“Real, hand-spun wool. Soft, Earthy, Alive.”
Where it all began
It all began on a road trip between Johannesburg and Cape Town, with our first stop in the beautiful Free State town of Clarens. Our son had just turned two, and his afternoon naps gently shaped the rhythm of our days.
On that first afternoon, 8 December 2020, my husband settled in with his book, our son drifted off to sleep, and even our two fur babies were resting after a long morning hike. Stillness settled around me…
I’ve never been good at doing “nothing.” For some reason I was totally unprepared for such a moment. I wandered into town in search of wool and a crochet hook. It felt instinctive, familiar. Something my mum had once shown me how to do. (Thank you, Mum.)
To my surprise, not a single shop stocked yarn and thank goodness for that.
One kind shop owner noticed my quiet desperation and told me about a lady who spun her own wool and lived nearby. I phoned her, walked out, and stepped into a world that blew me away. This was my first encounter with real wool. Real, hand-spun wool. Soft, Earthy, Alive. Each skein had been hand-dyed using natural elements gathered from her garden and the surrounding landscape.
I couldn’t stop myself. I left with a bag full of colours and textures and spent the rest of the holiday crocheting a cardigan.
When we returned to Cape Town, I immediately began searching for a second-hand spinning wheel. Objects with a past have always felt more honest to me. That search marked the true beginning of everything that followed.
Thank you, Wendy. And thank you, Sheep.
“My pieces are shaped by ideas, memories of people and places, emotions, and quiet stories that unfold as I work”
I began spinning in mid-2021, shortly after relocating to Johannesburg and finding the Johannesburg Weavers and Spinners Guild. Learning to spin was slow and intentional, a process that required patience and presence. It became a form of mindful making. One that asked me to slow down and truly pay attention.
Over time, I found myself drifting away from crochet and feeling drawn to something different. I enrolled in a weaving workshop, curious but unsure. The world of weaving opened up in front of me - rich and complex, with countless techniques and traditions. At times it felt overwhelming, and for a while, I struggled to find a style that truly resonated with me.
Eventually, I began to understand what felt right. I discovered a way of working that aligned with how I think, feel, and create. What started as a hobby slowly grew into something far more meaningful.
Today, I work exclusively with natural fibres. My pieces are shaped by ideas, memories of people and places, emotions, and quiet stories that unfold as I work. I don’t follow patterns. Instead, I respond to the fibre itself and to the image forming in my mind, guided by the feeling I carry while weaving each story.
“I respond to the fibre itself and to the image forming in my mind, guided by the feeling I carry while weaving each story.”