Becoming The Birds
When the song of a bird drifts on the wind it carries with it a finely spun yarn. When the song reaches the ears of a human for the first time, that finely spun yarn becomes a connecting thread. With each song heard, each glimpse of a beating wing, each call noticed, the thread grows stronger. And, as time is taken to watch and to listen, a knowing relationship is woven between human and bird. As the birds call and sing of the other creatures around them, a web of interconnectivity, a rich tapestry is created.
These weavings are my woven relationship with the Birds and what I learn through listening deeply to them. They are continual conversations, and ever growing and evolving relationships. My intention spun into the yarn for this collection is that as humans we hear the birds calling us home, back into a life of reciprocity and wonder.
Woodpecker
A bold shawl of striking colour of a bird who does not fear being heard. Woodpecker reminds her wearer of the power of their voice, holding them in courage and offering guidance in assertiveness. Colour is lent by Madder root, and fleece by Black Welsh Mountain, Shetland, and Falkland Sheep.
Turtle Dove
An ode to the shy, to the sensitive, to the elusive... Soft pinks lent to Wool by Madder's root and Avocado's skin and stone. The mustard colour of her wings were lent by Madder's root and Onion's skin. Wool is lent by Black Welsh Mountain, Grey Corridale, Herdwick, Blue Faced Leicester and Southdown Sheep. Her skeleton is a warp of Cotton.
Pigeon
A resilient survivor. The sun their compass, the roads and rivers their map. A bird who knows how to find their way home from wherever they are. The sight of their grey feathers with the shimmer of emerald green and purple at their necks are a beauty to behold amongst the concrete streets of the city. Pigeon wraps her woven wings around her wearer, guiding them back home to themselves, to a place of calm at their core.
Fibres lent by Grey Herdwick, Grey Corriedale, and Swaledale Sheep.
Nuthatch
Nut hacker, Mud dabber, upside down bird. A resourceful and efficient little bird who recycles and reuses old nesting sites to create its own home and uses the nooks between branches to hammer nuts and seeds open. The only bird to travel head-first down trees, Nuthatch reminds the wearer to find bravery in their bones and take action towards their dreams.
Colour is lent by Dogwood berries, Beetroot and Damsons, and the fibres are lent by Falkland, Black Welsh Mountain and Grey Corriedale Sheep.
Magpie
One for sorrow, two for joy…
Magpie is a wise bird who knows themselves well. In touch with their own grief and able to express it in shared ceremony. They are a bird of balance of the light and the dark. Said to have a drop of the devil’s blood on the tip of their tongue, they are a bird who has been wrongly disliked over the centuries. Connected to our wise women once burned and drowned, and to the Augurs who read the future by the birds and from where the rhyme is derived. Magpie encourages her wearer to go inwards and befriend their truth that waits for them at their core.
Fibres lent by Flax, Black Welsh Mountain and Falkland Sheep.
Goldfinch
A celebration of the red-faced gold-winged bird who tweaks seeds from teasels and sings and flies amongst a charm. Goldfinch wraps her wearer in the joy that can be found in the company of others and in the beauty of friendships.
Colour lent by Madder root, Beetroot, Red cabbage and Onion skin. Fleece by Black Welsh Mountain and Falkland Sheep.
Bullfinch
Bullfinch, Bud bird, Bud picker, Alpe.
The bird who was once victim to being caged for their amazing ability to beautifully replicate songs, or killed across the land for eating the buds of fruit trees.
The alpe pink of Bullfinch, like the sunrise glow upon snow, soothes the heart of the wearer, giving care to the wounded places within. A victim wrapped in love is a survivor.
