for making embellishments on fabrics (embroidery), and some can only make cloth (weaving). Knitting and crocheting can create anything from lace to appliqués to heavy sweaters and hammocks. Spinning is the art of making thread or yarn, usually out of wool. Most fiber arts were originally done with natural fibers such as wool, cotton, linen, and silk. Today there are many different kinds of yarn . Many are made from man-made fibers. Many fiber arts can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages or farther. Most poor people practiced fiber arts out of necessity. In the Victorian period, young ladies were expected to learn the more delicate arts such as embroidery. Today, there are machines that can do most fiber arts, but it is still fun and rewarding to do them by hand.
Spinning is the act of twisting fibers into thread or yarn. Before spinning, wool must be sheared. After shearing the wool is washed (this can be done in a washing machine if you are careful not to agitate it). Many spinners prefer wool that has not been washed. Then it is carded. This means you need carding brushes which can be very expensive. However, you can buy wool that has been washed and carded but is not spun. This is called roving and can usually be found at small yarn shops. You can spin with any fiber and you can even buy blends of fibers at yarn shops. However, wool, being the easiest fiber to spin, is best for beginners. You will also need a drop spindle. These can be purchased or made with a dowel and a piece of wood. A spindle can be any size or weight. The more your spindle weighs, the thicker your yarn will be. A good beginners spindle would be a circle with a diameter of about 2 ½ inches and about ¾ inch thick. You can drill a hole in the middle and put in a dowel. You will need to cut a hook in the dowel. This is called a drop spindle and is a more primitive version of the spinning wheel. Drop spindles are the easiest way to learn spinning because a spinning wheel will suck the wool that has not been spun away from you if you are not fast enough. To spin you simply tie a piece of yarn to the spindle loop it around the bottom and make a half hitch in the hook. Then spin the spindle and begin to let the wool through your fingers. When the spindle hits the floor, undo your half hitch and wind the yarn on the spindle and repeat. When learning to spin, it helps to find someone who can spin to answer your questions and demonstrate. If you want to dye your wool you will need a book with instructions and materials. You can dye the wool before or after spinning, and you can even dye it after you make something with it for more uniform color.
Weaving is one of the oldest crafts. There is a depiction of a loom on a pottery dish dated c. 4400 B. C. found in a tomb. The first looms were vertical, but many looms today are horizontal. On a loom, the threads running up and down are called warp. The threads running side to side are called woof or weft. Different combinations of fibers make cloth such as linsey-woolsey (linen warp and woolen weft). Weaving is generally more complicated and expensive than any of the other fiber arts since it requires a large loom. However, there are some weaving projects that that are less complicated and expensive such as weaving pot holders on plastic or metal looms (metal is better and much sturdier, but more expensive and harder to find). You can make a loom of your own by cutting notches in a piece of card board (as big as you want your finished cloth to be) and stringing yarn across and then weaving through it with a different piece of yarn (on a card board shuttle).
Tatting is older than knitting or crocheting. Tatting is sometimes called “poor man’s lace” because it requires no tool but the fingers since the shuttle or needle is only a convenient way to hold the thread. Tatting is made up of knots rather than stitches (it uses the double knot). Tatting is very similar to macramé. A good way to learn tatting is to buy a kit. If you do not buy a kit you will need a shuttle or needle , some thread and a book on tatting. You can buy either a plastic or a metal shuttle. Also tatting requires highly mercerized thread. You may make a piece of trim for a first project.
Embroidery is similar to painting with threads. It has been around for thousands of years. Samplers have been recovered from Egyptian burial grounds and beads were used in medieval embroidery. Embroidery appears in many paintings both with people doing embroidery and with people wearing embroidered clothing. Embroidery was popular during the Victorian period. For embroidery, you will need a needle (with a large eye), some embroidery floss, and something to embroider on (canvas works well). A good first project would be a scent pillow. To make one, you will need felt, stuffing, and something to scent you pillow, lavender or dried orange peel would be good (besides the usual supplies). First cut out two pieces of felt the size you want your pillow to be. Then you sew a pretty design on one piece of the felt. Then sew them together using blanket stitch (leaving one side open for stuffing). Add stuffing and a little of your scent and sew up the side.
Knitting creates a stretchy cloth which is warmer than woven cloth. The word knit is thought to have come from the word cnyttan which means to tie a knot. The Egyptians knit socks from 1200-1500 A.D. Today’s knitting is thought to have developed around the late 14th century. During the Elizabethan reign, knitting schools were started and knitting was thought to keep people out of trouble. In 1670 knitting socks brought extra income to farmers. Knitting was brought to the new world by colonists and later carried west by pioneers. Some schools began to teach knitting in the 1800’s. The first knitting books were published between 1835 and 1840. Women knit stockings for solders during the civil war. World War I stimulated knitting in Brittan. A good first knitting project would be a scarf using size 17 straight (bamboo) knitting needles and Jiffy Thick and Quick or Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn. This is a good first project because it is fast and easy.
Crochet uses one hook to make fabric by pulling one loop through another loop. Crocheting is considered easier than knitting. The word crochet means hook in French. Crocheting is one of the youngest crafts being about 400 years old. French nuns made lace using a hooked needle. Victorian ladies used a crochet hook and a hair pin to create hair pin lace. To crochet, you need a hook. These come in plastic or metal and are sized using letters. A is smallest and Q is largest. Steel hooks are numbered with 1 being the largest and are used to make doilies. A good first project would be a wash cloth or a baby blanket because these projects are quick and easy.
As you can see there are many kinds of fiber arts. I enjoy all of them and they are not very difficult to learn. For help, check the library, craft store, or book store for books or find someone to help you learn. You could also look on the internet for information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Knitting
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Crocheting
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Other Fiber Arts
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Beck, Tomasina. The Embroiderers Story. Italy: David & Charles, 1995.
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Gibson, Ray. Starting Needle crafts. London: Usborne Publishing Ltd., 1994.
Hoare, Ratharin. The Art of Tatting. Berkley: Lacis Publications, 1910.
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Readers Digest, Back To Basics. Pleasantville: The Readers Digest
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Roessel, Monty. Songs From the Loom. Minneapolis: Learner Publications Company, 1995.
Sarah, Don. Traditional Samplers. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1986.
Thompson, Angela. Embroidery with Beads. Berkeley: Lacis, 1987.
