Martha McMurray Cant
Shepherd, Spinner and Weaver
Moving to 17 acres in Freestone in 1974 necessitated the purchase of a few live lawn mowers because no one had time or the right equipment to keep the pastures cropped.
Then I had to hire someone to mow the sheep. Luckily I happened to find Ann Kizer, sheep shearer extraordinaire, and she set me on the right track of which breeds to keep and how to coat them to maintain the cleanliness and quality of the fleeces.
The next step was to learn how to spin, and, after I had piled up a largeish supply of yarn, how to weave it into useful fabrics. This pursuit had led to a decades long study of many techniques of fiber work, from rugs to scarves to placemats.
I sell handspun yarn in many fibers, both undyed and dyed, and will take special orders for yarn or woven items. I enjoy working with handspun yarn; I think its slight irregularities increase the textural interest of the fabrics produced. I am currently working on color studies with hand spun wool and rayon and wool and silk.
