Today, I'd like to introduce someone from a place most people haven't been. I'd sure love to visit the Yukon. Our guest, Rachel, has a quote under the title of her blog by Arthur Ashe,
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
I've read her blog, going back a year or so, and she sure seems to live her life according to these words. Perhaps it's necessary to do that when you live where she does. In any case, they're good words to live by. Her "awesome" life sure appeals to me.
My name is Rachel Rodnunsky. My blog is Tintina Fibres and
is at
TintinaFibres.com. I
named it that because, where I live, Faro, Yukon Territory is
in the Tintina Trench, a land formation up here.
Faro is a small town of 400 people just below the
arctic circle. To do any shopping, I have
to drive to Whitehorse which is 350 km so I often stay
overnight when I go shopping especially in the winter. That
is also where the nearest hospital, drug store, dentist,
mechanic, and any other amenity really is. We just have a
nursing station here and a small general store.
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| Yukon-raised Icelandic fleece dyed with natural dyes. |
I grew up in
Alberta, lived in Europe for a few years, and settled here in
the Yukon 7 years ago. I am a spinner, a crocheter, and a
natural dyer. I learned how to crochet in 1982 or so, when I
was young. I learned how to spin in 2008 just before I gave
birth to my 3rd child. I have been natural dyeing since
2010. I really wanted to learn how to spin while I was
pregnant with my second child and got a wheel but couldn't
find anyone to teach me so I put the wheel away until I was
pregnant with my 3rd child. I was determined I was going to
learn at that point, as I was back in Canada, but my marriage
broke down during the pregnancy. I had to go to Alberta to
have the baby as I needed child care while I was in the
hospital and where I live up here doesn't even have a doctor.
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| Locally harvested goldenrod being used to make a dye bath. |
I asked on Ravelry if anyone
knew of a spinning instructor in Alberta and was given the
name of a woman. I got my spinning lesson while I was 38
weeks pregnant. It was spindle spinning as I wasn't able to
bring my wheel. I continued to spindle spin only for the
first year of my son's life as it was quiet and he didn't mind
watching the spindle. I then started wheel-spinning but I
still have spindle spinning projects to this day and have over
50 spindles. I have 2 flyer wheels, one of which is antique
Canadian Production Wheel, and I also have a book charkha (
an Indian portable spinning wheel and you can see it being used
here by a grand nephew of Mahatma Ghandi).
In
2010, I took the level one master spinner course at Olds
College in Olds, Alberta. One of the assignments was doing 10
different natural dyes. I decided to not continue with the
program but did complete the 10 different natural dyes and was
hooked on natural dyeing after that.
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| Handspun, crocheted hat designed by me. |
I decided like many people to start selling items I have
made. I sell online but also tried my first craft fair last
fall and did really well. I also really enjoyed meeting
people and explaining what I do to people and will continue to
do craft fairs. I teach spindle spinning in the local school
and do workshops and demos through the local arts society
every summer.
As far as items I sell, my biggest sellers are
my hats. I have decided to focus on hats for the future as far
as items I make and am starting to collect hat blocks in
different sizes.
My biggest dream for the future is to continue doing this as
my job. I collect wild plants for medicinal use
and for dyeing. (for example, I make
my own lip balm and hand balm) I work primarily with animal fibres and try
to buy from people in the Yukon.
Come visit my
blog anytime and see what I'm up to.
My
name is Linda Kittmer and I’m from a relatively small town, Georgetown,
Ontario, which is about thirty minutes outside of Toronto.
