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Marlie de Swart  ♦  Bo-Rage Yarns & Designs

Petaluma, CA  |  Yarn  |  Website

Marlie de Swart started hand spinning yarn when she was a seven-year-old girl living in the Netherlands. Today, she continues the fine art of creating handcrafted yarn, using fleeces from Mimi Luebbermann’s herd, which Mimi has been raising for over a decade for their fine wool. You will also find Marlie and Mimi teaming up to teach the craft—from fleece to yarn to fashion.

Likened to a modern day Rumpelstiltskin, Marlie turns simple sheep’s fleece into beautiful yarn.

Mimi Luebbermann | Windrush Farm


What drew you to your chosen craft?
I don’t remember making a conscious choice. I grew up with spinning and knitting, all the women in my family knit or crochet or did some form of fiber craft and it was expected from me that you would do the same. I have been knitting and spinning for a very long time.

What do you enjoy most about your craft?
What I enjoy most about spinning and knitting is the idea that you create something very special from a renewable resource, working in a craft that has existed for a very, very long time. Especially spinning is an ancient craft. A thread had to be spun before you could make anything, from fish nets to sails for boats and of course clothing. Additionally, both spinning and knitting are very meditative and there is always a special bond with other people who knit or spin.

Making things with your hands brings you closer to the material; it makes you understand the material you work with, be it wood, metal or fiber. The creator has a vision of how the object should look and since s/he knows the material they can create anything they want, from the most conservative to the most outlandish. Making things by hand brings out the creativity in each person.

In what ways are handmade goods better than those that are mass-produced?
Machine production takes the “life” out of an object. A handmade object contains the soul of the person who made it. You can feel this when you handle the object.

What does the future hold for your type of work?
There will always be knitters. Right now there is a resurgence in spinning and knitting. The younger generation is very interested in learning these old crafts, to go back to nature, to use renewable resources and to minimize carbon consumption. For them it is also a balance that they seek in this screen-oriented society.

Violins, Yarn, Golf Putters




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