Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name
is Eric, I'm 30 years old and got into crafting at an early age.
I've always enjoyed working with my hands (it kinda runs in the
family) and as time went on I also got into historical reenacting. I
taught myself how to knit several years ago, and have since also
taught myself how to spin on drop spindle, supported spindle as well
as using an Ashford Traditional spinning wheel. I also taught myself
how to card, comb, and clean, and dye wool. Stacy (who happens to
be my cousin on my Mother side) has asked me to put some of my
spinning up on her site. We had joked about opening up our own yarn
shop and I said we should call it EWE & YOOR'S.
EWE & YOOR'S? What
Kind of name is that? My
mother and Stacy's mother are sisters from a good Polish family by
Judzientowicz (pronouned YOUDS-en-tovich) when our family moved to
the US, it was shortened to YOOR. So in honor of that you get EWE &
YOOR'S
Where does your inspiration come from?
How do I decide what to work with? I
typically will just open my stash bin for spinning and rummage around
until something jumps our and says, “SPIN ME!” I love working
with a variety of fibers, primarily wool, but have also enjoyed
working with mohair, alpaca, and most recently, Great Pyrenees from
the dog of one of my neighbors. From there, I'll either spin it on
the wheel, or if it really says that it needs some love, I'll use one
my 10+ spindles.
As far
as color goes, I typically will work with cooler colors, blues,
greens etc. love also spinning the more firey colors. I really try
to look for colors that blend well together when they are being spun
and plied. I take the view of are these colors going to detract
from the pattern? Or accentuate it? Will the pattern get lost in a
morass of color or enhance it?
Who has influenced you the most in your creations?
Honestly, I
would have to say that History itself would be my biggest inspiration.
Spinning is one of the most important anthropological steps forward in
human history that we have taken. Historically, it has been so
important that it was called an eternal task. The act of spinning fiber
has made it's way into myth, legends, and even fairy tales. There have
been archeological findings from every culture around the world of
clay, stone and bead whorls, which is indication that they were as or
more important that say, a hatchet or spear.
How do you get out of creative ruts?
Climb
over it, dig under it, or go around it. I choose not to let any
blocks get in my way. Being an Aries, I like to “ram” my way
through it.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists?
Find your passion and go for it. Figure out what calls to you and learn what wisdom there is to learn from it. Whether it's spinning wool, sewing, or even making leather masks, find what ignites the passion of creativity and nurture it.
I can also be reached by email at: ecrouse82@gmail.com
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