Fibonacci, fractals and Fibershed

When I see an image like this I always wonder if  the manmade article was copied from or inspired by its natural counterpart or are we just hardwired and so interconnected to the natural world that this iteration would be inevitable in any case. The stones that pave the way to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland are marked with interconnecting spirals, much like Celtic knot patterns, only these were made by nature when the rocks were formed. Plants and sea shells exhibit Fibonacci sequences that are apparant in many artists's compositions. Once I have taught my students about fractals, those repeating patterns that change size but not shape and look the same at any scale, they see them in everything, because that is where they are. I also teach my students to keep a nature journal to help them develop observation skills. Again, they start to notice things thay hadn't seen before and how many things share that structure or pattern. This image was posted by Fibershed, a slow fashion, slow textile, grass roots organization devoted to keeping clothing a local product, from farm to finished product. This image was published in Selvedge Magazine, taken by Ian Lawson for an article on Harris Tweed.

In previous posts I have talked about choosing tools that are right for the fleece you want to work with. On a recent trip to Iceland I was able to pick up two traditional, Icelandic spindles. They are top whorl, with the large whorls placed very close to the hook and have long, cone shaped shafts. Even the smaller, all light wood one, is very robust compared to all my other spindles. It actually weighs more than an Ashford spindle I have, which is pretty chunky compared to a Forester or Ledbetter spindle. Icelandic sheep's wool is dual coated, but the two coats are usually carded together. The resulting batt or roving has a long staple length, without a lot of crimp. I had brought a small medieval style spindle with me in the trip. When I tried the small spindle I had brought, it was very frustrating, it would come to a halt very quickly. Same fleece did very well with either of the larger Icelandic spindles. Design is driven by what your resources are and the environmental conditions in which you work.

Iceland