Thread and Eye

The Navajo Churro, or simply "Churro", is a breed of sheep originating from the Spanish Churra obtained by the Navajo, Hopi, and other Native American nations of the southwest around the 16th century during the Spanish Conquest. The breed is extremely adaptable and hardy, and their wool is superb. They are a double coated breed, meaning they have a coarse protective topcoat and a downy soft undercoat, but when these fibers are blended together it makes a yarn uniquely suited to rug and tapestry weaving.

The Autoknitter Sock Machine!  This is a new piece in my collection. In addition to being a collectible fiber antique, it is also a heck of a workhorse. The Autoknitter machine was made in England, Canada, and the U.S. Though produced in different countries over a few decades, there are defining characteristics: they all have the same style of V-cam in the front, the same style of tear drop lifter cams, plus the identifying “y-shaped” yarn mast. My machine is stamped “Made in Canada”. It is likely from the mid 1920s, and is the “duplex” model, meaning it came with two different cylinders for knitting different weights of fabric.  I’ve only had the machine for a month, but I’m happy to say I’ve scaled the steep learning curve and I’ve produced a few pairs of socks. The “sunburst” colorway was my first pair. 

Embroidery pieces from my studio, past, present, and future. 

The inspiration for this project was a Swedish krokbragd rug I found online. I used primary colors of Procion MX, plus orange, on a white cotton warp, to achieve the effect I wanted. The threading at the loom was “rosepath”, a traditional twill threading.