Meet Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx | Fiber Artists & Entrepreneurs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx is a beloved hobby turned business venture. After creating too many skeins of yarn, Carrie Kathryn (CK) decided it was in her best interest to sell some yarn to make money and continue the hobby. Fleece & Thank Ewe started as a small Etsy store. Eager to share the lost art of hand-making yarn, CK began teaching Sarah about the process of creation. One afternoon, CK left Sarah home alone with the drum carder, a tool used for blending fibers together, and came home to find a pile of art batts. After that, Sarah was inspired to learn how to spin those batts into yarn. After discovering a mutual love of handmade yarn, Carrie Kathryn and Sarah joined forces in upstate New York so that we could share our passion for creating one of a kind hand-dyed and hand-spun art yarn. From there, our love of fiber art grew, and we continue to learn and create for ourselves and our business. Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx was born in 2020 as its own independent online store to share our craft with the world. The rest is FATE!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx is a multi-disciplinary fiber art business run by two women specializing in hand-dyed and hand-spun art yarn as well as finished knit and crochet pieces
with our handmade yarn. Carrie Kathryn learned the art of hand-making yarn at Calypso Farm
and Ecology Center in Fairbanks, Alaska while participating in the Farmer Training Program in
2017. Being able to learn the skills of hand-dyeing and hand-spinning fiber accelerated CK’s
learning process. After leaving Calypso, the most difficult obstacle was finding used tools and
saving money for new tools. Luckily, CK found a used version of the same spinning wheel she
learned on in Alaska, which allowed her to continue creating art yarn for her Etsy store. Eager to
share the lost art of hand-making yarn, Carrie Kathryn began teaching Sarah about the process
of creation. From there, their love of fiber art grew, and Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx (FATEFW) was born in 2020.
FATEFW believes in individuality of art and humans. Just as every skein of yarn is unique, every person is one of a kind with creative potential. We strive to bring about curiosity and promote the education of fiber art. Through the exploration of texture, color, and movement, we embrace the everchanging process of our fiber art. Through this mission, we hope to ignite inspiration, brighten the community, and expand involvement in the world of art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx is located in the lovely town of Trumansburg, NY. If a friend were to visit, we would take them to the tallest single drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, Taughannock Falls. Then up to the National Women’s Rights Museum in Seneca Falls, NY, the birthplace of women’s right to vote. And then we would come back for the Trumansburg Farmers Market which is an awesome local event that includes farmers, artisans, spirits, food, and live music. To end the evening would take them out to the best farm to table restaurant, Hazelnut Kitchen, for the finest local cuisine. Finally, a nightcap at Garrett’s Brewing Co., for a small batch brew and great company.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Susan Willsrud of Calypso Farm and Ecology Center in Fairbanks, Alaska deserves a Fleece & Thank Ewe Fiber Worx (FATEFW) shoutout. Through an immersive program at the farm Susan taught Carrie Kathryn the process of hand-dyeing fiber and spinning wool on a spinning wheel. After getting just a taste of handmade yarn, CK was inspired to take a more in depth dyeing and spinning course from Susan. Being able to have such an experienced mentor is what allowed CK to refine her own fiber skills and start an Etsy store, before teaching Sarah about the process of yarn creation. FATEFW is thankful for Susan’s Willrud’s expertise and inspiring flock to fiber to yarn practices.

Website: www.fleeceandthankewe.com

Instagram: @fleeceandthankewefiberworx

Image Credits
The personal photo is from the Instagram account, @liveinithaca, otherwise they are personal cellphone photos.